The 111H is from Natalie. I did not order directly from her. It was another member who actually ordered it from her, and I ended up just buying it from him. It's a long story, but in the end, I am a happy owner of a 111H with updated CDG movement.
Anyway, details . . .
- The ETA movement is decorated very nicely. The CDG engraving is a major improvement over the previous version. Also has the seventeen jewel engraving. Needle is the fat one, characteristic of the 'working' swan neck.
- CG is brushed and fits nicely against the case. Lever was floppy, but I fixed that by inserting a small piece of rubber in the hole in the lever - feels like gen now (really). Also, I made the lever pivot pin flush with the top of the CG, and brushed the top of the pin like the rest of the CG - so it all looks very uniform.
- Crown is better than the early 111H's, but not quite thick enough. Looking directly at the watch, the crown appears to have a nice thickness. But, at an angle, the chamfered or rounded edges make the crown appear thin. In short, better but not quite thick enough. The Palp is going on this one.
- Lume sucks big time. Davidsen dial and hands on the way for this one also.
- Strap. Surprisingly good - better than early rep straps. The brown strap has a nice thick pad, and the stitching is very nice. Not an Xamas, but you can at least wear it out of the box and not feel like an ass.
- Recessed pin is still there, though not as deep as before. You really have to look close to notice. The hour/minute hands are black anyway, so it tends to hide what little shallow there is from the recess. Even at a sharp angle, you can see most of the top of the pin - so it really is an improvement.
- Crystal is synthetic sapphire AND is very nicely AR'd.
- Case is thicker than the previous 111H case. Polish is very high and looks great. I spotted a couple of roughly finished (though highly polished) edges along a couple of the lugs. I took care of this immediately with some dremel work.
- CG screws are bigger, with very robust looking threads.
- Also, nothing is misspelled anywhere on the watch. OFFICINE PANERAI engraving on the movement is crisp.
Well, that's it for now. I know pics will do better than anything I've described. I'll try to take care ot that tomorrow guys.
