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DSN 232 - How is the dial? Picky people wanted! :)


chad

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Truth be told I despise most of DSN watches. The dials are just terrible. That is my personal opinion.

To those who sort of agree with me how is the font and spacing and dial color (upgraded) on the 232?

I am thinking it looks pretty good but wanted some advice before I pull the trigger.

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To those who sort of agree with me how is the font and spacing and dial color (upgraded) on the 232?

David's dials are hit-or-miss. The good news is that he seems to step it up a notch in the base PAMs. That's good for you and your prospective 232, Chad.

Now, I am a DSN 232 owner for only a week, and moreover, I wouldn't dream of calling myself expert. But here are some comparison snaps for you. My thoughts follow.

GEN 232 (Shot in the Shade)

232fullondarknf5.jpg

DSN 232 (w/ Flash)

dsn232fullonflashnn1.jpg

GEN 232

232cutoutsideuphh5.jpg

DSN 232

dsn232sidewinderextremeyn1.jpg

GEN 232

232gensiderightbx2.jpg

DSN 232

dsn232alternatewristieut6.jpg

Thoughts:

First, it's hard to capture the brown of the dial in the sweltering Florida sun. This last photo gives you a good idea of the colour, since the other ones reflect too chocolatty brown.

Clearly, it's not as DEEP brown, even with the upgraded dial which Deltatahoe, its previous owner, had installed. But it's not light chocolate either.

I would say the print on the dials looks excellent, TO ME. Maybe others disagree. The mark of a good PAM seems to be the 12 and 6 -- the numbers which one's eyes pick out immediately on a watch face.

Though there is a slight thinness about the 12, especially in the lower 2, that could well be the poor re-installment of the dial (it seems to tilt a bit too; again, not DSN's fault, I fancy. I'll have that seen to by my watchsmith).

The 3 looks good. The 9 seems a tiny bit closer in the swirl, than the gen, but that is truly nitpicky.

The "L Swiss Made L" is perhaps the biggest problem. It is a hair off-centre and sloping.

Overall, the watch is a joy to view. Its heft is substantial. The finishing, impeccable. The crystal with AR, flawless. It just looks expensive.

Should you get it? Well, check out the pics first, and good luck! :)

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Thanks for taking the time to post photos!!

Yes you are right, they do look to be an improvement.

I have two problems with dsn dials... font spacing and type, and the number cut outs.

It looks as if in your photos they are quite nicely done.

I have a 176 gen and the 176 DSN dial is much less accurate than these.

The AR on yours looks very weak.... Is that the case?

Chad

Two more, highlighting colour.

DSN 232 (No Flash, In the Shade)

dsn232darkhg8.jpg

DSN 232 next to DSN 112 (w/ Flash)

dsn232112qa2.jpg

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One thing I have noticed from your photos about all pam reps......dsn, and standard

The dial looks like it is set deeper on the reps.

On my gen the dial looks like it is right below the crystal.

It could be the angle the crystal reflects the dial or the deepness of the dial itself but it has always been something I have noticed about gens.

Thanks for taking the time to post photos!!

Yes you are right, they do look to be an improvement.

I have two problems with dsn dials... font spacing and type, and the number cut outs.

It looks as if in your photos they are quite nicely done.

I have a 176 gen and the 176 DSN dial is much less accurate than these.

The AR on yours looks very weak.... Is that the case?

Chad

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Truth be told I despise most of DSN watches. The dials are just terrible. That is my personal opinion.

I think this was not nessisary. If you had any idea of the work Davidsen has done to make the watches that he has you would not have bothered to say this. He has gon out of his way to work with all of us to make watches that the factories do not make.

Do you realize that he creates these reps himself? Are they all perfect - perhaps not but come on.

What you chose to say about davidsen's work was just mean and uncalled for.

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Thanks for taking the time to post photos!!

Honestly, you're doing me a favour. I love posting pics of my watches.

Yes you are right, they do look to be an improvement.

I have two problems with dsn dials... font spacing and type, and the number cut outs.

Well, those are biggie probs in a watch! :p

It looks as if in your photos they are quite nicely done.

I have a 176 gen and the 176 DSN dial is much less accurate than these.

Having only held a gen 112 and 111 in my hands, and then only once, I just can't say whether this one is done well. But I must say, the DSN 112 compares VERY well (again, to my untrained eyes).

The AR on yours looks very weak.... Is that the case?

Correct.

It's not as well-done as the DSN 112. OTOH, it avoids the excessively purple-blue tint on most single-sided AR PAM reps.

