- 30/4/12
- 91
- 0
- 6
Hello all,
I was fortunate enough to snatch up one of Tony's 'crazy sale' Pam 320's ( seen here in this thread: http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/tonys-asian7750-crazy-112521 ) So I figured I'd share my analysis on it with the team.
First of all, for the price paid, ( ~$90 usd inc shipping ) I am not complaining one bit, it is a gorgeous watch that I am very happy to wear.
So, first the good. The case is exceptional, I'm not enough of an expert to call it perfect, but it has the proper dimensions all around, the reverse extruded lip under the bezel and the combination brushed/polished finish is immaculate.
The crown and crown guard are very good. The CG is a little loose, but I can tighten it up no problem. On the back side its a little rough and there is a slight gap on one side, but not enough to be that worried about.
I WAS a little worried about the brushed finish matching the case because some of the QC pictures showed a much rougher grain, I complained to the TD, but considering the price ( and some friendly advice here on the forum) quickly retracted my request for a better crown.
What I ended up receiving is a well matched brushed texture, so I'm not sure if they swapped it out before sending it? Or, it was just bad lighting in the QC pictures.
One thing I did notice is that the CG lever is a bit thinner and a different shape than the gen, very minor, but noticeable to a keen eye. The CG pin is also polished and I believe it should be brushed, an easy fix.
One thing I'm a little confused on is the rollerball in the CG Lever. It does have one and it's quite nice. Does the gen NOT have a roller ball? That was something Frigpig noted in the sale thread.
The crystal is decent, I think it could use a good AR job, but it is just fine. The dome is quite pronounced and matches the contours of the gen quite faithfully.
The dial is where we run into a little trouble. The inscriptions are fine, but the font on the cut-out numbers and hour markers are just too narrow. The result is that the symbols are too thin and when looking at it from an angle some edges even disappear. I compared it to the gen ( photos of course ) and there is a considerable difference in the 'fatness' of the characters.
the other major gripe is the date window. It is MUCH to small in comparison with the gen and the font on the date wheel is not accurate.
These are both the first things I'm going to mod. Replace face ( and hopefully date dial ) with more accurate versions and C3 Superlume. This baby has to blast that lume in the dark.
Around back things are just fantasy. It's a decent enough movement, but there is a little paint overspill on the OP insignia on the rotor. I wish the factories could come up with a decent P 9001 movement replica. It doesn't seem that hard to me. It's simply creating that huge bridge and then leaving the power reserve on white (full). It doesn't have to be functional. But I think a decent bridge could make the back of these very close to gen. as it is now I'll live with it. But If those p 9001 brides come out PLEASE let me know!
Other than that the movement is quite nice. It charges quietly and the GMT function works perfectly ( and I kind of like it! ) The crown has nice confident clicks and winds very smoothly.
The Strap is actually quite nice. Has a decent leather smell and is molding quite nicely. Of course I'm going to load up on an Ammo Or Asso for this baby but I do think the strap is quite passable. The buckle is brushed in the same texture as the body and is quite good. There is a little roughness inside the letters where they were routed out, but you'd need a loupe to see that.
All in all an excellent watch. Very pleased and excited to get the mods underway.
As an aside is there a specific CONUS watchmaker that anyone would suggest to undertake the lume and face mod for me? Thanks in advance, and also a big special thanks to Sharrkey the dark overlord for tipping me off to Tony's 'Crazy Sale'
Now on to the pictures….
Because I despise photobucket, here is an imgur album with all the high-res pics:
http://imgur.com/a/OO4ks
I was fortunate enough to snatch up one of Tony's 'crazy sale' Pam 320's ( seen here in this thread: http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/tonys-asian7750-crazy-112521 ) So I figured I'd share my analysis on it with the team.
First of all, for the price paid, ( ~$90 usd inc shipping ) I am not complaining one bit, it is a gorgeous watch that I am very happy to wear.
So, first the good. The case is exceptional, I'm not enough of an expert to call it perfect, but it has the proper dimensions all around, the reverse extruded lip under the bezel and the combination brushed/polished finish is immaculate.
The crown and crown guard are very good. The CG is a little loose, but I can tighten it up no problem. On the back side its a little rough and there is a slight gap on one side, but not enough to be that worried about.
I WAS a little worried about the brushed finish matching the case because some of the QC pictures showed a much rougher grain, I complained to the TD, but considering the price ( and some friendly advice here on the forum) quickly retracted my request for a better crown.
What I ended up receiving is a well matched brushed texture, so I'm not sure if they swapped it out before sending it? Or, it was just bad lighting in the QC pictures.
One thing I did notice is that the CG lever is a bit thinner and a different shape than the gen, very minor, but noticeable to a keen eye. The CG pin is also polished and I believe it should be brushed, an easy fix.
One thing I'm a little confused on is the rollerball in the CG Lever. It does have one and it's quite nice. Does the gen NOT have a roller ball? That was something Frigpig noted in the sale thread.
The crystal is decent, I think it could use a good AR job, but it is just fine. The dome is quite pronounced and matches the contours of the gen quite faithfully.
The dial is where we run into a little trouble. The inscriptions are fine, but the font on the cut-out numbers and hour markers are just too narrow. The result is that the symbols are too thin and when looking at it from an angle some edges even disappear. I compared it to the gen ( photos of course ) and there is a considerable difference in the 'fatness' of the characters.
the other major gripe is the date window. It is MUCH to small in comparison with the gen and the font on the date wheel is not accurate.
These are both the first things I'm going to mod. Replace face ( and hopefully date dial ) with more accurate versions and C3 Superlume. This baby has to blast that lume in the dark.
Around back things are just fantasy. It's a decent enough movement, but there is a little paint overspill on the OP insignia on the rotor. I wish the factories could come up with a decent P 9001 movement replica. It doesn't seem that hard to me. It's simply creating that huge bridge and then leaving the power reserve on white (full). It doesn't have to be functional. But I think a decent bridge could make the back of these very close to gen. as it is now I'll live with it. But If those p 9001 brides come out PLEASE let me know!
Other than that the movement is quite nice. It charges quietly and the GMT function works perfectly ( and I kind of like it! ) The crown has nice confident clicks and winds very smoothly. The Strap is actually quite nice. Has a decent leather smell and is molding quite nicely. Of course I'm going to load up on an Ammo Or Asso for this baby but I do think the strap is quite passable. The buckle is brushed in the same texture as the body and is quite good. There is a little roughness inside the letters where they were routed out, but you'd need a loupe to see that.
All in all an excellent watch. Very pleased and excited to get the mods underway.
As an aside is there a specific CONUS watchmaker that anyone would suggest to undertake the lume and face mod for me? Thanks in advance, and also a big special thanks to Sharrkey the dark overlord for tipping me off to Tony's 'Crazy Sale'
Now on to the pictures….
Because I despise photobucket, here is an imgur album with all the high-res pics:
http://imgur.com/a/OO4ks
