deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 like many people here, my first pam was a 111h. however, over time as i got several other pams, i sort of fell out of love with my 111h. i figured i would eventually give it to a friend, but over time i realized it had some sentimental value as my first replica panerai. so when i saw that rbj was offering a relatively inexpensive pvd service which no one had tried/reviewed at the time, i figured i would give it a shot. plus, i hadn't ever purchased a pvd pam, and was inspired by bazz's pvd 111h on black rubber strap. so i got the watch back today (a little over two months since i sent it to rbj -- you can read more about my experience at the end of my post), and as promised, i took some pics of the watch. it's late here, so the only way i could get some decent pics was to take them under the bright lights in my kitchen. i took pics on a lighter wood surface and a black vinyl stool to try to show the range of colors/shades of the pvd coating. i'll try to take more pics using natural light this weekend to give a sense of the way the watch looks under natural sunlight. i'm certainly not a pam pvd expert, and i know there are several people waiting to see pics, so i'll let the experts weigh in on the quality of this pvd / accuracy relative to genuine pvd pams. be honest -- you're not going to hurt my feelings. i'm happy with the watch regardless of how (in)accurate it is. here are the pics: and finally, a wrist shot: so sssurfer, chieftang, eunomians and other pvd experts, what do you think? deltatahoe ps, here is my review of my experience with joe: after reading reviews about people's experiences with rbj, i certainly had my concerns about sending my watch to him. in the end, i decided to have an open mind and send him the watch to be pvd coated with the expectation that it would take a while. joe indicated that he typically sends several watches in a batch to keep the cost down, and it typically takes several weeks to get the watches back. i'm a patient guy, and like i said earlier, i had kind of fallen out of love for my 111h, so i figured i wouldn't miss it much while it was gone. joe kept me updated of the progress of the watch, and asked questions along the way to make sure i knew what was going on and i would be happy with the final product (for instance, he called to ask if i was OK with additional cost to have the extra buckles i sent coated, make sure the butterfly deployment clasp would survive the pvd process, ask about milling down the crown guard to to make sure the lever wasn't loose, etc). despite joe's diligence in making sure everything was taken care of, i realized when i got the watch back that i had somehow failed to send the lug screws to be pvd coated, so they stand out a bit from the rest of the watch oh well -- i'm sure if i ask joe, he will have a pair of screws coated for me in a future pvd run. unfortunately, during the time that my watch was off being pvd coated, rbj met his demise on RWG. this has been discussed at length in several threads; no need to rehash all that here. i figured i would post my experience here for a (relatively) detailed account of one person's experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Delta, love it , love it , love it ... super looking piece IMHO ... i purchased an 218A from a fellow member but still nothing arrived , so hope it will soon ... Anyway regarding the screews i think i saw somewere on the web u can purchase the PVD ones , not a big expence as i remeber . Regards Laz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Delta, I find it excellent. Congrats! I just received one of those 'genuine' crowns from the Kruzer's group buy. It is a PVD crown and we can suppose it provides quite a good insight on how the genuine OP PVD looked in their early Vendome years. Well it is quite a light black, almost a dark gray with matte silver reflections. So maybe your PVD is a little too black compared with that kind of PVD. But my palp's PVD is probably even more black And the overall look of your PVD is very very good. The texture looks perfect, IMHO. That 111 is now a gorgeous and very original watch. I also love the PVD deployant. You will find occasions to get your PVD screws as well. Congrats once again, and really thank you for sharing your experience with us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Looks evil, I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Congrats, its a beauty, wear it well! The sandwich dial in PVD case adds a whole new look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Looks good congrats on such a nice piece. Wear it well. RG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 thanks everyone for the nice comments. i'm really happy with the outcome. @ziggy, you are part of the reason i couldn't part with this watch -- after your lume and cannon pin fix, i just didn't want to let it go. now your lume is the only bright part of this otherwise dark watch deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 like many people here, my first pam was a 111h. however, over time as i got several other pams, i sort of fell out of love with my 111h. i figured i would eventually give it to a friend, but over time i realized it had some sentimental value as my first replica panerai. so when i saw that rbj was offering a relatively inexpensive pvd service which no one had tried/reviewed at the time, i figured i would give it a shot. plus, i hadn't ever purchased a pvd pam, and was inspired by bazz's pvd 111h on black rubber strap. so i got the watch back today (a little over two months since i sent it to rbj -- you can read more about my experience at the end of my post), and as promised, i took some pics of the watch. it's late here, so the only way i could get some decent pics was to take them under the bright lights in my kitchen. i took pics on a lighter wood surface and a black vinyl stool to try to show the range of colors/shades of the pvd coating. i'll try to take more pics using natural light this weekend to give a sense of the way the watch looks under natural sunlight. i'm certainly not a pam pvd expert, and i know there are several people waiting to see pics, so i'll let the experts weigh in on the quality of this pvd / accuracy relative to genuine pvd pams. be honest -- you're not going to hurt my feelings. i'm happy with the watch regardless of how (in)accurate it is. here are the pics: and finally, a wrist shot: so sssurfer, chieftang, eunomians and other pvd experts, what do you think? deltatahoe ps, here is my review of my experience with joe: after reading reviews about people's experiences with rbj, i certainly had my concerns about sending my watch to him. in the end, i decided to have an open mind and send him the watch to be pvd coated with the expectation that it would take a while. joe indicated that he typically sends several watches in a batch to keep the cost down, and it typically takes several weeks to get the watches back. i'm a patient guy, and like i said earlier, i had kind of fallen out of love for my 111h, so i figured i wouldn't miss it much while it was gone. joe kept me updated of the progress of the watch, and asked questions along the way to make sure i knew what was going on and i would be happy with the final product (for instance, he called to ask if i was OK with additional cost to have the extra buckles i sent coated, make sure the butterfly deployment clasp would survive the pvd process, ask about milling down the crown guard to to make