The 113 also has weak AR, comparatively, but then it's a white-dial. It's hard to tell.

Lookie.

pam113singlearbetterxg4.jpg

...well, I'm running on Turkish coffee, which I had at dinner. I may be up until Tuesday! But let me at least turn off the comp. Night! :)

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I haven't followed the 232 closely as this year I am focused on vintages when it comes to 47mm but I was curious whether it is the Davidsen or standard dealer version which everyone has been raving about. Has anyone ever compared a rep to a gen on this one? My most basic concern is always whether the color of the dial is accurate. Once you get away from black or white it gets much more difficult to know. :lol:

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Considering this thread is basically praising his latest watch I do not think it is all that mean.

He is has a business here and it has been discussed over and over again about this.

Most of his dials are the wrong font all together and wrong spacing.

With all the picking on date wheels, cannon pins, ar color, short hands, rehaut I think if the fonts are wrong on a watch that is all about simplicity and detail that I can comment on it

Also if the rest of his watch was not so good that part would not stick out as much.

That said this new watch looks really terrific and I will surely be ordering one. That does not change that fact that at 2-3 feet I could call out most but not all DSN's as a rep(not the 47mm models)and with a stock panerai rep I would have to hold it to see the pin.

p.s.

Kruzer, the standard dealer 232 is not very good at all unless modded. Look about at rollis......fantastic!!

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No fair...

That is a good one.

:)

This DSN dial is one of the most accurate PAM rep dials I've ever seen from any source.

DSCF0828.jpg

I personally think his 232 dial is as good or better than any of the others out there (based on pics), when you add in his lume, cannon pin fix, etc, it's a no-brainer.

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Chad I agree with you on Davidsen's dials. Most aren't very good. Look at the picture below of the 232... The RADIOMIR PANERAI print isn't properly centered. It's shifted to the left. It also appears to be off horizontally, slightly slanted downward from left to right.

This isn't wrong, but I noted why VERY carefully in one of my posts.

Deltatahoe bought the 232 with David's older dial. David very kindly sent him a replacement, when the darker one came out. DTH then had a California watchsmith install it.

Chappie botched it up royally.

The caseback is messed up with scratches, and the dial doesn't sit right.

It could well be off-centre, but you have to take this into account too, visually.

As I said, I don't think one can blame Davidsen for that. My watchsmith, who bought a gen PAM after working on my reps!, will be getting this watch soon to sort out.

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Interesting. The dsn seems like it might wear bigger than the gen. Longer and little fatter? That would be a deal breaker. The gen is right at my wearable limit

I think the main problems with all radiomirs is not dial but case shape. You can cleary see this in last two Victoria's pictures:

Other problem is lugs, which are too long and not correctly shaped.

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Interesting. The dsn seems like it might wear bigger than the gen. Longer and little fatter? That would be a deal breaker. The gen is right at my wearable limit

Vicky to the rescue! :p

I'll shoot a quick photo downstairs, as I already have the gen Wristcheck saved to compare it to. Be right back.

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COMPARISON OF HOW 232s SIT ON WRISTS

Gen 232

gen232wristcheckbc2.jpg

DSN 232

dsn232wristcheckcomparigv6.jpg

Note:

I wear my watches "high". Also, I have 5.7"/14.5cm wrists. It'll differ from a beefy guy's wrist like above. Still, I think this is a good visual aid.

I confess, my DSN Fiddy weighs a tonne on my wrist, and I don't wear it daily. But the 47mm 232 is light; even lighter than the Luminors.

Please note further that it's hard to find any place at noon EST, in South Florida, that doesn't have the 83F/28C sun beating down on you. This is the best ambient shade I could find. That said, it's still too chocolate-looking. It looks darker in person.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Well I got my watch.

It is garbage.

Crooked dial off to the right and DOA

YIKES! That is depressing considering all the work you went through, and reassurances that it would be all right. I'm sad now, Chad, sorry. :(

@Chad: That is bad. I'm sure he'll take care of you, but really, we shouldn't have to be taken care of TIME after TIME. I'm not just talking of DSN. He's a nice guy, they all are.

But this is a bad business practise, endemic to the Far East.

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It is running now and stopping every 30 mins until I hit it.

The dial is crooked though. He knows there is a problem with that on previous watches and I assume he has two eyes. Just does not seem right to send out something with a reoccurring problem. One crooked dial is enough to never let the problem happen again.

I will await his emails.

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