PAM 229 Firenze review!

[bazonkers]

A day late, my mailman finally showed up with my PAM 229. Apparently I have one of the first (and only) five made so far. More will be released in 2 weeks but I wanted you all to see it in the wild.

Overall impressions are good. The dial is glossy metallic, like DSNs 082, BUT it's more purple than blue. I'm not sure if that's good or bad since I've never seen a gen in my hand. I have seen photos and it's a tough call. I'll leave that open to debate amongst the forums. You need something new to debate anyways. Keep in mind, there are only 100 gens of these so it's doubtful that many people have seen this in their hand either. I'm not so sure someone would call this out as a rep based on dial shade alone.

QC out of the box was a little lacking. My CG screws were not tight and one of the strap screws was forced into the thread. I had to WD40 it and use some pliers to unscrew it. I've had to replace that one with a springbar I luckily had in my spares. The lume is ok, not super lume standards, but fades pretty quickly. I couldn't get a lume shot at the moment due to too much light coming into where I have my camera setup. I'll get one later tonight when it's dark.

Build quality wise, it looks and feels good. Solid watch, nice weight. Date is nice and easy to read. Once I tightened the CG, my lever stays locked, nice and tight. It flops about when open but they all do. I took most of these in my light tent setup but I took a wristshot under different lighting so you could see the color change on the dial. In some lights it's blue, and in others it's more purple. The color is right in the fringe area of both blue and purple. Ok, I'll shut up now and bring on the pics.

It comes on a black rubber deployment strap:

That wasn't working for me so I put it in a MF Blue Buffalo:

Wrist shot taken in cloudy light:

Here are some gen pics I found on the internet:

Edited January 10, 2008 by bazonkers

[WatchDude]

Me likey!

[wjlamp]

Very nice piece.I like the blue dial lots. The back plate is superb . Enjoy it

[yellomen]

Congrats with the new addition!

The dial is however lighter and more purple than my PAM082. The gen also is different from the PAM082, but i think less purple than it shows in your picture. By the way the pruple hue could also come from the AR...

Perosnally i won't buy it although it's very tempting. I find the "L SWISS MADE L" too close to the 6 unfortunately

[bazonkers]

Here is a comparison of my 082 vs the 229. The 229 is actually shinier than my 082.

[rolli]

this combo is really amazing.

gen blue oem and the 229.

rolli

[bazonkers]

this combo is really amazing.

gen blue oem and the 229

That seriously is the only non panerai photo of the 229 on the internet. I found that one via some searches and had to register for some porsche forum just to DL it. The 229s are rare PAMs. You are right, that color combo with the strap looks great. Based on that pic, I'd say the gen dial is more cornflower blue.

Edited January 10, 2008 by bazonkers

[lanikai]

Congrats Baz... the long wait is finally over !! but it was well worth it ... with a few things that would really bother me if i keep looking at them..(which i tend to do thinking I can make them dissapear by "willing them away")

if I could add to your pics.. mine aren't as nice ... just some things i noticed to..sorry forgot my manners .. iis it ok to elaborate with pics??

Thanks Baz.. sorry this is a very eclectic post.. I pressed the wrong key someplace.. scuze

this is the bomb.. just a few things of note.. the dial looks good.. although the L swiss made l is kissing the 6's butt... that's 1.. the 11 marker would appear a bit off to the left..(but that could just be me).. the sub dial is sunken and matte the rest of the dial a satin finish midnight blue.. although the Ar adds to colouring it a bit on the Azure blue/purple when in different angles..but without the AR present it is a darker Blue...there is great improvement from the last attempt at the cyclops and font !! you are able to see the font from a good distance away.. no distortion .. like in the 092 from last year... the genuine can be viewed clearly when you are well away from the timepiece.. unreal optical in the genuine. $$$$..

the lume is good (out of the box) but still needs a Ziggy lume...the spacing of the lettering appears to be perfect except for the L....., colouring is white.... the markers and numerals appear correct and the lume colour is great.. as far as i can tell to the gen pics.

what I really was happy about is the CG.. this is the best one (that I have gotten) to date.. very flush and look at the lever dead smooth with the CG .. i hope all the 229 reps are this way..

*if your CG lever is loose U may try filing the seat of the CG just a fraction of a mm..

i put a genuine crown for sample next to the rep .. the genuine is thinner and has more "teeth" .. the outside is polished as opposed to satin on the Rep.. (auto) have the thin crowns..

