Pam Crown on Ebay, what do you think?

[pman]

I've got a 176h and was thinking of upgrading to a Palp crown. I noticed these on ebay. Has anyone ordered one and installed it? How do they compare to Palps? I did a search and could find anything. Here's a picture and a link. thanks.

For some reason I can't get the hyperlink to work. Change HXXp to Http. Here's the URL:

hXXp://cgi.ebay.com/100-AUTHENTIC-PANERAI-WATCH-CROWN-TITANIUM-RARE-NOS_W0QQitemZ150174203173QQihZ005QQcategoryZ31387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVi

wItem#ebayphotohosting

Edited October 24, 2007 by pman

[tootall]

Linky no worky.

If it is the same one that is touted as "genuine" it is a good crown. Much better than Palp's imo. However, it is not actually a gen crown. Just close. It seems someone reverse engineered it.

[dadog13]

there is a post from Kruzer about this crowns from the e-bay...he bought dozen of them and i think that other members did the same...there are pics of it/them installed on various reps...

and their qualitiy (we can discuss if the are gen or not) are IMHO the best ones that appeard on the aftermarket

Edited October 24, 2007 by dadog13

[turboGUATE]

Here's a working link for the crowns on da bay:

http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?sofocus=bs&satitle=panerai+crown&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC5&fbd=1&_trksid=m37&from=R6&nojspr=y&pfid=0&fswc=1&few=&saprclo=&saprchi=&fss=0&saslop=1&sasl=&fls=4%26floc%3D1&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&salic=1&saatc=1&sadis=200&fpos=&fsct=&sacur=0&sacqyop=ge&sacqy=&sabfmts=0&saobfmts=exsif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&sabdlo=&sabdhi=&saaff=afdefault&afcj=&afmp=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&fcl=3&frpp=50

This guy has all 3 versions: SS, Ti and PVD. It be great if someone (like as above mentioned: Kruzer) could do a comparo of this crown vs. Palp.

I see the price is quite above Palps (and I even think Palps are expensive) with the difference on this crowns I'm able to see from the pics is that they come with the seals and perhaps are springlike as DSN's.

Please fellow members, share your knowledge on this matter.

Cheers!

[Guest watchbuff]

I have been watching these myself on Ebay. I am not sure what the price of PALP's crown goes for but the $99.00 buy it now just does not sing "genuine to me" The price for a gen crown is above $350.00 depending on the model. I am waiting to see the next generation PAM with the correct 2mm crown before I go hacking apart my Davidsen and end up with a PAM crown in a size no one would want. (yet another unwanted part in the jewelers kit)

I think Angus is going to have a Dividsen-like PAM with the correct crown where Davidsen sells for $350.00 Angus is looking at $368.00 which to me ...$18.00 is worth the better crown, as long as the rest of the watch is meeting the high standards we want. I am anxious for an UNBIASED review.

I am finding some reveiews look less than should I say....fair and balanced?

[tootall]

there is a post from Kruzer about this crowns from the e-bay...he bought dozen of them and i think that other members did the same...there are pics of it/them installed on various reps...

and their qualitiy (we can discuss if the are gen or not) are IMHO the best ones that appeard on the aftermarket

That's the post I have been looking for. According to the patent these ebay crowns are not genuine, but they are very good. The mark-up is ridiculous though. I have thought about making some aftermarket ones and I was quoted around $2 a piece and that's with material. So $99 is very steep. I just need to get a cad file to make mine, I assure you it would be around $10-$15 once it's all said and done.

