First PAM, 183g or 183h

[epspi]

First of all, thank you all VERY much for this incredibly informative forum! I'm lucky to be able to learn from everyone's hard work.

I'm going to take the plunge on my first PAM, and I think it ought to be a Radiomir 183. Here are the options I'm looking at, descending in price:

1. DSN 183H in the low $400s. Somehow he's got no 183g. Comes with some features/mods:

(i) fixed pin, (ii) sapphire with AR, (iii) superlumed dial, hands, (iv) "swiss" dagger swan neck movement, (v) second hand seems to be correct size, (vi) buckle with the logo

2. Trusty 183G or 183H for $328 with "Swiss". I guess this has sapphire without AR, perhaps crappy strap, and no pin fix (can anytime tell if one is necessary?)

3. Trusty 183G for $168, 183H for $148 both with "Asian" movements. These seem to be the best prices I can find on decent-looking 183s.

Questions: (other than "which one of the above should i go for?")

1. Does anyone recommend any dealers over Trusty for the 183, whether on price or quality? I see Puretime is out of stock on the 183H.

2. Is DSN's price roughly competitive for the quality of his 183H? I understand some people see better dials from other dealers, while others are just cheaper. Puretime claims to offer 183H Asian + those mods for $258.

3. Given that this is my first PAM, does it make sense to dish out ~2x for the DSN? okay, maybe that's one only I can answer :-)

Any advice is definitely appreciated!

~epspi

Edited November 18, 2008 by epspi

[RedSoxMan]

First of all, thank you all VERY much for this incredibly informative forum! I'm lucky to be able to learn from everyone's hard work.

I'm going to take the plunge on my first PAM, and I think it ought to be a Radiomir 183. Here are the options I'm looking at, descending in price:

1. DSN 183H in the low $400s. Somehow he's got no 183g. Comes with some features/mods:

(i) fixed pin, (ii) sapphire with AR, (iii) superlumed dial, hands, (iv) "swiss" dagger swan neck movement, (v) second hand seems to be correct size, (vi) buckle with the logo

2. Trusty 183G or 183H for $328 with "Swiss". I guess this has sapphire without AR, perhaps crappy strap, and no pin fix (can anytime tell if one is necessary?)

3. Trusty 183G for $168, 183H for $148 both with "Asian" movements. These seem to be the best prices I can find on decent-looking 183s.

Questions: (other than "which one of the above should i go for?")

1. Does anyone recommend any dealers over Trusty for the 183, whether on price or quality? I see Puretime is out of stock on the 183H.

2. Is DSN's price roughly competitive for the quality of his 183H? I understand some people see better dials from other dealers, while others are just cheaper. Puretime claims to offer 183H Asian + those mods for $258.

3. Given that this is my first PAM, does it make sense to dish out ~2x for the DSN? okay, maybe that's one only I can answer :-)

Any advice is definitely appreciated!

~epspi

I'd EITHER get the DSN or the cheaper Asian one. Not the expensive one in the middle... DSN's hold their value well--and you get what you pay for in terms of quality--particularly the quality of his dials and super lume. The argument for the cheaper one is since you're new--you'll find out if you even like this model, without sinking too much cash into it. Either way, you can always sell--and try something else.

I'm sure you considered this, but the 111 is sort of the classic PAM. It's thicker than the 183 and has a bit more presence... Also, if you want an Automatic--the 104 is a great starter one. DSN has the best out-of-the box one...

Good luck.

RSM

[epspi]

I'd EITHER get the DSN or the cheaper Asian one. Not the expensive one in the middle... DSN's hold their value well--and you get what you pay for in terms of quality--particularly the quality of his dials and super lume. The argument for the cheaper one is since you're new--you'll find out if you even like this model, without sinking too much cash into it. Either way, you can always sell--and try something else.

I'm sure you considered this, but the 111 is sort of the classic PAM. It's thicker than the 183 and has a bit more presence... Also, if you want an Automatic--the 104 is a great starter one. DSN has the best out-of-the box one...

Good luck.

RSM

That's very helpful, RSM, thanks! Principally I love that the 183 is only 11mm thick (as my watch now is maybe 6mm). Will have to see see if that works, and then maybe go for something thicker; 104 looks awesome ... will have to try. I would pull the trigger if DSN had 183G.

[phaedo]

I'd EITHER get the DSN or the cheaper Asian one. Not the expensive one in the middle... DSN's hold their value well--and you get what you pay for in terms of quality--particularly the quality of his dials and super lume. The argument for the cheaper one is since you're new--you'll find out if you even like this model, without sinking too much cash into it. Either way, you can always sell--and try something else.

I'm sure you considered this, but the 111 is sort of the classic PAM. It's thicker than the 183 and has a bit more presence... Also, if you want an Automatic--the 104 is a great starter one. DSN has the best out-of-the box one...

Good luck.

RSM

I too would echo this sentiment - go with the best to start with, or the cheapo to get a feel of it, and if you do, you will end up getting the DSN one in the end anyway.

Whether to go with the g or h series - the G has the decorated bridges on the movement but the H does not. DSN straps tend to be better than the regular rep ones, but you will still want a new one pretty fast.