Help needed - PAM111

[erang 0]

Hi all,

I am getting ready to order my first PAM111.

I have set a price limit of 200USD and now I am trying to come up with a list of features/requirements. Could you please help me out with what's important and what's not?

 

Well, I am not going to start a collection so the PAM111 is going to be my everyday watch and as such, I am looking for a piece that will look great after a long period of usage. This mandates a case that will not scratch easily and, more importantly, a glass that will remain clear after a long while.

Regarding the mechanism, I am quite confident that good asian will suffice but I do want a swan neck simply because it looks better IMHO.

Water proofing is also important to me. I don't need a 10ATM WR and I'm not going to swim with the watch but I do want a piece that will tolerate hand washing and baby showering...

 

Given the above, Here is my list of requirements/questions:

1. Case - a good, scratch resistant case.

2. Glass - Should I opt for a sapphire crystal? Is a mineral SR glass sufficient?

3. Cannon pin fix - Will a can. pin fix take me over the mark? I can live without it in favor of the other important points I listed.

4. WR - How good is the average PAM Rep. water proofing?

5. CG - I'd like a CG that will function nice & tight for a long time

6. Movement - A swan neck asian.

7. Lum - I'd like a nice, strong lume. Better than the average rep. lum

8. Strap - I'd like a nice quality strap with a deployant. Will that take me over the mark?

 

I got warm recommendations of Robert's work. Do you think I can get a piece that will meet my requirements from him for the price range I specified? Do you think DSN's items are also an option?

 

Your comments and advices will be highly regarded.

 

Thanks,

Eran

[greg_r 81]

You need to manage your expectations a little. What you're NOT going to get is something 100% like the real thing. It will be very, very close - but it's going to be dependent on how ...erm... 'anal' you are as to whether it's close enough.

 

DSN is out of your price range (and I'm not convinced that his 111 is enough better than the average $200 version to be worth the extra). If Robert (PrestigeWatchCo) or Mary (WatchInternational) can't supply what you want at a price you're prepared to pay, then it's simply not going to be available anywhere.

 

1. Any decent rep case will be 316L steel - same material as the gen.

2. Yes, you want sapphire

3. Check with your chosen dealer to see if the cannon pin fix is available at your price range.

4. You can never guarantee water resistance in ANY rep unless you have it tested by a watchmaker. It may need the gaskets greasing - you will need to find a rep-friendly watchmaker in your area who is prepared to do this for you - don't expect it to come that way from the dealer.

5. CG - shouldn't be a problem. Most are pretty well sorted these days - even the budget ones.

6. Yes, that's what you can expect at your price range

7. Rep lume varies. None are as good as the gen, but a lot of the mid-range PAMs have fairly decent lume these days. If you're really bothered, you can always get the watch re-lumed at some point.

8. Rep straps usually suck (there are a few rare exceptions), but the rep deployants are almost as good as the gen. Buy a better strap from someone like waccex.de or panatime (see our trusted dealer list). If you can't get your watch supplied with the deployant, you can always pick one up separately.

[erang 0]

Thanks Greg!

I am actually more concerned about the quality of the watch and less about it's Gen/Rep similarity ratio (Hence my optional requirement for a cannon pin fix). I will certainly contact the suppliers you recommended and see if I can get what I want for that price I'm willing to pay.

 

Cheers,

Eran

[greg_r 81]

If you take a look through this section (Panerai) section, it may help you get a a feel of what's around. Certainly even my $99 PAM113 is a surprisingly good quality watch - despite the lack of swan-neck regulator. I think you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can get for your money - it does tend to make you wonder how Panerai can justify the prices a gen 111 commands

[trailboss99 994]

Everything Greg said.

Have you considered an Homage instead? The MMs from both Tat and Jackson are exelent pieces at great prices. The straps on Tat's are as good as a 100 dollar custom one.

 

Speaking of straps, don't worry. None of them (with the above exception) are much chop. Put up with it for a while and save up to buy a good custom strap from the likes of our own Bob Bean.

 

CG's are as Greg said all good now days and if it's not quite good enough one of our members offers a modding service to polish the pin and tighten up the action or you can do it yourself or even buy a new CG, they all pretty much fit these days.

 

Lume, no rep lume is exactly great but some of T4D/PWC's have been better than most on Pams. For the best lume get a homage from Tat and ask him to superlume it. For 15-20 dollars you get lume as good as you get from a 150 dollar lume job from a modder. Lumeing a sandwich dial is easy any way so yhou could allways do it your self with under 100 bucks worth of tools (you arn't gunna stop at one watch, trust me) and surprisingly little skills.

 

Water resistance: No matter what the watch have it tested. A simple grease of the seals and a test is usualy no more than 50 bucks, less if you get the above mentiond tools and do the greasing yourself, plenty of folk here to hold your hand thru the procedure.

 

 

Just some thoughts, feels free to ask as many questions as you want.

 

 

Col.

[erang 0]

Hi,

I'm trying to contact Robert. Do you know if he is "listening" to the PM? Is he taking orders again?

I think I have the fever...(PAM fever that is...)

[erang 0]

What is the "official" opinion regarding Sead's work? How does he stand in comparison to T4D's?

[dingle 57]

What is the "official" opinion regarding Sead's work? How does he stand in comparison to T4D's?

 

hey erang,

here is a link to the pam 183 I bought from him with mods. There are issues with the communication, some minor flaws, and the wait time was herendous. Most all other transactions I read about were awesome tho. I would say close to 99%.

 

http://www.replica-watch-guide.net/forum/i...ic=2874&hl=

 

[erang 0]

What is the "official" opinion regarding Sead's work? How does he stand in comparison to T4D's?

 

hey erang,

here is a link to the pam 183 I bought from him with mods. There are issues with the communication, some minor flaws, and the wait time was herendous. Most all other transactions I read about were awesome tho. I would say close to 99%.

 

http://www.replica-watch-guide.net/forum/i...ic=2874&hl=

 

thanks. I dropped him a line on repgeek.

I want to order but up until now, neither him nor Robert have responded to my PM's...

[dingle 57]

What is the "official" opinion regarding Sead's work? How does he stand in comparison to T4D's?

 

hey erang,

here is a link to the pam 183 I bought from him with mods. There are issues with the communication, some minor flaws, and the wait time was herendous. Most all other transactions I read about were awesome tho. I would say close to 99%.

 

http://www.replica-watch-guide.net/forum/i...ic=2874&hl=

 

thanks. I dropped him a line on repgeek.

I want to order but up until now, neither him nor Robert have responded to my PM's...

 

it will take sead at least 24 hrs to respond and the response will be "short" to say the least. I can almost guarantee you will send him another PM to clarify the original question and you will have to wait another 24hrs for another "short" answer. It's just the way it goes......or at least that's the way it goes with me.

 

 

EDIT: it took me about 80 PM's (seriously) to get the answers I was looking for.It all could have been answered in 1 PM. At least he replied 80 times.......

[erang 0]

What is the "official" opinion regarding Sead's work? How does he stand in comparison to T4D's?

 

hey erang,

here is a link to the pam 183 I bought from him with mods. There are issues with the communication, some minor flaws, and the wait time was herendous. Most all other transactions I read about were awesome tho. I would say close to 99%.

 

http://www.replica-watch-guide.net/forum/i...ic=2874&hl=

 

thanks. I dropped him a line on repgeek.

I want to order but up until now, neither him nor Robert have responded to my PM's...

 

it will take sead at least 24 hrs to respond and the response will be "short" to say the least. I can almost guarantee you will send him another PM to clarify the original question and you will have to wait another 24hrs for another "short" answer. It's just the way it goes......or at least that's the way it goes with me.

 

 

EDIT: it took me about 80 PM's (seriously) to get the answers I was looking for.It all could have been answered in 1 PM. At least he replied 80 times.......

So I guess I will have to keep those itchy, ordering fingers of mine on a short leash... ;-)

[Pedman 0]

If you decide to purchase from Sead just tell him to pm you the paypal total. Custom 111 will take some time for him to complete. He does the work himself. He will not ask for payment until the watch is ready to ship. My full modded 111h took about two and a half weeks. That was just before Christmas when everyone wanted something new.

[dingle 57]

If you decide to purchase from Sead just tell him to pm you the paypal total. Custom 111 will take some time for him to complete. He does the work himself. He will not ask for payment until the watch is ready to ship. My full modded 111h took about two and a half weeks. That was just before Christmas when everyone wanted something new.

 

oh yeah, I forgot to add, his payment arrangements are different for each person. You will have to settle that in a PM too. It is not the regular "send the PP money to the e-mail address". B)