sssurfer Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 A few days ago a member asked me in a PM if it is true that no gen PAM has blue AR coating. I promised to check my gen pics collection as soon as I had the time to do it, as I was very busy at that moment. Now I seem unable to find that PM and who that member was (my apologies, fellow, I get several tenths PM in a week). So I am posting here what I found, in hope that he will recognize his question and he will read this answer. Actually, I found no blue AR. On just a few pics hints of purple AR can be seen, especially in the cyclops area or when the watch is put in some special positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 FWIW, my 002D has a noticeable blue tint to the AR. Neither my wife's 048H or my 210I do, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takashi Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 ah yes... It looks slightly purplish, not blue I think. Have seen on 111h and g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 2D's and 112's definitely. Well known fact that Panerai has used any number of AR coating services. Coatings can even vary within the same year on the same model. Heck even their dials vary within the same model and year. Look at the Fiddy - 2-3 different dials. Now the infamous "rep blue" has never been on a gen PAM. But plenty of purple hue around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 On my J series, the AR tint shifts from green to blue to purple depending on angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Indeed.. purple mostly. It can be be misjudged though as blue from someone who doesn't know the colours very well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 You are right V. But the funny thing is I have owned two subs one series apart. One was bluish purple tint and the next was crystal clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Also.. 111 I series has greenish tint and 112 I has purple tint. Aaron/Quarks sold his 111 and got a 112 because he prefered Base and because he didn't liked the greenish tint on his 111. As I see Slai's 111 has also that greenish tint. My 112 in every corner you will see it it will never be green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swdivad Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 My 91D had a purple tint... My 89D a pink/yellow/green tint depending on the angle lighting... They surely apply different colors depending on the model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Interestingly the pink/yellow/green AR was probably a better coating. But with the single surface coated only, sadly it just wouldn't be noticeable. In general, I'd say blue/purple or violet is perfect for 95% of PAMs. And if you're really concerned about the precise hue, you should not be... it's just too difficult to see it in normal lighting conditions anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted June 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Wow, this "emergency" post of mine looks as it's turning into something much more useful to the community -- thanks to all experts who chimed in! I would just like to stress that I am taking no parts in a blueish-vs-purplish debate, I feel not qualified to do that. I was just referring what I found on checking my gen pics, and only in reply to a specific question by another member. I too agree that many variants actually exists, and nuance is often linked with occasional occurences as different light angles and subjective color perception by the observer. In the end, I personally feel that the only inaccurate look is the general, evident blueish tint that can be found on some reps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 If/when i get a gen rad, it's definitely getting double-ARed (along with a trip to The Zigmeister to fit gold hands). I was tempted to do it with the 111, but it makes cape-coding the bezel virtually impossible without damaging the coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboGUATE Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Interestingly the pink/yellow/green AR was probably a better coating. But with the single surface coated only, sadly it just wouldn't be noticeable. In general, I'd say blue/purple or violet is perfect for 95% of PAMs. And if you're really concerned about the precise hue, you should not be... it's just too difficult to see it in normal lighting conditions anyhow. Then in your opinion the type you use will make a virtually invisible AR on the dome crystal of a Fiddy? Specially if it's only single sided? A while back I posted the practically imposible to see yellow/greenish tint my 190 had... And I really wished the my DSN 127 had the same effect. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 A while back I posted the practically imposible to see yellow/greenish tint my 190 had... And I really wished the my DSN 127 had the same effect. Had? What happened to it? I want a 190 so bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I tried on a gen 252 in brussels and the AR was almost invisible, but also very slight and did not look like it made a lot of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I tried on a gen 252 in brussels and the AR was almost invisible, but also very slight and did not look like it made a lot of difference. That about sums up how I'd describe the AR on my I series 210... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I think Chief's original single-sided AR looks great on the Fiddy. I have compared the gen to a rep coated with that coating. They both are very close to colorless. On the gen it seems like they were trying to achieve some improvement in visibility while maintaining the vintage look. Then again, maybe I am overthinking this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I'm a little more cynical...I figure they went with whichever subcontractor was the lowest bidder that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 my 176 goes from green to purple to depending on the light but a different purple than the rep purple that we saw on early 036's More blue in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capice Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 depends also if you look at the AR in daylight ,artificial light or tumgsten light, they all will give a difference in color Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 The Gen 212H AR is virtually invisible. Gen 111E is also very faint but you can make out some blue/purple. Gen 86D is also almost impossible to see, maybe because of the dial?. I don't remember what my now-sold 000G's AR looked like. IMO the rep AR is an instant tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 This varies quite a bit from year to year and model to model in my experience. I recently saw a PAM (I want to say it was an 89, but it may have been a 36 as I looked at both that day) and the AR was a real light powdery blue kind of like on my IWC AT Chrono. I had never seen that on a PAM as I remember it being more purple. Speaking of which, I am getting close to pulling the trigger on the new Jubilee vintage AT and that AR is totally different that the regular AT as I just mentioned is sort of a light, soft blue. Anyway the Jubliee AR is much more powerful and more purple and yet from the same line. I wonder why a watch company would vary from piece to piece like that? Makes no sense to me. BTW, my UN diver has AR which is dead clear. Totally colorless but really powerful. Never seen that before either. Anyway, the moral of the story is that I have never seen one manufactory that had consistent AR across all models and years. I wonder if any of our AR experts have any ideas as to why that might be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 purplish definitely http://gallery.me.com/fidelpuga1/100039 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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