Buying a PAM111H where, and which one ?

[nicoved]

Hi,
I've read everything i could on this forum, to see that all the website I was looking at were just crap or scam...
Because I'm in france, and i'm a little bit afraid with customs office, I tried to enclose my choice between to sellers : Precious Time and timesshop.net.
The prices are almost the same, but i'm still wondering which one is the best :
Here are the links toward the 2 watches I'm looking at :
Precious Time :http://ptswiss.com/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=168
Timesshop.net : http://www.timeshops.net/P111SWU03_-_PAM111H_Luminor_Marina_-_Swiss_Unitas_-_Swan_Neck_1593-1497.htm
Thank you so much for your answers, I'm counting the days !

 

[guru]

I got over 40 watches from Precious Time without any problems, you cannot go wrong.

 

[watchbuff]

Davidsen.....period

 

[guru]

Davidsen.....period

if he is not worried about customs I would vote for vaccum, period !!!

 

[nicoved]

Sorry guys, don't understand Davidsen and Vaccum ...
Is it really worth spending many bucks for a swiss movement, or could I just get an asian one ... and be happy with it ?
Regarding on Precious Time ones, there just seems to be swiss movement, so ...
Thanks for your advices !

 

[Pix]

Most rep PAMs 111 come with an horrible blue AR coating... If those of DSN are different, then I would go for him, knowing that you get a good watch out of the box. But I never tried him, so can't say or recommend him. (Look for his section here). Besides, his lume does not seem as good as Vac's one.

Both PAM you show are expensive due to their expensive Swiss movement.
You still need to fix a few things, including AR coating and canon pinion + most probably lever and lever pin

My advice (what I did) :
- buy a 111H with Asian Swan neck movement from D4M.
They have 3 huge advantages : come with a high canon pinion out of the box, swan neck and engraved mechanism (not stickers) - count with 150 USD all inclusive (+/-)
Needless to say that you have a sapphire crystal

- make it lumed by Vac (about 120 USD) - he's a modder in the US (search his section on the forum)

- if you want to go further, have the crown changed by Vac and lever + lever pin fixed (about 100 USD)

- then, depending on how gen you want to look, have a double AR from Chieftang (provides this service on RWG), which you will keep as it is, or have the outside AR stripped, keeping the inside only (I kept the double) (about 80 USD, depending on which options you take)

All together, you'll have a better PAM than those you linked, and IMO better than DSN's 111 for a price between 270 and 450 USD.

Except the colour of some screws, I don't see the advantage of the Swiss movement.

Customs : use standard registered airmail, there won't be troubles. Problems often come from Courier Services like Fedex, DHL or whoever...

I hope to be able to post my "ultimate" PAM 111 in 2-3 weeks, when my crystal is back from Chief's AR run.

 

[nicoved]

Outch !
I'd like to have a all in one watch ... As i'm in France, it's quite difficult for me to send it everywhere for modding.
I'll have a look on davidsen's ones, even if Precious Time seems to be really nice and answers quickly ...
Thanks anyway !
Does Davidsen have a website ?

 

[Pix]

I did it...

Here's DSN bucket : http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e230/watchmmx/

It seems he has a better placement of the L Swiss Made L text on his latest 111.
But his crowns are a bit thick and the Officine Panerai text on the movement is off.
Details

Probably the best solution for an "all in one". But be careful at some of his watches, where the crown is not centered. Also, make it very clear with him about his delivery times (somes watches are not on stock)

 

[guru]

Hi Pix,
just think about your french noob,
he does not understand vac, canon pin, cg and all the nice stuff
you explained to him. But you are spot on.

 

[Pix]

In any case, the 111H is a good choice, you can't go wrong. Although I have a small preference for the 112 :mrgreen:

 

[hazbeen]

I bought a decent 111 from Ruby last year...e-mail some of the approved sellers and tell them what you want...luckily an above average 111 is a good rep to have as genuine Panerai watches are not that complicated. I know someone will swear otherwise but a 111 from a reputable dealer will be very close to the gen and typically reliable unless it is a GMT....

Regards and good luck.

 

[Lezzare]

Yes, I agree with purchasing a good standard 111h and then sending it for mods. Mine is with Vac and Chief for relume and AR. However, do so only if you want to. I got my 111h from Hont and it was great, just that the Lume was so so...

 

[alvinado]

I just love this type of threads

 

[Hambone]

No one makes an out of box Pam rep like Davidsen. Nuff said. The closest second is Little Hero, but his are less obtainable.

 

[nicoved]

Thanks to all,
Davidsen answered me this morning, and his prices are really high compared to Precious Time ones : 100 € more to be precise.
Regarding the safety of shipping with precious time, and the apparently good quality anyway of the Rep, I'll probably deal with him for this first shoot !
Thanks for your advices.

PS : It's a shame to ask that, but is there any possible negociation with those sellers ?

 

[vr1234]

Can anybody kindly post photos of their DSN 111h? I have purchased his Ultimate 127 with Swiss E and the piece is top notch. I just want to know how a "non-ultimate" piece stacks up in comparison.

Regards,

Victor

 

[Hambone]

Thanks to all,
Davidsen answered me this morning, and his prices are really high compared to Precious Time ones : 100 € more to be precise.
Regarding the safety of shipping with precious time, and the apparently good quality anyway of the Rep, I'll probably deal with him for this first shoot !
Thanks for your advices.

PS : It's a shame to ask that, but is there any possible negociation with those sellers ?

The old saying that you get what you pay for especially in this game. First, if you ad any intention of moddingyour watch, lume, canon pin, crown gaurd, etc, you will end up paying a bit more than DSN charges for his product, which are custom made, and super good quality. I refuse to use the word "ulitimate" regarding watches. Second, DSN will give you free shipping, and no one will give you a discount unless you are buying several watche at once. Good luck with your choice,

 

[Pix]

I agree with Hambone. Find your dealer, keep regular relation with him, you'll surely end up in getting a better treatment.

I once was about to order from DSN (PAM 036). He has pieces you won't find elsewhere.
Wasn't done for some reasons... But there's one thing which sounds bad on his products (compared to the excellent level of the rest) : crown position is to low, and it's obvious for those who know. Most people won't notice that... as most people won't finally notice that you don't have a high canon pinion. Modding a PAM is, IMO, more a question of self satisfaction : you know you have something very close to the gen. If this is not your way of thinking, then probably a standard PAM will be more than enough and you'll happily live with that. The movements inside are reliable, Asian or Swiss.
My first PAM was a 112H from Silix (which I don't recommend today, but everyone can make up his mind) : I sold it to a friend for 70 USD, and when I look at it on his wrist, I still think that this was a hell of a watch for the price (but lume sucks :mrgreen: )

 

[avwbugz]

Newbie here,

It would be great if you could post the pics. I am interested in the PAM111H too!. By the way, what is canon pinion??

 

[nicoved]

Thanks for your advice,
Like someone advised me at the beginning of this post, i ordered to Hont, which is awesome regarding to his quick answers and his reachability ...
He's not in EU, but some told me that customs issues were rare compared to the non-issues ... I took the risk (so as Hont, who gives a warranty for that).
I hardly tried to reach D4M but he really seems to be busy right now, so i conclued i will do it next with him.
I'll send pictures as soon as i get the watch (if it's not taken by customs )
Thx to all,
Regards,
NV