sure the lever wasn't loose, etc). despite joe's diligence in making sure everything was taken care of, i realized when i got the watch back that i had somehow failed to send the lug screws to be pvd coated, so they stand out a bit from the rest of the watch oh well -- i'm sure if i ask joe, he will have a pair of screws coated for me in a future pvd run. unfortunately, during the time that my watch was off being pvd coated, rbj met his demise on RWG. this has been discussed at length in several threads; no need to rehash all that here. i figured i would post my experience here for a (relatively) detailed account of one person's experience. I am far from being an expert in anything let alone PVD ... but this is loookkkiiiing goooooooooood DT... darth Vader would be proud to wear this pc. I'm wating for a TI case to come back from plating don't want it too Black though ,I stilll want to see the brushed ti a little ... even though it might not be to specs.. LIVE STRONG AND WEAR IT WELL.... thanks for the great pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 @ziggy, you are part of the reason i couldn't part with this watch -- after your lume and cannon pin fix, i just didn't want to let it go. now your lume is the only bright part of this otherwise dark watch deltatahoe So are you saying that I am the "light of your watch..." I know it's corny, but we watchmakers dont' get many chances for humour, even bad humour... RG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 So are you saying that I am the "light of your watch..." absolutely. and for the record -- a replica panerai is no good without a little light from ziggy. deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 absolutely. and for the record -- a replica panerai is no good without a little light from ziggy. deltatahoe Thanks... I wonder if you got some "gun blue" liquid and tried it on the screws if that would work until you got the PVD done. It should darken them close to the colour of the case. RG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 I wonder if you got some "gun blue" liquid and tried it on the screws if that would work until you got the PVD done. It should darken them close to the colour of the case. that's a good idea....another simple fix would also be to use a black sharpie permanent marker....given the screws are recessed a little bit, i don't think it would be very noticeable.... deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 I like I like!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Overall, it looks really good. But I can't help but notice (what looks like) some discoloration at the creases of the lugs. Maybe it's just the lighting in your photos? What is your impression of the quality (texture, eveness) of the coating? Would you use Joe's PVD service again for other watches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 that's a good idea....another simple fix would also be to use a black sharpie permanent marker....given the screws are recessed a little bit, i don't think it would be very noticeable.... deltatahoe I thought the same, but the marked tends to look too shiny and blue on metal, also you would have a hard time getting in the screw slot... RG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Overall, it looks really good. But I can't help but notice (what looks like) some discoloration at the creases of the lugs. Looks like a fingerprint to me... RG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Looks like a fingerprint to me... RG Maybe...But the important question is: Is the print on top of, or beneath the coating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Brad in the first photos it does look indeed more black than the OEM.. In this photo though looks very very close to the gen... Wear it well my friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 the fingerprint on the lugs is definitely on top of the coating; the coating has a really nice look to it. the texture is great, and the coating is applied very evenly across the whole case. i would definitely send another watch to joe to have it pvd coated -- it was well worth the wait. i was really surprised by the range of colors from the first pics to the second pics....it was late when i got home from work last night (and i was pretty sleep deprived at that point)....i'll take another look at the watch tonight to try to give you guys a sense of which pictures are more accurate in terms of the color of the pvd coating in real life. deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 the fingerprint on the lugs is definitely on top of the coating; the coating has a really nice look to it. the texture is great, and the coating is applied very evenly across the whole case. i would definitely send another watch to joe to have it pvd coated -- it was well worth the wait. Thanks deltatahoe. But what I am really curious about is the area at the base of the lug: ...it's visible in every picture, and even on the opposite lug. Can this be wiped away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 i noticed this too after looking at the pictures....i'll check on it tonight and post back here about it.... deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 i noticed this too after looking at the pictures....i'll check on it tonight and post back here about it.... deltatahoe Thanks. I'm weighing my options for a PVD project of my own, so I really appreciate your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavor flav Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 looks awesome! i found a pvd company that says with a $250 minimum order.. they will be less than $15/ea case to pvd! if anyone has a bunch they want to send let me know and i'll give you the info. this pvd came out really nice!! much better imo than davidsen's pvd that easily rubs off.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babola Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 looks awesome! i found a pvd company that says with a $250 minimum order.. they will be less than $15/ea case to pvd! if anyone has a bunch they want to send let me know and i'll give you the info. this pvd came out really nice!! much better imo than davidsen's pvd that easily rubs off.. Any pics of that PVD, Flav ? So this will mean 15-20 watch orders...how about creating another post re this to gouge the interest ? @deltahoe, that PVD finish looks EXTREMELY close to the 2nd gen PVD Finish Panerai used on gens, just before they dropped Ti models from their product line completely. The finish is less grainy and definitelly darker that 1st gen that came out in pencil-gray finish, almost titanium look alike. For few bucks you can get nice PVD screws from Don or Panatime, they'll complement the package quite nicely :-) Shame for that CG lever, can it not close completely ? Very nice specimen, I wouldn't let go of it if I were you... cheers, babola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 looks awesome! i found a pvd company that says with a $250 minimum order.. they will be less than $15/ea case to pvd! if anyone has a bunch they want to send let me know and i'll give you the info. this pvd came out really nice!! much better imo than davidsen's pvd that easily rubs off.. Yes, any pics, Flav? Not to hijack the thread, but I am definitely interested in this! Do they perform the beadblasting too? I would participate with three cases and some more buckles / clasps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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