For those who have asked here's a lot of info and pictures on two of Davidsens best offerings. I've been asked to compare Davidsen's reps to some of my gen watches, and I think the results are pretty surprising!
First a caveat- These are replicas- EVERYTHING is wrong on them- if you look. Every little teeny detail is a little off. If you're a jeweler, a watch reseller or a replica collector- you'll know it's a rep. For the rest of the world, they look real. I am not interested in forging watches or selling reps as genuine watches- I'm not a counterfeiter. I love my gens- I also love the fact that for the price of a decent strap I can buy an entire watch that really is a PERFECT copy of the real Panerai. By perfect I mean in overall apearance and functionality- not at the microscopic level.
So if you're a member of the "Panerai Police"- save it... I know what's wrong with these.
What's Right?? Well frankly, in my opinion, a well modded replica Panerai is the BEST rep out there. Not because the font is exactly the same or because the crystal height is exactly the same- it's because it's the SAME WATCH. Stainless case, saphire crystal, ETA 6497 movement, Superlume dial. The only real difference is Richemont doesn't see a dime. Are there tells?? Yeah dozens. The biggest tell that anybody can see from across the room is the AR- Panerai AR is slightly yellow colored- ALL rep AR is blue or purple- A little sunlight glints off your watch- BUSTED.
That said I can say that I have owned many Davidsens and had a chance to wear them on and off with the 3 or 4 genuine Panerai watches I have owned during that period. While I can spot the genuine watch easily, not a day goes by when I look at my wrist and for a moment forget whether I have a gen or rep on. They are THAT good. Davidsens crown and crown tube mean that the watches wind smoother with a neat little 'snick-snick" similar to the gen. The Davidsen sandwhich dials are made of the same textured material as the gen- David's is thinner true, but gen sandwhich dials do vary in thickness. Regular reps use a plastic-like dial, which looks nothing like the gen. A good repairman can match it almost exactly, but most rep dials are too thick- so I guess pick your poison. Since Davidsen is assembling these from factory fresh parts- many of the little smudges and nicks you get form modding a watch yourself are not present- Sometimes even a very good watchmaker can't help but leave some telltale marks- Most of my Davidsens have arrived modded and spotless.
David's movements usually run well- He says he services them and I think that's probably accurate. So far every DSN watch has been a scary accurate timekeeper. I've bought a bunch and sold off a few, and will be back for more shortly. Yes you can definitely produce a great watch, probably a superior watch if you buy a good rep with a Swiss movement and have one of the skilled watch makers here mod the watch. I think that process will take longer and might cost the same or even more. It's a matter of preference. Most of the "criticism" of Panerai's here seems to be based off of internet searches. Comparing low res pictures and coming up with conclusion. "That dial is terrible"- "How can he sell that!". I've seen gens, I own gens. I own reps. These watches feel like gens, they look like gens, they behave like gens. That's good enough for me.
Here's my latest DSN wacth- the Base 112
Yeah I know the font is a little off- But look at that Crown Guard and Crown!! Best I've seen. The CG is brushedjust like the gen- the center pin almost flush and polished- crown really nice and thick and well done- Here it is compared to a gen 111- Gen is on the left
Here's the back
The 112 Sandwhich dial is thin, but well done and the same texture and "feel" as the gen- That'sa gen 210H on the right, a little bit deeper
Here's the rep 112 dial up close
The Davidsen case is practically 1:1 to the gen, and the crownguard is the best I've seen from David- On mine the flip lever is a little undersized for the CG as you can see. Rep on top-
But boy it's tough to tell sometimes-
The other base that is a wonderful rep is the 210H- here on my super thick Savage stitchless-
Side by side with the gen the rep is practically spot-on- Obviously slight differences in fonts and stuff- But in the hand they seem identical.
Rep crown is a little smaller but case seems right on the money. David gives you a longer crown tube and thread- so I do not anticipate issues with the threads stripping, as happened on my rep 183G in 10 days!
Lume, of course- is positively awesome on both gen and rep. The painted dial of my 111G does glow a touch brighter than the sandwhich dials, but still pretty great on all four.
The 210 is SOO underrated- Looks great on a big thick Savage-
Elegant and masculine on a GEF La Spezia
So bottom line is Davidsen is capable of producing tremendous replicas- ready to wear right out of the box. He's pain in the ass to pay, and you run about a 50% chance that the watch will arrive with the wrong parts or the wrong crown etc.- BUT- he's honest, he's fast, and he's the only source for that direct pipeline to rare Panerais and really authentic Panerai reps. Walk into a watchshop with this babay on your wrist- Who's gonna call you out???
