ubiquitous 0 Posted July 26, 2009 I'm seldom a Panerai kind of guy, but I do hold a certain fascination and appreciation for the neo-vintage Pre-A's and Pre-V's, along with the oldies from the 40's/50's As such, I had held off from really building any PAMs, as there just weren't any great examples of Pre-A and Pre-V watches out there. Then came along FGD and his fantastic custom dials that addressed this specific need and filled the void. After having the biggest issue with the dial addressed, I set about searching for a case set to use with this beauty. After a short hunt, I was gifted a jimmyfzu case by a great and close friend of mine, along with a gen crown to go with it Next was to add a DSN Pre-A caseback: And I had made a swap of an old Tudor dial for a complete F serial PAM111 to utilize the CG on that donor. Luckily for me, the donor watch also has a case that is very Pre-V like in details, so I now have the basis for a Pre-V project as well So, first thing's first I sent the case up to Zig to have him modifiy the case tube to accept the gen crown. At this time, he also took a standard TAP6 6497 stem, annealed it, cut it down to TAP10 size and cut new threads to fit the crown. Amazing work! While that was taking place, I started with fitting the dial and whatnot to the movement. Let's start with a Swiss 6497: Add the dial base to the movement and center the top plate to align. Add hands... Case it up... Since the dial was free form, I do a quick sanity check to ensure it is straight and lined up properly... Looks good! Fit it with a Dirk PAV style strap... And for fun... Comparisons with FGD's 1st Generation dial and new 2nd Generation (1st gen on left, 2nd gen on right)... Note that the 2nd gen has slightly thinner numeral indicies and other slight differences such as nice ivory colored markers, SL lume and slightly different dial texture/finish. A beauty of a dial Definitely one of my faves! Thanks for looking, Ubi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted July 26, 2009 nice pics Ubi and the watch looks fantastic - wear it in good health Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted July 27, 2009 Great project and a beautiful watch... I've promised myself that one of these days I'll have a go at a custom build like this. One of these days I may even find the time to do it! Thanks for sharing, Ubi! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Member X 91 Posted July 27, 2009 Very nice I need to get myself a pam homage to see if it suits me! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ubiquitous 0 Posted July 27, 2009 I think the PAMs are some of the best pieces to start with since the UT6497 is so easy to work with. It's a good way to get comfortable with handling movements, setting dial and hands, casing etc. I say go for it, Greg! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted July 27, 2009 Thanks for the encouragement, Ubi - I really will one of these days! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr.Manhatten 0 Posted July 27, 2009 beautifull watch, nice work. those dials are great looking! can you add a lume shot? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ubiquitous 0 Posted July 28, 2009 I'll try to get a lume shot tonight Cheers, R Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
houndoggie 58 Posted July 28, 2009 Super awesome!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AustinTech 0 Posted August 14, 2009 Man, what a cool project - and a great outcome. It looks like a million bucks. Congrats! Is the crystal ARed? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VDB 0 Posted November 9, 2009 this looks great one of my favorit but more yellow patina today a outstanding pricerange here a interest link http://www.paneristi.com/archives/PreA_Pan..._A_Panerai.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10:10 Watch Repair 1 Posted November 9, 2009 Nicely done. I am about to finish my 1A with a gen crown and JimmyFu CG too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