[dadog13]

That's the post I have been looking for. According to the patent these ebay crowns are not genuine, but they are very good. The mark-up is ridiculous though. I have thought about making some aftermarket ones and I was quoted around $2 a piece and that's with material. So $99 is very steep. I just need to get a cad file to make mine, I assure you it would be around $10-$15 once it's all said and done.

that would b great...i bet many members could help with informations about the gen crown...and that price (10-15$) would be great...

do you pland to the the CG as well?

here is the link to W's post : http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...30&hl=crown

[tootall]

that would b great...i bet many members could help with informations about the gen crown...and that price (10-15$) would be great...

do you pland to the the CG as well?

here is the link to W's post : http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...30&hl=crown

Hey, if I could get the cad file for these, I would most certainly do that. The hard part is getting the computer file needed. I am very proficient with Autocad, but I have no real basis for what I am drawing other than scans or patent descriptions. If I could ever get a hold Jimmy and get his cad files that would be awesome. Getting them made is incredibly cheap, the materials are as well. The design is the hard part.

[PAMman]

I have been watching these myself on Ebay. I am not sure what the price of PALP's crown goes for but the $99.00 buy it now just does not sing "genuine to me" The price for a gen crown is above $350.00 depending on the model.

I bought one genuine crown from an AD who ordered it specifically for my 111F. It cost me $35 and he apologised for the high cost of Panerai material. I also got a gen CG as well from the same source for less than the cost of a Jimmy Fu CG so there's no way that a crown for any Panerai is $350.

If these crowns are rep then we ae being asked to believe that someone very capable and well equipped decided to copy the Panerai crown for the automatic models without any contact with the producer of rep watches or the rep community. In other words someone decided............"lets set up a manufacturing operation to replicate the crown for the automatic Panerais + a very few handwinds, then list them on ebay and see if anyone might want one". Plausable? NO!

These crowns must be genuine and could only be, either;

1. out through the 'backdoor' of a current / recent supplier - it is well known that Panerai have changed component suppliers several times in the past 10 years,

2. surplus stock from a recent supplier who lost a contract, or

3. NOS from the preV era.

We can probably discount No3 as these are mainly for auto movements and there were no preV autos, but it is known that the autos were planned for production so possibly some parts were commissioned and not used. Certainly it is understood that there was no transfer of spares from the old company to the new so whatever stock there was must have found its way onto the market somehow.

If we forget the third option, that means that either these crowns were spirited out of a component manufacturers, obviously without consent as it would jeopardise the contractural arrangement, or sold as part of a job lot by a manufacturer who had already lost his contract to supply Panerai and decided to get rid of redundant stock. On balance my money is on option 2.

Quite simply the replica theory doesn't stack up and the quality is 'Panerai' rather than rep.

Edited October 24, 2007 by PAMman

[vaca22]

.....

Edited November 12, 2007 by vaca22

[justaguy88]

I agree with Pamman. If the crowns were reps, any half-smart seller would be advertising them here or on RWI, where the real market for "replica" crowns would be.

[dadog13]

What exactly is a palp crown?

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...52&hl=crown

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...42&hl=crown

hope this helps you...

[Watchmeister]

Who the heck made this thread so big I have to scroll to read what I wrote. So this one will be short. These are the same crowns that I organized previous group buys. In fact, members have bought more than 50 of them. Consensus is the crowns are gen. Not only do they have the same internal spring mechanism only found on a gen crown but they vary as to size based on model reflective of the models that they were made for at the time. The SS are all 0.9 for automatics as are the PVD's. The PVD crowns are slightly thinner as they were on the early PVD gens. The ti on the other hand are more robust and are 1.2 for handwinds. There were no ti automatics at that time. Ti replaced PVD. The sizing of the turnings are perfect for the casetube on earlier gens (yes I tried it). Later on PAM moved into a two as opposed to three gasket stem but they both have the same functionality. And once you have opened a crown guard and had your crown actually pop out it is hard to go back to the rep crowns. The functionality on the crown is identical to my gen 170. That is the good news. The bad news is that you either need a Jimmy case (which has enlarged case tube relative to rep) or to enlarge the case tube on a rep case.

[tootall]

I bought one genuine crown from an AD who ordered it specifically for my 111F. It cost me $35 and he apologised for the high cost of Panerai material. I also got a gen CG as well from the same source for less than the cost of a Jimmy Fu CG so there's no way that a crown for any Panerai is $350.

