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Short review and pics of my modded "Fiddy"


Dizzy

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Even though my FIRST and only love is vintage Rolex.. I have always been interested in the Panerai watches. I always thought they were so unique, sort of like Hublot 10 yrs ago. They just had that "look" that catches your eye. Ive been into replica watches for over 10 years... collecting, destorying, trying to fix them and now modding them into frankens. I never thought i would buy a Panerai rep but as i get older and wiser (in the rep world anyways) my tastes are changing and in the last 3 months i had fallen in love with the idea of building a NICE plain Pam. I narrowed my likings down to either the 111 or the bigger 127. A few weeks ago i was talking to Angus from Puretime and he made me an offer i couldnt refuse ;)

Angus offers a number of Panerai models as well as most other brands. He had a few options for the Pam111 and the Pam127 and i figured i may as well go for the big one. After all, everyone needs a wristwatch the size of a roll of duct tape. This one is big.. 47mm. Its about the same size as my Breitling Bentley Chrono T. Angus has a few options available for the Pam127 and i chose to get mine modded with Superlume and to get the canon pinion mod done at the same time. I figured these were the two mods i wasnt going to attempt myself haha. It also has the AR crystal and upgraded crown. I also went for the new Asian E series 6497 with dagger swan neck regulator movement. According to some reviews ive been reading, this is a very GOOD movement and almost identical to the gen except for the design of the gear teeth. I didnt feel the need to get the swiss one when the asian copy is this good.

After a couple of quick emails the watch was on its way and in my hands 5 days later. Not bad at all for shipping time. I was impressed. The one thing that really bugged me was the nice shiney new unscuffed strap.. YUCK!!! way to nice for me.. but dont worry we'll take care of that later ;)

THE PICTURES

Here is the Pam127 'Fiddy' with another strap i bought off ebay last month.. I know most people hate it but its mine, i love it and too bad :)

The tan strap that came with it has been removed for distressing. Dispite its monster size, this watch is actually very comfortable on the wrist and a lot nicer than i ever expected. I am very impressed with my first Panerai and im just trying to deciede which one Angus will be sending me next haha.. My bank account hates me. Heres a few pics for you. Im a noob photographer so i know the pics arnt perfect ;)

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Here is a shot of the back of the watch. Its got the E series 6497 with dagger swan neck regulator.

... Its very detailed and looks VERY good.

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Its got superlumed sandwich dial and hands... and the canon pinion upgrade modification done by Angus before i bought it. Thats right, you can order the options/upgrades you want ;) Pretty sweet deal is you ask me. I havent tested how long the lume lasts yet. For the pics here, i just charged it with a flashlight and it dies in 5 min.. but i had it out in the sunlight and it glowed for hours after. The Zigmeister told me that 'Superluminova' brand lume (as used on rolex) glows for up to 5-8 hours after exposure to the sun.. I have a feeling this wont be as good as The Zigmeisters lume but we shall see...

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***New pics***

Heres the stock light brown strap after some sanding and a soaking in bleach for 7 minutes...

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And one quick last shot for ya...

Cheers dizz

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Great review! Cheers! :)

I'm still waiting to find my perfect vintage strap for the Fiddy, and the day I do will probably be the day some Paneristi snaps it up five minutes before me.... :bangin:

very nice watch!

does it have sapphire crystal?it looks soooo nice!

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very nice watch!

does it have sapphire crystal?it looks soooo nice!

Yes saphire with light AR.. its not strong enough that the crystal has that blue look or anything..

ANd yes guys i am a photo-noob but i learned TONES from Pugs photo tutorials!! So the credit goes to him!

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Gorgeous watch :1a: I only wore my 127 for about 12 hours before deciding to ship it back (and I'd still like to get another) but it made quite an impression. Too big for daily wear, but certainly nice to swap into every now and again :) I'm sure you'll be wearing the 127 way more than your Rollies, which might now feel a little small, and, dare I say 'feminine' in comparison to such a large watch ;)

Oh, and I take back what I said about the strap, it looks great on the watch :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Wear it well, amigo :)

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...I'm sure you'll be wearing the 127 way more than your Rollies, which might now feel a little small, and, dare I say 'feminine' in comparison to such a large watch ;)

oohhh thems fightin words Mister!

hahaha

:black_eye:

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I am a photo noob!! Like i said i just read all the photo tutorials and they taught me exactly how to take good pics.. easy easy easy!!

New pics added of the orig brown stap now distressed!! Looks WAY better IMHO

cheers!!

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oohhh thems fightin words Mister!

hahaha

:black_eye:

:lol:

The thing that first made Sub-size watches appear 'small' was wearing the 45mm Planet Ocean. I get on fine with the Planet Ocean and the 111h, and the 2531.80 SMP is okay, but anything smaller, I just find a little bit too small now. Likewise, I find the 127 a little bit too big (in terms of dial size, the actual case size doesn't dwarf my wrist at all) so it'd never be a regular beater. Note to self: Must get new 127 on order :D I really like the vintaged pale strap as well :)

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