Actually this pair did not immediately get my attention when it was released last year. The fact that it was a pair made it even that more unexpected as pairs aren't normally repped, although that seems to be changing this year (with the recent release of the PAM337 (SS) and PAM338 (Ti) as well as the PAM569 and PAM535 with the hobnail dial). Then Davidsen (DSN) suddenly came out with the pair at the same time! Of course, the case set would certainly be a tell as the movement has not been replicated yet so the case matching the movement would probably come later. But I thought, what the hey, at the asking price, I should not be nitpicking So now I present...
Truthfully, I am not expecting much from the rep in terms of accuracy, just as long as it's well made. But what we will discuss here is the accuracy of the replication, so let's start.
CASE : MIDDLE CASE, CG, BEZEL
The case is designed for the A6497 movement, so let's get that out of the way already. It is not meant for the P.5000 8 days movement found in the gen watch. But as a caseset, both are pretty well made. The PVD case on the black seal is lighter than the gen pics so we can't do anything about it (if it was too dark, we could probably use the Cape Cod trick to lighten things). The Stainless Steel case on the white dial PAM785 is very nicely done.
The CG is typical of PAM reps nowadays, nicely square and the polished bezel is as polished as can be on the stainless. From the side, the CG is nice and the lever snaps shut on both reps.
The crystal isn't cloudy as far as I can tell (someone mentioned that Davidsen is notorious for his cloudy crystals). It isn't apparent in this case. Showing the side view to show the typical crystal distortion that even gens exhibit.
DIAL : DIAL, SUBDIAL, MARKERS, CP
The dial is white and black on the respective watches, with patinated hands to tell the time. The hands are correctly Pre-V instead of modern like on the latest released white dial PAM605.
The subdial @9 is nicely done on both watches.
The text on the white dial isn't as good as that on the black seal as the serif font isn't evident.
The CP is pointy as opposed to being flat and flush with the hands.
CASEBACK :
The caseback is closed and has the OP logo in the center and OFFICINE PANERAI FIRENZE around the caseback.
The lume shot. Well I have not been successful in getting the camera to focus properly but suffice to say that it's nothing to write home about, especially the white dial, where the lume dots are very faint.
All in all, it wasn't an earth shattering release, but the effort of Davidsen to come up with the pair all by himself is commendable. I especially appreciate him spending the time to improve on the dial printing for both the black and white dial with semi-successful results on the V2 (the black was redone well with the serif font being evident but only half successful with the white one in that the print became bolder but the serif wasn't successfully reproduced). Fortunately for us and unfortunately for Davidsen, V6F, like it wasn't busy enough with all the other 15+ releases this January, released its PAM602 (white dial PAM785) and from the photos, looks to be better in the CP, lume dots and the font department. Also the strap on the V6F is similar to the gen. I was not able to get a suitable strap from Davidsen but I did get some screw in Pre-V buckles and I will have 24/24 straps made (the gen is 24/22 125/75 if you want to be accurate). However, V6F used a modern hand set which is wrong for the rep, so the factory better correct that soon. And where is the black seal? The daylight has more potential issues than the black seal so the delay in the release of this watch is strange. Oh well, maybe in a few days the black seal will appear.
So this is my short review, if you have any questions, feel free to comment. Thank you for reading.
Panerai Luminor 8 Days Set (PAM 785)
Truthfully, I am not expecting much from the rep in terms of accuracy, just as long as it's well made. But what we will discuss here is the accuracy of the replication, so let's start.
CASE : MIDDLE CASE, CG, BEZEL
The case is designed for the A6497 movement, so let's get that out of the way already. It is not meant for the P.5000 8 days movement found in the gen watch. But as a caseset, both are pretty well made. The PVD case on the black seal is lighter than the gen pics so we can't do anything about it (if it was too dark, we could probably use the Cape Cod trick to lighten things). The Stainless Steel case on the white dial PAM785 is very nicely done.
The CG is typical of PAM reps nowadays, nicely square and the polished bezel is as polished as can be on the stainless. From the side, the CG is nice and the lever snaps shut on both reps.
The crystal isn't cloudy as far as I can tell (someone mentioned that Davidsen is notorious for his cloudy crystals). It isn't apparent in this case. Showing the side view to show the typical crystal distortion that even gens exhibit.
DIAL : DIAL, SUBDIAL, MARKERS, CP
The dial is white and black on the respective watches, with patinated hands to tell the time. The hands are correctly Pre-V instead of modern like on the latest released white dial PAM605.
The subdial @9 is nicely done on both watches.
The text on the white dial isn't as good as that on the black seal as the serif font isn't evident.
The CP is pointy as opposed to being flat and flush with the hands.
CASEBACK :
The caseback is closed and has the OP logo in the center and OFFICINE PANERAI FIRENZE around the caseback.
The lume shot. Well I have not been successful in getting the camera to focus properly but suffice to say that it's nothing to write home about, especially the white dial, where the lume dots are very faint.
All in all, it wasn't an earth shattering release, but the effort of Davidsen to come up with the pair all by himself is commendable. I especially appreciate him spending the time to improve on the dial printing for both the black and white dial with semi-successful results on the V2 (the black was redone well with the serif font being evident but only half successful with the white one in that the print became bolder but the serif wasn't successfully reproduced). Fortunately for us and unfortunately for Davidsen, V6F, like it wasn't busy enough with all the other 15+ releases this January, released its PAM602 (white dial PAM785) and from the photos, looks to be better in the CP, lume dots and the font department. Also the strap on the V6F is similar to the gen. I was not able to get a suitable strap from Davidsen but I did get some screw in Pre-V buckles and I will have 24/24 straps made (the gen is 24/22 125/75 if you want to be accurate). However, V6F used a modern hand set which is wrong for the rep, so the factory better correct that soon. And where is the black seal? The daylight has more potential issues than the black seal so the delay in the release of this watch is strange. Oh well, maybe in a few days the black seal will appear.
So this is my short review, if you have any questions, feel free to comment. Thank you for reading.