3646 MARINA MILITARE -ANOTHER VINTAGE PROJECT WATCH

[davidsenjpn]

This is a 3646 case/swiss cross crown/marina militare dial/plexiglass and new made hands.

The dial is also engraved with hand print logo.Now i am getting better everyday to fill up
the logo with white paint.Hands are especially tailored made for these models.

Movt is the Russian made 3602 movt with rolex bridge.Extra care been given attaching the bridges
plates on the movt.Hope it looks better this time.

 

[panman8888]

goodness!

davidsen, this is really really cool. those hands, especially and the engraved dial is nothing short of perfectly mastered. great job!

so when is this beauty going on sale?

 

[ohmycocker]

very nice, Davidsen! Love your work!

 

[JOEJOEJOE]

wow.... this is amazing

 

[moggio]

oh my...that is a stunning piece of history ..nice work davidsen

 

[Perspex Tropic]

Love Your Custom hands,

 

[babola]

Another 'jewel' from DSN watch factory

Great work, those pointy hands are really something

cheers,
babola

 

[bigbadbrad]

-

Brilliant bridges and hands :!: I love your latest work, David

 

[Niko]

Absolutely beautiful!

Will this be available for purchase or is it a special order?

N.

 

[John Paul]

Yes, she's a beauty. I'm going to go broke.

JP

 

[Finepics3]

Sorry guys but I'm going to pour water all over your heaped on praises. The hands are quite nice but the case is absolutely terrible - the corners are all square and bulbous. The 3646 has a graceful shape to it as you will see in this gen pic. Also the crystal could not be more wrong if it tried.

 

[hooligan]

Sorry guys but I'm going to pour water all over your heaped on praises. The hands are quite nice but the case is absolutely terrible - the corners are all square and bulbous. The 3646 has a graceful shape to it as you will see in this gen pic. Also the crystal could not be more wrong if it tried.

That's excellent information, FP. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to point me to a more accurate rep of this watch? Thanks in advance...

:wink:

I honestly do appreciate you pointing out the flaws with this watch (we've all done it at one time or another), however I think the criticism could have been a little more, ahem, constructive.

Your "tone" seems to be a tad on the confrontational/combative side, IMO. While I would normally write this off as simple misunderstanding or lack of "body language" to take the edge off the wording, you did much the same thing to Enzo in cucumber_jones' thread about his 201 that Enzo modified.

Am I seeing a pattern? I hope not.

If I have misconstrued your intent, I sincerely apologize.

 

[Finepics3]

I take your point about my abruptness, it was very late for me and I was tired, but I am getting a little fed up with seeing the same thing all the time - a lot of us older members at RWG feel the same way there too - maybe because the boards are becoming a little boring now and seem to be populated buy noobs who really don't know their watches at all (I know we all have to start somewhere but still the same questions get posted that have been answered hundreds of times before if only people bothered to use the search function). All the time I see people here lavishing praise on things that are clearly wrong by a mile so unless the faults are pointed out then David will not change anything because he will not realise that it's wrong. Also I did apologise to Enzo as I was a bit peeved at the time as the way things were described with CJ's watch made it seem like it was the first time it had ever been done.

Currently there is no real decent reps of the 3646 unless you buy a standard one and re-work the case like I did, then use one of Davids dials (which are still not great and could benefit from members saying things like the numbers are too fat etc instead of wow etc).
This is what I have achieved so far but still work to do - just waiting on a new bezel to arrive that was made specially for me.

 

[panman8888]

for what it's worth

i've said several times (nicely ) that the numbers and markers are TOO fat and big! looks like a cheshire cat! even if we didn't know this was a homage to another watch (in other words, even if we never saw the gen), i think the numbers are just too big and too fat. something like the fiddy would look much better in terms of thinner, smaller numbers. but that's just my personal taste.

the crystal IS also quite large...the watch is all crystal, in fact...feels like the dial is a mile away. again, as a matter of taste, i'd like a not-so-thick crystal.

i agree that we shouldn't just say "WOW" to everything. but encouragement is a good thing when someone is doing something nobody else is!

so having said all that, the fact that davidsen is putting forth this effort, working on perfecting his dials/engraving, etc., and then offering his creations to the masses is what excites us. and makes us encourage him. nothing wrong with that, and nothing wrong with pointing out improvements that could be made to him. that's what the forum is for. and even if the result of what is he does is not perfectly accurate, how many other people are doing what he's doing? and helping people build custom, frankenwatches?

believe me, not to many!

 

[hooligan]

I take your point about my abruptness, it was very late for me and I was tired, but I am getting a little fed up with seeing the same thing all the time - a lot of us older members at RWG feel the same way there too - maybe because the boards are becoming a little boring now and seem to be populated buy noobs who really don't know their watches at all (I know we all have to start somewhere but still the same questions get posted that have been answered hundreds of times before if only people bothered to use the search function). All the time I see people here lavishing praise on things that are clearly wrong by a mile so unless the faults are pointed out then David will not change anything because he will not realise that it's wrong. Also I did apologise to Enzo as I was a bit peeved at the time as the way things were described with CJ's watch made it seem like it was the first time it had ever been done.

Currently there is no real decent reps of the 3646 unless you buy a standard one and re-work the case like I did, then use one of Davids dials (which are still not great and could benefit from members saying things like the numbers are too fat etc instead of wow etc).
This is what I have achieved so far but still work to do - just waiting on a new bezel to arrive that was made specially for me.

That's great, I'm glad to see that my worries were unfounded. You seem to be a wealth of knowledge about vintage Panerai, and I would very much like to see more posts from you.

That case looks gorgeous, BTW. Any plans to offer them for purchase? That would be great.

As for me, I'm more into the vintage look, but having more of an homage piece than a perfect replica. So, the case differences don't matter that much to me, personally.

I appreciate the thoughtful and polite reply to my earlier post. I'm glad I didn't put you off with it...

 

[Cucumber_Jones]

I am stoked about this case. I have a very specific need that it will fill (or will be filled by my need!).

Just wait till you see the photos of my monster that is soon to come!!

Thanks Davidsen for working with us on these!

 

[babola]

Enzo touched on many points I felt expressing my view upon, and for that I congratulate him.

...and it's true - we don't say enough WOWs in our responses to fine artisans like David, where does he find time and enthusiasm for producing those heritage/vintage Panerai hommage pieces while still dealing with our standard rep mod orders - is beyond me

Great work David, and Enzo, and Mark and everybody else out there putting their time, effort & money in creating something we can all enjoy to our satisfaction !

cheers,
babola

 

[astig]

well said enzo. one of the reasons i enjoy this site.

 

[Finepics3]

Just quickly as I have to go to work - Enzo you could not be more wrong about my watch. It is a 47mm case, I have just fitted a new bezel that is the correct shape and height (specially made for me), the crown has been engraved, there is a sandwich dial, it has a Cortebert 616, the front crystal is solid plexi and approximately the correct shape although does need a little refining, the strap bars I made in SS and welded to the case, the case tube has been flushed in and welded to the case, the case back was a one off that came with an odd ball watch and although does have a flat glass at the moment (that will be changed) it does have the correct engraving and a machined finish rather than polished, the strap specially made - the total cost excluding the movt has been $450 - not excessive. The movt cost me 50euros (got that before anyone realised wht they were so were still cheap). This is not a 45mm black seal case at all. I will post some pics later tonight but my point is one of frustration sometimes with David. I have tried working on many things with him over the last 18 months and it has been a monumental struggle sometimes. I still fial to see the point of making something which has to be designed at the outset and designing it wrong. If you are going to make a case then why not make it the correct shape to start with?

I am not trying to be deliberately inflammatory - I'm just wondering why so much effort is put into getting things wrong to start with. Sure they can be modified but not everyone is capable or able to do that so it would be nice to see something that is a little more accurate to begin with. And if these shortcoming are not pointed out they will never change. If a restaurant serves a bad meal and the waitress asks is everything ok - if the answer is "yes it's fine thanks" as is so often the case then they will never know and never change!!

 

[John Paul]

Well, all I can say is that I've always wanted to get another gen RXW to make it into a 6152-1. Davidsen made one with more bells and whistles than I originally imagined for myself and at a much better price point. Yes there are things that could be improved to make it more like the gen, but again for the price point you can't beat his watches with a stick. I absolutely love my Davidsen RXW based 6152-1. And lets face it how many of us could actually afford to wear the real vintage Panerai? I mean I understand the mania to have them as close to gen as possible, but who are we really fooling? My biggest problem with Davidsens watches is deciding which one to buy next, one of his Kampfschwimmers or his awesome 3646. Also, frankly I like the thick plexiglass on the 3646. May not be gen, but I like it just the same. Presently I'm leaning toward the 3646 with one of his caseback openers to go with it. Couple the 3646 with a sewn on Germano strap and you're in heaven.

JP