Why don't you go in on a group buy seeing as you can get the gen item?? I'll do all the other work if you can simply get the parts.

[Guest watchbuff]

I think the price of the crown with installation was $350.00 Just what the AD quoted.

[HauteHippie]

Hey, if I could get the cad file for these, I would most certainly do that. The hard part is getting the computer file needed. I am very proficient with Autocad, but I have no real basis for what I am drawing other than scans or patent descriptions. If I could ever get a hold Jimmy and get his cad files that would be awesome. Getting them made is incredibly cheap, the materials are as well. The design is the hard part.

Well, then, let's contact Jimmy!!! I could use some more CGs!

[professor_yaffle1]

Why don't you go in on a group buy seeing as you can get the gen item?? I'll do all the other work if you can simply get the parts.

Count me in

Have just acquired a very nice DSN 111h, all it really needs is a better crown and I'll be one happy camper

prof

[Guest watchbuff]

Count me in as well!!!!

[pman]

Kruzer, just so I understand completely. If I buy the "ebay crown" then I will have to have the tube of my 176H modified to fit the new crown, correct?

[Watchmeister]

On your 176H, you could put on a ti crown as it has 1.2mm stem. I will eventually do it to my Josh 36. As I said these are the only crowns that come with the 1.2 stem tube hole. Your other concerns though would be needing to enlarge casetube (most rep cases have a smaller casetube than the gen) and making sure that your lever is long enough so that the lever actually contacts the crown. Gen crowns have a deeper recess on the middle versus gen. At some point I will try it.

[maxmilian]

But it fits a jimmy case without any modification required, right ?

[pman]

Thanks Kruzer. I think I'm just going to put a palp crown on and be done with. I've done the cannon pin upgrade, relume, this is the last cosmetic thing I plan on doing.

[skcheng]

Palp crowns will soon be no more. Also, Jimmy Fu has ZERO desire to make any more crown guards. I must have asked him 6 times in the last 6 mos.

I received some Palp/PAM crowns with machining flaws. Missing metal etc.... if you get a good one, they're nice, but if you don't, it's really disappointing. Also, some of the Palp/PAM crowns are threaded at an angle so they install somewhat cockeyed. Your mileage may vary, so please no flames

I picked up a few of the GEN/Turkey crowns and had them sent to Vacuum. According to Sir Vac, they are super nice, but really best suited to auto pams due to the thread diameter. They just require some lever modifications to seat properly with the correct distance from the case.

Now I'm DEFINITELY in if someone is willing to purchase some true GEN crowns or crown guards for reasonable money. That would be GREAT. My fave PAMs these days are D series and earlier PAMs based on the JimmyFu case. It's truly a higher quality case with better polish/finish/lugs and screws.

[tootall]

Palp crowns will soon be no more. Also, Jimmy Fu has ZERO desire to make any more crown guards. I must have asked him 6 times in the last 6 mos.

I received some Palp/PAM crowns with machining flaws. Missing metal etc.... if you get a good one, they're nice, but if you don't, it's really disappointing. Also, some of the Palp/PAM crowns are threaded at an angle so they install somewhat cockeyed. Your mileage may vary, so please no flames

I picked up a few of the GEN/Turkey crowns and had them sent to Vacuum. According to Sir Vac, they are super nice, but really best suited to auto pams due to the thread diameter. They just require some lever modifications to seat properly with the correct distance from the case.

Now I'm DEFINITELY in if someone is willing to purchase some true GEN crowns or crown guards for reasonable money. That would be GREAT. My fave PAMs these days are D series and earlier PAMs based on the JimmyFu case. It's truly a higher quality case with better polish/finish/lugs and screws.

Hey skcheng,

If you are in contact with Jimmy, ask him for the cad files. I am very serious about this as I have gotten quotes and people lined up. I just need the cad files!

[Watchmeister]

Jimmy cases are readily available. On the crowns I would be curious how you are planning on recreating the inner spring mechanism. Once you have a properly sprung crown there is no going back: