Hey guys,
I have been on vacation in St. Thomas (USVI) for the past week and I thought I would come back to find a whole bunch of KW 382 reviews. This doesn't seem to be the case, so I guess my review won't be beating a dad horse. I shouldn't really call this a review, since I will need a lot more wrist time before I form strong opinion--so take my first impressions with a heavy grain of salt. St. Thomas is one of the major north american hubs for jewelry and watch sales, so I certainly took as much time as I reasonably could checking out the stores. While there, I happen to come across a shop that was selling a pre-owned pam 507. It's my understanding that the 507 is identical to the 382, with the exception of the power reserve indicator on the dial. I got to try on the 507 and I examined it for a sold 10 minutes--trying to absorb it as much as possible for this comparison. I also found some great photos of the gen for comparison.
The Watch on the Whole:
The KW 382 is another very impressive build from KW. The watch is very well made, with the typical KW quality finish. The 382 is a more complex watch than my KW 312 or 390, which also makes it that much harder to nail down. As you might expect, there are plenty of minor flaws, but nothing that really stands out as a major issue or reason not to buy the watch. For the price, it's very hard to complain!!! This is definitely 90% gen for 5% of the price. I also think that, based on some other reviews and comments, there are number of complaints about certain aspects of this watch (the pearl for example) that may be a bit overblown and point out flaws that don't really exist, while overlooking other more significant flaws. I'll go through the watch piece by piece for a breakdown and comparison to gen.
Here's a wristie to get your appetite going:
THE CASE SET:
KW has developed a well-deserved reputation over the past 2 years of making/sourcing some of the best pam case sets in all of repdom. The case set for its 382 is no exception. It is very well finished and very close to gen. It's hard to see the finish of a watch in a picture. It's more of a "feel". The KW 382 case feels well finished--and very close to the gen 507 I handled a few days ago. There are no rough edges. The quality of the brushing is very good and the bronze has a nice pink tone to it after a nice ketchup bath. It' hard to compare in pictures because lighting and camera settings makes a huge difference, but the color is definitely closer to rose than the yellow gold--albeit more of a reddish copper.
Here's a few comparison shots with the genuine 382:
Rep KW 382 (taken under lousy office quality fluorescent lighting):
Gen 382:
KW 382:
Gen 382:
THE CROWN GUARD:
The crown guard on the KW 382 is actually pretty darn good. Unllike some of the other 1950's style cases that I have owned, the inside of the CG on the 382 is not cut in a rectangle. Instead, there is a little bit of a point towards the center.
GEN 382 CG:
Although the angle of the point in the middle of the CG on the KW 382 isn't quite perfect, it still has the same effect::
KW 382
As you can see both the KW and Gen 382 cg has a bit of a peak on the inside top edge, but the KW CG's peak is slightly more pronounced. A little sanding might smooth it out a bit and the machining on my CG may not be the same as on other KW 382's and certainly not as refined as the gen. While we have these pictures in front of us, I do like the CG lever on the KW, but let's compare it with the gen. They look pretty close on the top of the lever, but the roller section at the bottom needs work. Notice how the roller portion sticks out too much on the front of my KW compared with the gen:
Gen 382:
KW 382:
I am not sure if this is true on other KW 382's, but it almost looks like someone did it on the machining process. It doesn't seem to effect the functionality of the roller and it's not something that is very noticeable in person, but it definitely could have been done better. Here's another picture from the back of the watch:
KW 382:
Strangely, this issue is not apparent from the back of the watch. This leads me to believe that this may be a CQ issue unique to my watch. That said, the lever does "snap" shut--which I like. I would also note that while on some KW 382's, it seems the crown is a little too close to the case, but this is only evident when the crown is closed. While opened, the crown rests in the proper position. It may be the case that the waterproofing gasket may be to soft/thin???I am going to play this evening to get a little more spacing.
