- 4/4/09
- 2,140
- 91
- 48
Here's an old favorite spruced up for 2012. Exactly three years ago, I received my first Panerai rep from Davidsen--an 082, or a PAM00082 if you like your reference numbers intact. I was still starting out with reps and figured that I ought to give these chunky Italian watches a try. I figured a basic model like a 111 would do, but got distracted somewhere between DSN's photobucket and nervously sending that first wire transfer to China. Make that twice distracted: First, I ended up getting one of DSN's lovely Blancpains, and then I was mesmerized by the 082's blue dial.
Davidsen produced some of the best PAMs in 2009, but the development pace of Panerai reps since then has been relentless. Pieces that people once paid big bucks for would likely be rejected at the QC stage today. Now we expect crisp perfection straight out of the box. Modding, on the other hand, has moved well to the right on the curve of diminishing returns.
Take a look at the comparison shot of DSN's old titanium case (with a non-DSN crown) and notice the soft, indistinct edges, the tall bezel, wrong crown position, and the CG.
The old case just looked squat, and that's what bugged me in light of all the new releases from the H, N, or Whatever factories.
But the 082 is special. It's one of the biggest compliment-getters in my rep collection, second only to the 288K. Note that when I say compliments, I mean from the general public. On the rep forums, the 082 gets a surprising number of "Is it gen?" comments during the wrist-checks. I think that says more about the rarity of this model, or how niche-y Davidsen has become these days.
It's nowhere near super-rep levels of accuracy, but the look is right. While I wish Davidsen would finally put out a dial that didn't have "moats" around the markers, no one else has come close to matching the brushed finish and the just-right shade of metallic blue. The cartel attempted an 082 a couple of years ago, and the result was a little embarrassing. Go ahead and look at it now, if you want. I'll be here.
Davidsen's updated the 082 a bunch of times (as recently as last month, in fact), so what you get from him today is noticeably better than what I bought in 2009. (It's a bit cheaper, too.) His now-engraved caseback and all-new CG are especially nice. The new dial features better spacing and positioning of the text, but it still has those darned moats. I didn't want to pay $280 for a few upgrades, so I went searching for a more recent Ti case. I found someone who sold me an old 177F caseset with much better dimensions, a great-looking CG, and a crystal without AR. That blue glare was a big tell on the DSN and, more importantly, it made it harder to appreciate the blue sheen of the dial.
You can clearly see the bothersome moats here. Despite them, the blue dial is really something else when you see it up close and under a light:
It was a quick and painless transplant. Movement, dial, and hands were untouched. The crown and caseback were carried over from the DSN. The Amerigo Vespucci is laser-etched rather than engraved (as on the current 082s), but it's still a nice caseback to look at:
The strap is a cheapo "crocodile" leather from eBay; stitching, padding, and texture are similar to the original, but that dark shade of blue isn't quite a match. Unfortunately, I'd lost out on a few auctions for OEM blue-green crocs. $200-300 ain't cheap!
Did I mention that this watch is actually a franken? It's true! The two bars are OEM parts, therefore... SUPER-DUPER-FRANKEN-GENESTEIN!!! YEEEAAAHHH!!!
Ahem. My DSN 082 came with a sharp-looking (and actually razor-sharp) titanium fishtail buckle, but I wanted to keep things as close to stock as possible. This titanium thumbnail buckle was a lucky find. Eddie Lee, don'tcha know?
I'm still hoping that the factories take a crack at the 082 and get most things right at the first attempt. Alternatively, maybe Davidsen could figure out how to punch numerals and bars into a blue sausage dial without leaving outlines.
Until then, this will do nicely.
But do send me a PM if you find an OEM blue croc selling for less than $200!
