apw1973 Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 I've taken the advice, done my homework and "read, read, read" as others have advocated. Based on everything I have read, I've come to the conclusion that Davidesn, barring a few negative comments, appears to make the best replica Pams. However, I get no feel for the marginal benefit of spending $120 on an Asian; $200 for a Swiss; $300 for a non Davidsen Swan neck, etc, Swiss; or $368 for the Davidsen "Ultimate". If the movement is the only difference between the 4 and the case quality is much the same (assuming Saphire Glass), am I better buying a $120 Asian and paying someone to mod it and buying a top quality strap? Perhaps someone with some experience of the various price points could offer some guidance? Thanks Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 first off, welcome to RWG great choice starting with the 112h -- it is one of my favorite reps (and completely underrated relative to the 111h). i may be mistaken, but i don't believe you can buy an asian 112 w/ sapphire glass for $120. however, i've taken the approach of going with asian movement pams (for more about my experience / philosophy collecting reps, click here) and spending the difference on a few mods & nice straps, and i've found it has served me well. feel free to ask any other questions you might have; i think you'll find everyone here is very helpful. cheers deltatahoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 The 112 is a beautiful watch..and a great first choice. IMO I would not spend the 300.00 plus for the Davidsen for your first purchase. The 200.00 Swiss is a good dial/case, etc. and plenty accurate enough for a mid priced rep. You are on the right path. Spend the xtra 100.00 that you save on the deal for a really good strap. There are plenty of good straps available from a variety of strap makers for that 100.00 price. Look on the sales forum at paneristi, for accessories and you will find MP (Mario Paci) straps, and the like, brand new, that normally retail for 200.00 plus, on sale from fellow panerai lovers for that 100.00 price range. The strap often makes the watch, when wearing Pams, and the combination of what is available is have the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomeo Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I've received mine today from Davidsen. It's a great watch: perfect superlume and AR, correct movement, etc. Go for it!! You won't fail with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavor flav Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 DID someone say 112?????? get the asian swiss swanneck and mod it. much better than davidsens in my opinion. here is a few i've done recently. (non-davidsen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Buy one from Flavor Flav! You will not be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nite Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 DID someone say 112?????? get the asian swiss swanneck and mod it. much better than davidsens in my opinion. here is a few i've done recently. (non-davidsen) Better than davidsen sure but there is also huge price difference. If you want swiss you can get it for around 250 USD unmoded and than all the mods costs around 250 USD or more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apw1973 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 DID someone say 112?????? get the asian swiss swanneck and mod it. much better than davidsens in my opinion. here is a few i've done recently. (non-davidsen) That's a fantastic looking watch. Do you mind if I ask what mods you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apw1973 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 The 112 is a beautiful watch..and a great first choice. IMO I would not spend the 300.00 plus for the Davidsen for your first purchase. The 200.00 Swiss is a good dial/case, etc. and plenty accurate enough for a mid priced rep. You are on the right path. Spend the xtra 100.00 that you save on the deal for a really good strap. There are plenty of good straps available from a variety of strap makers for that 100.00 price. Look on the sales forum at paneristi, for accessories and you will find MP (Mario Paci) straps, and the like, brand new, that normally retail for 200.00 plus, on sale from fellow panerai lovers for that 100.00 price range. The strap often makes the watch, when wearing Pams, and the combination of what is available is have the fun. Thanks for the advice - will check out the other forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 i believe flav's full works typically includes a relume, cannon pin fix, white dial text darkening and floppy lever fix... deltatahoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apw1973 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 first off, welcome to RWG great choice starting with the 112h -- it is one of my favorite reps (and completely underrated relative to the 111h). i may be mistaken, but i don't believe you can buy an asian 112 w/ sapphire glass for $120. however, i've taken the approach of going with asian movement pams (for more about my experience / philosophy collecting reps, click here) and spending the difference on a few mods & nice straps, and i've found it has served me well. feel free to ask any other questions you might have; i think you'll find everyone here is very helpful. cheers deltatahoe Thanks - what a terrific community this is. From what I can make out, there is no real difference apart from the movement, etc, in the $200+ options. The visual elements of the watch appear to be very similar. I'm not too worked up if the movement is swiss or asian - the look of the watch matters more to me. Assuming I buy one with AR coating, I suspect that I am looking at a new strap, crown guard and a re-lume. This all points to the Flav mod watch, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apw1973 Posted July 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 The 112 is a beautiful watch..and a great first choice. IMO I would not spend the 300.00 plus for the Davidsen for your first purchase. The 200.00 Swiss is a good dial/case, etc. and plenty accurate enough for a mid priced rep. You are on the right path. Spend the xtra 100.00 that you save on the deal for a really good strap. There are plenty of good straps available from a variety of strap makers for that 100.00 price. Look on the sales forum at paneristi, for accessories and you will find MP (Mario Paci) straps, and the like, brand new, that normally retail for 200.00 plus, on sale from fellow panerai lovers for that 100.00 price range. The strap often makes the watch, when wearing Pams, and the combination of what is available is have the fun. Ok, I've had a closer look at the Davidsen ultimate 112. Am I correct in thinking the following:- 1. The dials on the gen are closer to white than the green on the Davidsen; 2. The Gen has L Swiss Made L at the bottom of the dial but the Davidsen has L Swiss L 3. The crown on the gen is thicker; 4. The crown lever attached to the guard (is the oft referred to Cannon Pin?) does not appear to sit flush on the Davidsen 5. The Panerai and Luminor font is incorrect on the Davidsen compared to the gen. I know that there are other issues regarding the caseback which I don't have enough experience to spot. Based on the above, I've looked at most the reps offered by the well known dealers. For me, the one which most closely resembles the original to my untrained eye, is the silix-prime $250 swiss. The dials are still a little too green but the crown appears thicker and the crown lever sits flush with the guard. Not sure what the etiquette is regarding posting to dealer sites, so I haven't posted a link. However, it would be good if someone can tell me if they agree with my conclusions re the Silix watch? Thanks Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nite Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 (edited) Davidsen is terrible at advertising. I recently got 112h from davidsen and it looks a lot better than on photos. You should check some pictures of the members who got this watch. for example: davidsen 112 review Please do yourself a favor and don't buy unmoded panerai. Its huge difference and sooner or later you will want modded one.... Edited July 20, 2007 by joze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E J Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 4. The crown lever attached to the guard (is the oft referred to Cannon Pin?) does not appear to sit flush on the Davidsen Cannon pin is actually the little tube that hold the hour and minute hands, which in unmodded PAMs comes sunk (recessed) and should be at the same level as the minute hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kollektor Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 First of all, I personally recommend Flav for mods. He is THE MAN. But, IMO, you will want to mod the PAM at some point for sure. Must have mods are: 1) Lume 2) cannon pin (the center pin that holds the hour and minute hands is inaccurately recessed; this will become glaring to you after a while) 3) Crown (the aftermarket crown is thicker and sharper on the edges) CG lever is a popular mode, but IMO not absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.