First a caveat- These are replicas- EVERYTHING is wrong on them- if you look. Every little teeny detail is a little off. If you're a jeweler, a watch reseller or a replica collector- you'll know it's a rep. For the rest of the world, they look real. I am not interested in forging watches or selling reps as genuine watches- I'm not a counterfeiter. I love my gens- I also love the fact that for the price of a decent strap I can buy an entire watch that really is a PERFECT copy of the real Panerai. By perfect I mean in overall apearance and functionality- not at the microscopic level.
So if you're a member of the "Panerai Police"- save it... I know what's wrong with these.
What's Right?? Well frankly, in my opinion, a well modded replica Panerai is the BEST rep out there. Not because the font is exactly the same or because the crystal height is exactly the same- it's because it's the SAME WATCH. Stainless case, saphire crystal, ETA 6497 movement, Superlume dial. The only real difference is Richemont doesn't see a dime. Are there tells?? Yeah dozens. The biggest tell that anybody can see from across the room is the AR- Panerai AR is slightly yellow colored- ALL rep AR is blue or purple- A little sunlight glints off your watch- BUSTED.
That said I can say that I have owned many Davidsens and had a chance to wear them on and off with the 3 or 4 genuine Panerai watches I have owned during that period. While I can spot the genuine watch easily, not a day goes by when I look at my wrist and for a moment forget whether I have a gen or rep on. They are THAT good. Davidsens crown and crown tube mean that the watches wind smoother with a neat little 'snick-snick" similar to the gen. The Davidsen sandwhich dials are made of the same textured material as the gen- David's is thinner true, but gen sandwhich dials do vary in thickness. Regular reps use a plastic-like dial, which looks nothing like the gen. A good repairman can match it almost exactly, but most rep dials are too thick- so I guess pick your poison. Since Davidsen is assembling these from factory fresh parts- many of the little smudges and nicks you get form modding a watch yourself are not present- Sometimes even a very good watchmaker can't help but leave some telltale marks- Most of my Davidsens have arrived modded and spotless.
David's movements usually run well- He says he services them and I think that's probably accurate. So far every DSN watch has been a scary accurate timekeeper. I've bought a bunch and sold off a few, and will be back for more shortly. Yes you can definitely produce a great watch, probably a superior watch if you buy a good rep with a Swiss movement and have one of the skilled watch makers here mod the watch. I think that process will take longer and might cost the same or even more. It's a matter of preference. Most of the "criticism" of Panerai's here seems to be based off of internet searches. Comparing low res pictures and coming up with conclusion. "That dial is terrible"- "How can he sell that!". I've seen gens, I own gens. I own reps. These watches feel like gens, they look like gens, they behave like gens. That's good enough for me.
Here's my latest DSN wacth- the Base 112
Yeah I know the font is a little off- But look at that Crown Guard and Crown!! Best I've seen. The CG is brushedjust like the gen- the center pin almost flush and polished- crown really nice and thick and well done- Here it is compared to a gen 111- Gen is on the left
Here's the back
The 112 Sandwhich dial is thin, but well done and the same texture and "feel" as the gen- That'sa gen 210H on the right, a little bit deeper
Here's the rep 112 dial up close
The Davidsen case is practically 1:1 to the gen, and the crownguard is the best I've seen from David- On mine the flip lever is a little undersized for the CG as you can see. Rep on top-
But boy it's tough to tell sometimes-
The other base that is a wonderful rep is the 210H- here on my super thick Savage stitchless-
Side by side with the gen the rep is practically spot-on- Obviously slight differences in fonts and stuff- But in the hand they seem identical.
Rep crown is a little smaller but case seems right on the money. David gives you a longer crown tube and thread- so I do not anticipate issues with the threads stripping, as happened on my rep 183G in 10 days!
Lume, of course- is positively awesome on both gen and rep. The painted dial of my 111G does glow a touch brighter than the sandwhich dials, but still pretty great on all four.
The 210 is SOO underrated- Looks great on a big thick Savage-
Elegant and masculine on a GEF La Spezia
So bottom line is Davidsen is capable of producing tremendous replicas- ready to wear right out of the box. He's pain in the ass to pay, and you run about a 50% chance that the watch will arrive with the wrong parts or the wrong crown etc.- BUT- he's honest, he's fast, and he's the only source for that direct pipeline to rare Panerais and really authentic Panerai reps. Walk into a watchshop with this babay on your wrist- Who's gonna call you out???