All in all it keeps getting better and better .. it was worth the wait.. now off to Ziggy and hurry up and wait .. again LIVE STRONG AND WEAR IT WELL.. BZ

[babola]

Not bad as a whole package. :-)

They fixed the low crossbar on letter "A" on 44mm auto dials - finaly, yuppie !

Caseback artwork is also very, very nice.

The dial txt on the gen appears to be silver rather than white like on a rep...would you say so? Could be only the lighting, though.

cheers, wear it well !

babola

Edited January 10, 2008 by babola

[bazonkers]

Congrats Baz... the long wait is finally over !! but it was well worth it ... with a few things that would really bother me if i keep looking at them..(which i tend to do thinking I can make them dissapear by "willing them away")

if I could add to your pics.. mine aren't as nice ... just some things i noticed to..sorry forgot my manners .. iis it ok to elaborate with pics??

Post away!

[bazonkers]

The dial txt on the gen appears to be silver rather than white like on a rep...would you say so? Could be only the lighting, though.

I would say the dial text on the gen looks more tan/beige to me. The rep is more white. At least it isn't C3 green

Edited January 10, 2008 by bazonkers

[HauteHippie]

Looks really good! That dial is better than I expected it to be. Very sharp! A few nitpicks would be the date font - it's kind of a "nice try", the CG but those are getting nearly impossible to remedy, and the crown. Great pic with the gen crown right next to it though, lanikai.

Overall this one is impressive IMO. Enjoy!

[lanikai]

Looks really good! That dial is better than I expected it to be. Very sharp! A few nitpicks would be the date font - it's kind of a "nice try", the CG but those are getting nearly impossible to remedy, and the crown. Great pic with the gen crown right next to it though, lanikai.

Overall this one is impressive IMO. Enjoy!

keeps getting better... but still ..no cigar.. still better over all.. saved your cyclops for somrthing special.. still undecided as this one on the 229 is better than the 092.. but i would not use it on the 092 either

[Victoria]

A day late, my mailman finally showed up with my PAM 229. Apparently I have one of the first (and only) five made so far. More will be released in 2 weeks but I wanted you all to see it in the wild.

YAY!!!!! Thank you, Bazonkers!

Overall impressions are good. The dial is glossy metallic, like DSNs 082, BUT it's more purple than blue. I'm not sure if that's good or bad since I've never seen a gen in my hand.

Don't worry about that. Here is a gen 228 GMT.

Looks a lot like your photo here:

Again, just perfect. Thank you SO MUCH for getting one, and posting it. My 2nd batch 229 is reserved. GOD WILLING.

[archibald]

OK, so they got the dial color wrong, which makles it a no-go for a lunatic like me, but sane people can rightly assume that anyone who knows what the dial color is supposed to be is going to bust you on the CG, crown, mag, and date font anyway.

The caseback is amazing. Absolutely first-rate. The fixed A's are a milestone. And the fit and finished looks like a major step forward.

We can only hope that this piece is a sign of things to come--I'd buy a 104 based on that watch in a heartbeat--since the crown and CG can be fixed on autos, all that baby would need is a lume, DW, and cyclops.

[HauteHippie]

keeps getting better... but still ..no cigar.. still better over all.. saved your cyclops for somrthing special.. still undecided as this one on the 229 is better than the 092.. but i would not use it on the 092 either

I would guess this 229 has a sandwich dial with a hole for the cyclops, in which case mine would most likely not work. To me, though, the mag looks good on this. The date font is just a little off.

[Victoria]

I see Mr. Davidsen reading this. Hey, David!

If your 229 is better, let me know. I realise you're coming out with one soon. Also, you never did reply to my 005 reply, so you're losing out on a sale if you go mute.

[bazonkers]

I've since put this on a black/black GeF leather strap. I think it looks better than the blue.

Regardless of the strap, under incandescent household lighting, this dial looks purple. Be prepared for that.

What movements are Davidsen's new PAMs going to use? The same? I heard he was coming out with a 164 and 104. Didn't know about a 229. If he gets the color more blue, I might have to buy a dial and swap it in. If he used the same exact color as his 082, I still might buy a new dial. I like my 229 as is but I think the dial color is a little off. The rest is spot on for my tastes. On a 100 edition gen, I'm not worried about the date font. It's good as is on this. Far better than the date that was on my 027A rep. I wouldn't even worry about the dial that much since no one really has seen one of these but I just want it more blue for my own personal tastes.

I would guess this 229 has a sandwich dial with a hole for the cyclops, in which case mine would most likely not work. To me, though, the mag looks good on this. The date font is just a little off.

This is a sausage dial.

