All of these fantastic 001's have finally lit a fire under my a$$...

[Guest avitt]

OK...I can't take it any more...

Is it just me, or has this place been flush with killer 01A's and B's over the past couple of days?

I've been sitting on some top shelf parts for a few months now... I've got a full Jimmy case with crown guard, B series back, no-AR crystal, Swiss 6497, lello crown, and a couple of dial choices.

It's the dial and crown that I'm still unsure of...

There doesn't seem to be a dial that is completely defect free, so it's a matter of picking the best of the lot, and moving on from there. The "Ultimate 111" dial seemed to be a popular choice, so I went about buying one...only to find out that there are two "Ultimate" dials available.

The first dial had greenish lume, and the low A's, but with those exceptions, looked very good. Angus' later deliveries used a different dial. This one has white lume, low crossed A's, a wide separation between the "6" and "L Swiss L", and very thin fonts. This dial also has a glossier finish.

Here are a couple of shots of the two dials, side-by-side:

Now, disregarding the existing lume, I'm wondering which one of these two you feel would provide a better basis for the 001B?

The other dial option would be to use Davidsen's 01A "L Swiss L" dial, which has better A's, but funky spacing on "PANERAI"...

(Davidsen's picture)

This would turn the watch into a 01B Tritium transitional model...Much more rare, but not my first choice.

Your thoughts?

Second concern: The crown.

I have a Lello crown (2nd version, I believe). Back when I first bought this crown, I took a little time to modify the tube to fit (I trimmed the tube height, and turned down the diameter a little, so that the tube would fit inside the crown lip). I also removed the spring, so that it would fit the 6497 movement. I have a couple of concerns with this crown: I know that these were not made of stainless steel, but were chrome plated. While it is very bright, it does not perfectly match the case metal. Being plated, I'm not sure about how the crown will wear. I am also concerned about what appear to be tool marks on the crown, where it was machined (if you looks closely at the teeth, they look as if they are serrated...)

So my question on the crown is: Should I use this one, search for a Palp, or wait for the new T crown?

Right now, my gut feeling is to use the first gen Ultimate dial (on the right in the pictures above), and to wait for the T crown...Please let me know why you feel I'm wrong...or right! Thanks.

[cskent69]

Agree - I have a project like this one - that I have had on the back burner for a while. I was hoping that someday a more accurate dial would appear. Still waiting.....

[jaykeem]

Avitt - I would go with dial #1 on the left. I think once you lume dial #1 it will get a bit wider and the overall finish will be a closer spacing with the 6 and L SWISS L. The A's look better on the left dial as well.

[fishgodeep]

You've got everything you need- the dial on the left is the best - gen has recessed indices filled with lume - this dial benefits for a matt clear coat spray once lumed.

If you have JF CG then don't use a Lello or PALP crown - you'll have to file the lever down and render it unsuitable for any other crown .....try and get hold of a gen or maybe wait and see what T's crowns are like...

001-B is a must!

Good luck

FGD

[dluddy]

You've got everything you need- the dial on the left is the best - gen has recessed indices filled with lume - this dial benefits for a matt clear coat spray once lumed.

If you have JF CG then don't use a Lello or PALP crown - you'll have to file the lever down and render it unsuitable for any other crown .....try and get hold of a gen or maybe wait and see what T's crowns are like...

001-B is a must!

Good luck

FGD

What he said. Sounds like you are well on the way

[PAMman]

FGD is correct. The dial on the left is the better of the two and forget about DSN's 'T' dial - it's rubbish, the fonts are totally wrong and far too large.

My recommendation for a crown is one of the 3 following options; a gen handwind crown if you can find it, a gen auto crown which The Zigmeister can fit via a custom stem, or, DSN's latest 'preV crown which fits a JF tube and can be swapped for a gen later. BTW, DSN's crown is actually vey good and is close to the real deal.

[Guest avitt]

Fantastic feedback, guys!!! Thanks a lot

I am obviously not a PAM expert (I only have two in my collection), but I would like to build one really, really good rep...so I appreciate the input from you Panerai gurus.

[LegendofSpeed]

don't listen to them.... sell me the dial on the left and use the one on the right.... everyone's happy!

[slay]

I would use the dial on the right. the one on the left sucks IMHO. The indices are not filled out properly. Screams fake!

[Guest avitt]

don't listen to them.... sell me the dial on the left and use the one on the right.... everyone's happy!

Would you like the JF case and cg to go with it?

[Guest avitt]

I would use the dial on the right. the one on the left sucks IMHO. The indices are not filled out properly. Screams fake!

No doubt, the one on the left is inferior as it stands, with fonts and markers that are noticeably too thin. I won't use it unless my lume guy confirms that he can fill out the indices.

[chad]

That dsn dial is a great example of why that guy should stick to just making cases. How could he complete that and look at it and say it was ready to sell or even show to anyone in public.

[Guest avitt]

I'm sure not doing anything quickly on this one I've finally had that Angus 111E Ultimate dial above modified, with lume filling the indices, and a matte texture:

...The edges of the markers and numerals are a little soft (because they're formed with SL, and not paint), but from a normal viewing distance, it's pretty impressive. And there's a ton of Luminova, so the glow is extreme.

[dluddy]

Looks great avitt

[oncyte]

I'm sure not doing anything quickly on this one I've finally had that Angus 111E Ultimate dial above modified, with lume filling the indices, and a matte texture:

...The edges of the markers and numerals are a little soft (because they're formed with SL, and not paint), but from a normal viewing distance, it's pretty impressive. And there's a ton of Luminova, so the glow is extreme.

Looks great! So now that the T48 crown is available...which crown are you going to use?

[Guest avitt]

Looks great! So now that the T48 crown is available...which crown are you going to use?

Thanks! I already have a T48, and a new tube (to replace the one that I modified for the Lello crown)....I think I'm good to go!