Best PAM250?

[pfontein]

Hi, I am looking to buy a PAM250, and I was hoping to get some recommendations for dealers.

I care more about solid quality than a perfect match for looks.

I had bought one replica (Omega Planet Ocean) before from TimesShop, and granted while it was one of the cheaper ones, it was a horrible first experience. The watch worked, but the quality was appalling. There was lots of dust on the dial, the case had lots of scratches on it, and the bracelet kept on falling apart.

Back then I promised myself I would never spend money on a replica again, and saved up for a genuine Omega Seamaster 300M Quartz for $1,000, and I was quite happy with that. I feel like I had gotten a great watch at a decent price... except I what I really wanted was a Planet Ocean.

Then eventually I saved up another $3,000 for a used Planet Ocean, and while it is quite nice, in all honesty, it is not nearly nice enough to make me feel great about having spent $3,000 on a second-hand watch (it is genuine for sure).

I guess I am hard to please.

As I have already spent $4,000 on genuine watches, and at this point I am not exactly thrilled with my collection, I naturally don't feel like spending another $5,000 on a used Panerai.

So, I was thinking of giving replicas a second chance, and trying one of the higher-end ones. Hopefully I can find a decent quality one. I am not looking for perfection, but I would like to buy the best quality replica out there.

Any recommendations for dealers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly,
Pieter

 

[Bomba]

All the approved dealers here are solid, and I'll let the Paneristi here comment on the best 250.

But the reason for my response is that I'm a huge fan of certified pre-owned gens. I've bought and sold three second hand watches over the years at AD. I recently picked up an Omega gen that way and I'm negotiating on a PAM 088.

The AD often gets nice trades and they have the resources to get the watch sorted properly. I always get it serviced, cleaned and refinished if necessary. Always included in the price.

The economic meltdown has created some really good pre-owned luxury deals out there, from watches to cars. I've seen Planet Ocean Chronos 45mm listed for as little as $1800 USD in gen dealers.

 

[taiji]

If you think you are the hard to please type, I suggest you stay away from reps.

The fresh movt from the rep factory offer no warranty or guranteed. They often come dry with no oil and you need to find a local watchsmith (who is rep friendly) to had a clean and thorough servicing so that you will feel secure that it won't die on you.

Beside the movt, rep are not proper water proof. So, you might want to consider to give it a pressure test or ask the watch smith to seal it up well if it leaks.

Apart from this, details of the dial, lume etc etc will not be perfect.

If you are serious to correct all the above mentioned, then be prepared to spend some big money to mod up the rep.

Reps is more of a hobby for most of us here and depend on individual, how far one will go to bring the rep as close to the gen specs as possible depend on individual preference, budget, patience and other factors.

So, if you anticipate that you can't live with any of the above mentioned examples, it will be wise to go gen.

2 cents

 

[pfontein]

Hi, thank your for your thoughts.

I'm not too fussy about details, I'm more concerned with quality.
I service my own watches, so oiling a watch is no biggie.
What I am looking for is a reasonably well-built watch that will last a while if serviced properly. I understand that I'll probably have to get a new strap for it, which is OK.
What I'm not OK with is watches that fall apart due to low quality materials or design, etc.

As I've mentioned, I was just trying to get a feel as to which dealers have the best products out there, and then depending on my research, I would decide if I were to buy another replica, or just live with what I have.

Thank again for your feedback!

 

[SOLEX]

I have the newest 250 w/7753 I want to part with. If you want a good deal shoot me a PM I know it about $350+ ship from the dealers

 

[pfontein]

Sorry Solex, I didn't see your post in time.

I have gone ahead, and purchased a PAM250 with the 7753 movement from Trusty indeed for just over 350+shipping.

I just received it, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. The watch looks great. The strap looks like typical cow leather pretending to be croc, but it's no worse than any other such strap.

The buttons / bezel don't quite feel that great, but I won't be using them much anyway.

Truth be told, just by looking at the watch from the outside, it looks as good as my genuine Omega Planet Ocean (with which I was a bit disappointed).

I think I am going to buy one of the high-end fake Planet Oceans, and get rid of my real one.

As an amateur watch repair man, I'm not afraid of servicing these Asian movements on my own, but I would not dare take an original Omega or Panerai apart. That will save me hundreds down the road as well.