Edited January 11, 2008 by bazonkers

[Victoria]

I've since put this on a black/black GeF leather strap.

I was going to say, it's too blue, but I'm too diplomatic.

OTOH! Fishgodeep is selling a more interesting Simona Vintage blue strap, which I myself just got. Can't wait to own this, to try it on.

(Got the Simona for my abortive 249 interest...)

I think it looks better than the blue. Regardless of the strap, under incandescent household lighting, this dial looks purple. Be prepared for that.

In another photo a member posted, it looked bluer. Hmm, good heads up though.

What movements are Davidsen's new PAMs going to use? The same? I heard he was coming out with a 164 and 104. Didn't know about a 229. If he gets the color more blue, I might have to buy a dial and swap it in.

I may have misspoken, but it was about 1 month away. Please PM David for more info.

[archibald]

I may have misspoken, but it was about 1 month away. Please PM David for more info.

If davidsen can improve the fit and finish of his products (check out the brushing, CG fit, and hands installation on the 082 above) a new 104 would be fantastic.

[bazonkers]

I was going to say, it's too blue, but I'm too diplomatic.

I need people to tell me when a strap combo has failed. Don't be so nice next time

In another photo a member posted, it looked bluer. Hmm, good heads up though.

Let me know what you think when you get yours. Under fluorescent light and my brief check under cloudy skies, it looks blue. It only looks purple under household lighting. I'm also curious to see if maybe the second batch has a different color. I doubt it since I'm sure they made more than 5 of these dials. That all said, I still like my 229. It's different from the all the black and white PAMs I have.

Edited January 11, 2008 by bazonkers

[WatchDude]

If davidsen can improve the fit and finish of his products (check out the brushing, CG fit, and hands installation on the 082 above) a new 104 would be fantastic.

Hit or miss, but my last delivery was a hit for sure. ALMOST perfect fit and finish - I haven't found a flaw on his QC on this one - but I'm sure I will..... EVENTUALLY! Even the rep strap is nicer than many aftermarket straps I've purchased!

If he continues sending out watches like my last one, we'll have no reason to go anywhere else for PAMs (IMO).

I'm anxious for his 88. With a 112 and an 88, I'll be done with rep PAMs for good (except maybe a white dial..... again)! Then it is just time to replace those with gens.

Edited January 11, 2008 by WatchDude

[lanikai]

I would guess this 229 has a sandwich dial with a hole for the cyclops, in which case mine would most likely not work. To me, though, the mag looks good on this. The date font is just a little off.

your talking about the crystal right the dial is sausage..

and the mag is better than the 092 especially from a distance of 1 meter.. no comparison to yours .. but still a whole lot better than the 092.. check out the 12 marker are my eyes bad or is it favouring the 11 marker? .. and yes the font on the DW is a bit off .. this has perked my intrest in Pams again though

[lanikai]

if you look closely in the right lighting.. the sub seconds dial has very fine concentric rings; through a loupe you can define them.. don't know if this is on the genuine or just the machining of the dial.. it would appear to be purposely put there..

[wjlamp]

A day late, my mailman finally showed up with my PAM 229. Apparently I have one of the first (and only) five made so far. More will be released in 2 weeks but I wanted you all to see it in the wild.

Overall impressions are good. The dial is glossy metallic, like DSNs 082, BUT it's more purple than blue. I'm not sure if that's good or bad since I've never seen a gen in my hand. I have seen photos and it's a tough call. I'll leave that open to debate amongst the forums. You need something new to debate anyways. Keep in mind, there are only 100 gens of these so it's doubtful that many people have seen this in their hand either. I'm not so sure someone would call this out as a rep based on dial shade alone.

QC out of the box was a little lacking. My CG screws were not tight and one of the strap screws was forced into the thread. I had to WD40 it and use some pliers to unscrew it. I've had to replace that one with a springbar I luckily had in my spares. The lume is ok, not super lume standards, but fades pretty quickly. I couldn't get a lume shot at the moment due to too much light coming into where I have my camera setup. I'll get one later tonight when it's dark.

Build quality wise, it looks and feels good. Solid watch, nice weight. Date is nice and easy to read. Once I tightened the CG, my lever stays locked, nice and tight. It flops about when open but they all do. I took most of these in my light tent setup but I took a wristshot under different lighting so you could see the color change on the dial. In some lights it's blue, and in others it's more purple. The color is right in the fringe area of both blue and purple. Ok, I'll shut up now and bring on the pics.

Oh,and btw, so much fuzz some time ago ,about the raised lettering that was supposed to protect and identify the gen rom the reps.

Just have a look at the backplate