THE BEZEL:
KW did a super job on the bezel. The finish is very good. The bezel is straight on my watch and clicks nicely. It is not quite as smooth as my noob 243 v2/v3, but it's not too far behind either. The pearl is not perfect, but it is close to the gen--more so than others have suggested. The pearl does appear to be white in person, but it has strong lume and easily picks up a little green in pictures. While some people have noted this to be a "flaw", I don't agree. As is evident from my time with the 507 and in the pictures with the gen 382 below, the pearls both are white in person, but also show green in pictures. Here are some pictures for a comparison:
Gen 382 Pearl:
KW 382 Pearl:
Another view:
As you can see in the pictures, the KW 382 actually looks more white in this picture than the gen. It really depends on the moment, lighting and the amount of charge in the lume. I have a feeling people have gotten use to the white pearl on the ZF that is much less accurate. In fact, the ZF pearl looks too much like the pearl in the panerai promotional photos--which don't look anything like the real deal. Promotional photos intentionally change or conceal certain details to thwart rep makers. You have to go by comparison to honest third party pictures (or the real 382 in the flesh). The lume on both the gen 382 and KW is also very strong (and appear to be identical in quality). The pearl lume may be a little more bulbous in the KW 382, but it's not so easy to tell in person. The pearl bezel is a bit more polished and flatter on the gen, but this too is hardly noticeable in person. The hatch marks are accurate on the bezel, as are the 15, 30 and 45 minute marks--all of which are crisply printed. The minute markers are good as well, although my 40 minute marker is a bit "shorter" than the others. I think this is something that can be adjusted, but I will not be taking off a well aligned and smoothly functioning bezel just to fix a minor niggle like this.
I know Ale is all about the knurling on the bezel. The knurling on the bezel looks good to me, but I'll leave it for Ale to opine:
Case Back:
The case back is excellent. Good quality engraving and sapphire crystal on the rear--which seems to be the standard for KW, while other makers (including gen makers like Hamilton) use mineral crystal for their exposition case backs.
CONCLUSION
I am very pleased with the quality of the watch overall. It may not be a super rep, but it is really a stunning watch and offers a lot of value of the money. As is often the case, there are some small details that need to be refined, but I think it's an excellent start. I haven't owned the ZF version, so I can't compare the two watches, but I have no trouble with recommending the KW. It feels a lot like the gen and would easily hold up under scrutiny from all but the most discerning of paneristi (those that know panerai well enough to spot the disguised A7750). Also, for those of you that are interested, the strap is an dark brown ostrich strap from panatime (XL). Great quality strap and a good value. Some members may also be I am probably missing a number of flaws that maybe you guys can see from my pictures. Please feel free to chime in. I'll post some more pictures below.
LUME SHOT:
I have been on vacation in St. Thomas (USVI) for the past week and I thought I would come back to find a whole bunch of KW 382 reviews. This doesn't seem to be the case, so I guess my review won't be beating a dad horse. I shouldn't really call this a review, since I will need a lot more wrist time before I form strong opinion--so take my first impressions with a heavy grain of salt. St. Thomas is one of the major north american hubs for jewelry and watch sales, so I certainly took as much time as I reasonably could checking out the stores. While there, I happen to come across a shop that was selling a pre-owned pam 507. It's my understanding that the 507 is identical to the 382, with the exception of the power reserve indicator on the dial. I got to try on the 507 and I examined it for a sold 10 minutes--trying to absorb it as much as possible for this comparison. I also found some great photos of the gen for comparison.
The Watch on the Whole:
The KW 382 is another very impressive build from KW. The watch is very well made, with the typical KW quality finish. The 382 is a more complex watch than my KW 312 or 390, which also makes it that much harder to nail down. As you might expect, there are plenty of minor flaws, but nothing that really stands out as a major issue or reason not to buy the watch. For the price, it's very hard to complain!!! This is definitely 90% gen for 5% of the price. I also think that, based on some other reviews and comments, there are number of complaints about certain aspects of this watch (the pearl for example) that may be a bit overblown and point out flaws that don't really exist, while overlooking other more significant flaws. I'll go through the watch piece by piece for a breakdown and comparison to gen.
Here's a wristie to get your appetite going:
THE CASE SET:
KW has developed a well-deserved reputation over the past 2 years of making/sourcing some of the best pam case sets in all of repdom. The case set for its 382 is no exception. It is very well finished and very close to gen. It's hard to see the finish of a watch in a picture. It's more of a "feel". The KW 382 case feels well finished--and very close to the gen 507 I handled a few days ago. There are no rough edges. The quality of the brushing is very good and the bronze has a nice pink tone to it after a nice ketchup bath. It' hard to compare in pictures because lighting and camera settings makes a huge difference, but the color is definitely closer to rose than the yellow gold--albeit more of a reddish copper.
Here's a few comparison shots with the genuine 382:
Rep KW 382 (taken under lousy office quality fluorescent lighting):
Gen 382:
KW 382:
Gen 382:
THE CROWN GUARD:
The crown guard on the KW 382 is actually pretty darn good. Unllike some of the other 1950's style cases that I have owned, the inside of the CG on the 382 is not cut in a rectangle. Instead, there is a little bit of a point towards the center.
GEN 382 CG:
Although the angle of the point in the middle of the CG on the KW 382 isn't quite perfect, it still has the same effect::
KW 382
As you can see both the KW and Gen 382 cg has a bit of a peak on the inside top edge, but the KW CG's peak is slightly more pronounced. A little sanding might smooth it out a bit and the machining on my CG may not be the same as on other KW 382's and certainly not as refined as the gen. While we have these pictures in front of us, I do like the CG lever on the KW, but let's compare it with the gen. They look pretty close on the top of the lever, but the roller section at the bottom needs work. Notice how the roller portion sticks out too much on the front of my KW compared with the gen:
Gen 382:
KW 382:
I am not sure if this is true on other KW 382's, but it almost looks like someone did it on the machining process. It doesn't seem to effect the functionality of the roller and it's not something that is very noticeable in person, but it definitely could have been done better. Here's another picture from the back of the watch:
KW 382:
Strangely, this issue is not apparent from the back of the watch. This leads me to believe that this may be a CQ issue unique to my watch. That said, the lever does "snap" shut--which I like. I would also note that while on some KW 382's, it seems the crown is a little too close to the case, but this is only evident when the crown is closed. While opened, the crown rests in the proper position. It may be the case that the waterproofing gasket may be to soft/thin???I am going to play this evening to get a little more spacing.
THE BEZEL:
KW did a super job on the bezel. The finish is very good. The bezel is straight on my watch and clicks nicely. It is not quite as smooth as my noob 243 v2/v3, but it's not too far behind either. The pearl is not perfect, but it is close to the gen--more so than others have suggested. The pearl does appear to be white in person, but it has strong lume and easily picks up a little green in pictures. While some people have noted this to be a "flaw", I don't agree. As is evident from my time with the 507 and in the pictures with the gen 382 below, the pearls both are white in person, but also show green in pictures. Here are some pictures for a comparison:
Gen 382 Pearl:
KW 382 Pearl:
Another view:
As you can see in the pictures, the KW 382 actually looks more white in this picture than the gen. It really depends on the moment, lighting and the amount of charge in the lume. I have a feeling people have gotten use to the white pearl on the ZF that is much less accurate. In fact, the ZF pearl looks too much like the pearl in the panerai promotional photos--which don't look anything like the real deal. Promotional photos intentionally change or conceal certain details to thwart rep makers. You have to go by comparison to honest third party pictures (or the real 382 in the flesh). The lume on both the gen 382 and KW is also very strong (and appear to be identical in quality). The pearl lume may be a little more bulbous in the KW 382, but it's not so easy to tell in person. The pearl bezel is a bit more polished and flatter on the gen, but this too is hardly noticeable in person. The hatch marks are accurate on the bezel, as are the 15, 30 and 45 minute marks--all of which are crisply printed. The minute markers are good as well, although my 40 minute marker is a bit "shorter" than the others. I think this is something that can be adjusted, but I will not be taking off a well aligned and smoothly functioning bezel just to fix a minor niggle like this.
I know Ale is all about the knurling on the bezel. The knurling on the bezel looks good to me, but I'll leave it for Ale to opine:
Case Back:
The case back is excellent. Good quality engraving and sapphire crystal on the rear--which seems to be the standard for KW, while other makers (including gen makers like Hamilton) use mineral crystal for their exposition case backs.
CONCLUSION
I am very pleased with the quality of the watch overall. It may not be a super rep, but it is really a stunning watch and offers a lot of value of the money. As is often the case, there are some small details that need to be refined, but I think it's an excellent start. I haven't owned the ZF version, so I can't compare the two watches, but I have no trouble with recommending the KW. It feels a lot like the gen and would easily hold up under scrutiny from all but the most discerning of paneristi (those that know panerai well enough to spot the disguised A7750). Also, for those of you that are interested, the strap is an dark brown ostrich strap from panatime (XL). Great quality strap and a good value. Some members may also be I am probably missing a number of flaws that maybe you guys can see from my pictures. Please feel free to chime in. I'll post some more pictures below.
LUME SHOT:
