pics of swiss eta cote de geneve 6497

[robideaux]

i am impressed by some of the dealer's shots of the modified eta 6497 with cote de geneve, but i am somewhat skeptical at how it will look in person. anyone with first hand experience wanna comment on the quality? or even better yet, post a picture? this would really help me make a decision... thanks!

[LLCoolRS]

hello.... Ive been following the 6497 too as a 111h is in my future.

enzo likes me pluggin his post . And I shall plug because it was that damn good for a newbie.

http://www.replica-watches-guide.com/forum...=ST&f=2&t=31858

hope that helps.... if you don't mind a semi-hijack i wanna throw some questions out here...

- I know that the swan-neck regulators on the 6497 are just cosmetic but.... what is their function if working (in a gen)? Flame away if this is a really dumb question. My understanding is the swan-neck regulator is just the curved/bent bar surrounding the adjustment needle/hand. Me so dumb.

- is there gonna be a 111i (111I) for 2006? as i understand, every year gets a new letter, but the may or may not be siginificant modifications (i.e. sandwich dial, CDG for H)

LLCool

EDIT: whoops, bad link

Edited April 21, 2006 by LLCoolRS

[robideaux]

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=64&hl=cote

i found this topic which had some up close pictures of the CDG swiss, but there seem to be two versions. the latest has "seventeen jewels" and the other peripheral engravings in blue, where as the old was in gold. also, the shape of the swan neck is closer to gen. i want to know if anyone has some shots of the lateset CDG.

latest version (courtesy of the man, EL):

[archibald]

latest version (courtesy of the man, EL):

If that is the latest version it still has the following "big" flaws:

1) Alignment pins still visable

2) Sunburst on gears not as refined as OEM

3) "Officine Panerai" text too big

IMO the ultimate decorated H series movement would be created by having someone put a swans neck on the CN movement (which uses more accurate "foil" plates instead of poorly decorated bridges), bevel the plates, polishthe brass gears, and put a more subtle sunburst pattern on the winding gears.

Would I actually pay to have extensive work to the back of my watch? Nope, because anyonw who knows what an OEM movement looks like will still be able to call you out in 1/2 a second, and anyone who doesn';t know what an OEM movement should look like won't be able to tell yours is not real anyway. But if it would make you happy, you already have a swans neck watch, you can do the work yourself, and a CN movement can be sourced for less than 50 bucks decent price, why not?

[robideaux]

i've actually taken apart my CN unitas, and the CDG are not stuck on plates. the text however, and the regulation notches (+ & -) are. then there is the fact that the cdg swirls are reversed on the center piece when compared to the peripheral pieces. when it reflects light they show inverted gradations patterns. that bugs me a little, but the worst feature is the dull finish and the crooked alignment of the text. i will try to take pictures to show how poorly aligned "officine panerai" is. if it were straight, i would be pretty satisfied, but crooked lettering looks rought and cheap, and definately fake.

[Finepics]

- I know that the swan-neck regulators on the 6497 are just cosmetic but.... what is their function if working (in a gen)? Flame away if this is a really dumb question. My understanding is the swan-neck regulator is just the curved/bent bar surrounding the adjustment needle/hand. Me so dumb.

The swan neck is simply a sprung bar that together with the micro screw holds the regulateur in a precise postion. It then allows for minute adjustments throught the screw. It's not really necessary for accuracy and is just as much decorative as functional. The rep ones are not functional due to the shape of the regulateur being too narrow at the part where the screw contacts. The gen regulateur has a much broader flared sword shape which makes contact with screw and sping.

It is not possible to adjust the metal of any of the bridges as you will expose brass under the nickel plating.

The starburst pattern on the winding gear and ratchet wheel would be impossible to improve as it requires a specialist machine that can produce a radial pattern.

Also don't forget that the H series movt is not fitted into a 127. They were only made with the G series movt in 2002/3 in a run of 1,950 units. The H series movt is only found on the 217 Destro as this is a current Panerai model.

[torresp]

Just a shot of a real 111H for comparison