Have concerns/ need advise, re: newly purchased PAM127E

[silentshadow718]

So i finally got my watch from Marlin, who did a marvelous job modding the watch. I wont mention the dealer for etiquette purposes, its not his fault, but i didnt get to QC this purchase.

All is super sweet, but im not happy with the crystal so far. There seems to be an unnecessary curvature in the dome. Can anyone else attest this please?
Not sure what i should do at this moment.
So you know what im talking about, here are the blinds you will see in xtals reflection:

Perfectly straight lines.

And here is what i see on the crystals AR coat:

And gere is what it does to my LP, look at the hands too.

Anyone else have an issue like this? It bugs the hell out of me after investing nearly $1000 into this piece.

Thanks in advance!

S

 

[Drkitch109]

The answer is + $150 for the WSO crystal. Best option other than gen crystal.

 

[thefever]

Can we see a shot without the blinds reflecting? Just a plain crystal shot? Using those blinds as a litmus test is a bit extreme.

 

[ALE7575]

Have you consulted that with marlin?

He is the most authorized person about this matter.

We need to know his opinion

ALE

 

[marlin2284]

Important Info on 127 crystals...

I was contacted by the OP and I understand his concerns, but they are really nothing to be alarmed about. So to calm everyone down before a new list of crystal issues comes up on all the forums and everybody starts to panic, below is some information I emailed to him as a response, and also an important point to share with everyone on the new batch crystals. The OP was comparing it to a mineral crystal on his 253, I explained to him the differences between the two and how mineral crystal have less distortion than sapphire, but are much weaker and are prone to breakage, scratching and in the case of some of the old 127s exploding...

For everyone's information, even the WSO has some distortion if viewed form different directions, it is and always will be a domed sapphire crystal and besides please go on eBay and look at some gen 127 and see for yourselves that the crystals are just as diverse and in many cases as distorted as the reps.

All the watches have the same "bubble" in the center, they are domed crystals and it is inherent to all the crystals. I have checked 12 other 127s I have on hand and they all have the same thing in the center. I think the only way to get around this is to upgrade to the WSO and even then there is still going to be some distortion in the dome. The WSO upgrade is $150 which is basically the cost of the crystal alone I don't charge to swap it, but mark my words you will have a hard time if not an impossible time finding a flawless crystal when viewed from every angle. If you turn the watch enough you will see some kind of distortion in any crystal, it is just the nature of the beast when you go domed.


This is due to the fact that the crystals have different thicknesses and this is reflected in the refection of the light hitting the lens. A domed crystal needs to be thick in the crown of the dome or it will not hold up to the pressures exerted by the bezel to make it waterproof, not to mention day to day wear. For this reason many mineral crystals on the older 127s use to explode. Because of the seating pressure applied by the bezel, some just couldn't handle it and would just spontaneously explode in some cases just sitting on a night stand overnight. Please run a search on "exploding crystals": for more info.

Below is just one sample:

They are all like this and this is what I would call a pristine crystal, if I turn it to certain angles I'll always find some distortion.
This is a fresh out of the factory 127. If you look at the numbers you'll see that they have no distortion and even the hands have no distortion, but if I look at the dial from a steep enough angle distortions will show themselves, you can't ask much more from a crystal.

I hope this enlightens and informs everyone...

 

[marcogumbo]

Awesome info, Marlin…especially the fact of the needed difference in the dome thickness due to the influence of pressure, etc.
This really helps to explain the different types of distortion, and the "breaks" and lines that are seen in these crystals.
Thanks very much for this explanation, once again.

 

[vootzilla]

I just got the latest 127 from latest batch. The xtal is ok, pretty much like urs. I decided not to do anything with it coz even wso xtal, it'll never be anything near the gen. Just enjoy what you have and save some bucks.

I'll just do the incabloc mod on mine and be done.

 

[ALE7575]

Thanks marlin for the explanation

I knew you were the authority about this matter

ALE

 

[silentshadow718]

Marlin beat me to posting his response.
All clarified now. But i think this is some info every buyer of 127 should be aware of.
Marlins top notch mods create a huge gap in quality between the xtal and his work, only gen crystal will be able to keep up.

I'll repeat myself again, i am more than satisfied with Marlins mods, but IMO to apply his mods, factory needs to fix this crystal distortion.
Toro's 127n pictures dont show this bubble that i see on my xtal, was it better than the E series?

Here is Toros, ofcourse for marketing purposes they will pick the best example )))

 

[ALE7575]

Please. Don't complain
There are someone even worse

ALE

 

[silentshadow718]

Lol. Not complaining. I guess its something i have to go through when getting a domed sapphire.
Just slapped it on my wrist and love the look.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

[marlin2284]

Marlin beat me to posting his response.
All clarified now. But i think this is some info every buyer of 127 should be aware of.
Marlins top notch mods create a huge gap in quality between the xtal and his work, only gen crystal will be able to keep up.

I'll repeat myself again, i am more than satisfied with Marlins mods, but IMO to apply his mods, factory needs to fix this crystal distortion.
Toro's 127n pictures dont show this bubble that i see on my xtal, was it better than the E series?

Here is Toros, ofcourse for marketing purposes they will pick the best example )))

First, FYI those are pictures of the old V1 127 from 2 years ago, look at the minute hand and see how it is the old incorrect thin style hand from the first batch. That batch had the worst crystals of all the numbers were all distorted when viewed head on. Second it is all about angle, like I said before if I turn the watch enough I will find an angle where the crystal will look distorted. The steeper the angle the more distortion you will see because you are looking through all the different thicknesses of the crystal.

Lol. Not complaining. I guess its something i have to go through when getting a domed sapphire.
Just slapped it on my wrist and love the look.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

You really can't ask for much better. Here is a gen look at the 6 and the 12 none are perfect

 

[vootzilla]

Lol. Not complaining. I guess its something i have to go through when getting a domed sapphire.
Just slapped it on my wrist and love the look.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Urs is even better than mine on the distortion aspect. Wear it well.

 

[OPdestrolover]

This is the x thread about domed saphire distortion.
Yes, you will get all kinds of different levels of distortion, some worse, some better.
But often these threads seem to suggest, that a saphire is supposed to have NO distortion whatsoever.
People should realize that even with gen Pams you will get quite a hefty level of distortion around the edges and there is a "middle circle" as well.
And you should post at least similar shooting angles when comparing two pics, because even here there is a comparison with two completely different angles. And of course, the distortion will look completely different and you can't say one saphire is better than the other.
So really no need to open the 101st thread with a complaint about saphire distortion.
Just my two cents.