Brian D Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 (edited) Ok, so my favorite watch is the PAM Daylight. I started with my 196 which I still have and love. Then I got a PAM 250 with the ETA 7753. Love the watch, BUT the Bezel drives me crazy. So...I ordered another PAM 250 with the correct Bezel but it ONLY comes with Asia 7750 (good movement but no 7753). I was ABOUT to embark on a crazy project to merge the two watches together (which I eventually did anyways) ..and I said "The Hell with it....I am going to buy the GEN and be done with it". So, on to the comparison and the review. By the way...both Reps come from Andrew. According to him, there are only two PAM 250 makers, so if you own one, yours are the same. The factory that made my 7753 PAM 250 also makes the watch with Asia 7750, but the same bezel and other problems exist. First Picture. GEN is in the middle. ETA 7753 (called ETA from now on) is on the right and is always easy to tell because I have replaced the strap that was sent with it with this one that more closely matches the GEN strap (white stiching). Asia 7750 (called Asia from now on) on the left (DUH!!!!). At first glance, they are pretty good Reps. The only thing that stands out for me is the "2" on the 12 at the top of the bezel. The Reps don't look right. Also, the words LUMINOR PANERAI look really wrong on the Asia because they are WAY too wide. Next pictures....close ups of Dials. Asia: The nice thing about the Asia is that you can clearly see the recessed dials (sandwhich dial). They are hard to show in the picture....but they are pretty easy to see (not as easy as the GEN though) The ETA does have the sandwhich dial, but it almost looks sausage. I will show you in a minute. Back to the Asia.....the Bezel is correct and that is why I bought it. It says TACHYMETER. The 2 looks terrible (way too fat) and the words LUMINOR PANERAI are way too wide. Otherwise, not bad. Like any Asia 7750 Daylight, the Date in the Date Window is too far recessed and can easily be spotted. Here is the ETA: In this picture you can see the recessed dials...but overall, they can be tough to see. 2 looks better than the Asia, but still does not look GEN. Words LUMINOR PANERAI look better, but are too tall. Date looks much better in the date window...but font is off. Some have changed out the Date Wheel....but I say "What's the point?". Anyone close enough to inspect the font on the Date Wheel can tell that the "2" is wrong. True Paneristi know what the 2 is supposed to look like. Here is the GEN. See how easily you can see the recessed dials. Check out the 2. The Date is jumping out of the Date Window. Next, I will show the Crown Guard and Crown. They are not bad on the Reps. ETA vs GEN. GEN is on the right. I think the ETA's crown looks very good. The ETA's crown is a tad wider than the GEN, but you can only tell with a true "side by side". ASIA vs GEN. GEN on right again. First of all, you can see my point in how the Asia has better recessed dials. You can clearly see them in this pic. Regarding the crown...the Asia's crown is way too thin. Caseback: Here is the Asia caseback Very wrong. This is the PAM 196 caseback. The 196 came in the G series with 1200 being made. The 250 was not made until the I series and mine is a J series. J series came in batch of 2100. Also, the BP number (6595) and serial are for a 196. So, very wrong. ETA Caseback: Also wrong....also 196 caseback except that the maker removed any reference to what series and what number this watch was. All new PAM's have that information stamped on them. Box.... For those who have not seen it....the new Pam's come with a cool strap changing system. You no longer have to unscrew the screw to change straps. They come with a tool that makes it easy...and the boxes are now 2 levels (different than the ones sold by our dealers). Check out two pics to see. Watch and Strap Changing Tool Rubber Strap and Screwdriver on 2nd level. Conclusions: I have mixed feelings. You will NEVER fool a true Paneristi until they make the DIAL accurate. But, it is still an AMAZING looking, feeling and performing watch. My ETA will probably live for years and I plan to wear it a lot. Why am I going to take my GEN out every day and risk scratching it. It will come out for special occasions. I like knowing that I have the GEN and I will tell anyone who asks that I am wearing a REP. My GEN will go up in value over time as long as it is kept MINT. Recent Events: I did get around to switching the two reps together. I put the ETA 7753 movement into the Asian 7750 case. I like this much better. Now, I just need to change the date wheel and get some lume done. Here are the pics of my Franken 250. Questions? Edited January 16, 2008 by TwoTone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Very interesting comparison. Thanks for taking the time to put this together and for sharing.... (Now it's definitely time to get a different PAM model ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Very interesting comparison. Thanks for taking the time to put this together and for sharing.... (Now it's definitely time to get a different PAM model ) I have a 111h and a 127 on order from the Prince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobs1971 Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thnx for the great writeup! I recently bought the Asian version and it's good to see the flaws are not really bad - provided you don't know the gen. One thing that does bother me is the mis-allignment of the '60' on the tachymeter-scale. It's alligned above the '2' instead of between '1' and '2'. So how is the AR of the gen compared to both reps? I have the feeling the Asian doesn't have any at all. Does the gen have single AR and what color? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Very nice review. I hadn't known they never got the series number right on the Asian and ignored it completely on the Swiss. If you are going to keep the Franken I would suggest you add a Lello datewheel as it significantly improves the rep. And enjoy that gen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Very nice review. I hadn't known they never got the series number right on the Asian and ignored it completely on the Swiss. If you are going to keep the Franken I would suggest you add a Lello datewheel as it significantly improves the rep. And enjoy that gen. I have sent a PM to Lello. I also emailed VAC about doing a lume job, but he is super busy as always. I will try him again. I don't know what to say regarding the AR questions. I can never tell much about AR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc savage Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great comparison; very informative. This is why when it comes to Panerai I am going to get the best one I can afford right off the bat--I know those little flaws are going to drive me crazy even if I am the only one who would ever know. Congrats on aquiring a gen, but I don't want to do that! I have been aware of the Panerai brand for a few years but never wanted one untill I started hanging around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce79 Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great review! A daylight will definitely be my next purchase. Just curious, when you put the ETA inside the ASIA case, why didn't you swap the crowns too? The ETA crown was much better, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great post. Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough comparison If you ever want to sell the Franken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgodeep Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Great review ...many thanks My 7753- 236 is one of my favourite pieces - but I am hung up on the bezel as well... Was the case swap straight forward? Is the date corrector still functional at 10? Cheers FGD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Excellent Review/Comparison... I'm waiting on my 7753 Daylight right now... Greatly looking forward to it... Double T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thank you so much for that great review and pics, much appreciated. There is a lot of daylight luvin going on there me thinks and rightly so. I saw a very similar Daylight Gen the other day, but im sure it had Blue hands, any idea what model that might be? it didnt have the recessed dials. cheers S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanro Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hey, great review! Thanks for sharing! I actually ordered a 7753 PAM251 from Josh only yesterday!! I am glad to see that the bezel in the white dialled 251 is correct... I only checked now after reading your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hey, great review! Thanks for sharing! I actually ordered a 7753 PAM251 from Josh only yesterday!! I am glad to see that the bezel in the white dialled 251 is correct... I only checked now after reading your review! Yeah...sorry about the fact that you will get the wrong bezel. I don't know why they cannot fix that. Maybe, maybe this is the same factory that makes the Daylight 196 and does not want to re-tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanro Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Brian, I think you are wrong about the 251... The bezel of the 250 says "Tachimeter" but the 251 reads "Tachimetre"... Check Panerai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Damn, you must love this watch! 3 of the same watches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobs1971 Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 @Brian D: if my eyes are not deceiving me the subdial spacing of the 7753 seems slightly wider than the gen and 7750. Can you confirm this? So how is the AR of the gen compared to both reps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapadeus Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Hi Brian, I own a Pam 250 7753 version from Josh and suffer from the same problems as you, starting from the "Tachymetre" issue down to the not really recessed subdials. I have bought me a 7750 case and dial. My watchsmith installed the dial togethether with the 7753 datewheel, but he says, that he is unable to place the mov into the 7750 case. The wholes of the 10h pushers wouldn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andres Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 where are the pics? 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.