Do I fear the A7750 too much?

[psychom3]

My question is more or less specific to Panerai reps since I am only interested in the "native" sec at 9. The whole time I have been into reps I have avoided the A7750 like the plague I have 20+ reps and not a single A7750, my chronos are either ST19 or St2555 and they have been flawless.

Coming back to the question I want a 243. Are things better, worse or the same as they have been over the last 5-6 years? I know the simple answer is to get it serviced, while I don't mind the money from my POV it isn't as easy as it is sometimes portrayed at least in the US. I don't have a local rep friendly watchmaker and the one I ship to does not do 7750s but otherwise he has been great. Many of the ones on rep forums seem to go and come and more have been going lately, slowing or not taking work at all.

I have enough watches that I only wear each one about once a month, so with that in mind if you had to lay odds on an out of the box A7750 (sec at 9) lasting say 3 years with once a month wear what would you set the odds at? I understand it is luck of the draw, just interested in what people have found lately.

Since we are at it what do you think of the current A7753s as well.

 

[rhaykal]

Thats a tough question. I will only speak from personal experience. I have owned 4 reps with the 7750 movement. A Vac modded AP MH w/ sec@12, a Hublot v6, a 243m, and a zf382. My AP MH was purchased serviced from Vac and has been running beautifully (worn rarely and when not on my wrist it sits in my winder). My Hublot was purchased from M2M section and the movement worked for a day and then completely died on me....and when it was sent off for repairs the watchsmith just said nothing could be done the watch was busted. My 243m was purchased from a TD and has been running beautifully. It is worn 1-3 times a week and when not on my wrist it sits in a winder. The zf382 was purchased from a TD as well. Movement worked ok at first but never had a power reserve of more than 4 hours or so. All of a sudden the seconds hand just stuck and i'd have to shake it extremely hard for it to get goin again. It is currently with Vac for servicing (It is worth the service cost to me as I do love the watch quite a bit).

So its a hit-or-miss with the 7750 movements. Whether it is a modified sec@12 or just the standard sec@9 layout its a coin flip. I say take the plunge and get the 243. It is a stellar rep. Hopefully you'll luck out and get a good movement.

 

[d4m.test]

Reliable TD, lucky draw and it should go a long time. No winding, no setting/changing date between 10 and 4,
don´t use it to often and always stop chrono between position 50 and 10 first, only than reset it, It will be fine.
Dropping or hitting a wall/ doorknob could be fatal - I treat them as not shockproof.

As the 243 is a non-chrono the A7750 will be more reliable as on the chrono-versions anyway.

 

[kilowattore]

Same as above, I have a few since last year when I joined and they behaved nicely so far.
I do threat them with care though

 

[sanankid]

P9000 don't do a 7750. Regular non chrono 7750 no problem. Still nothing compares to the 6497 IMO.

 

[Hawker789]

Have a 243 with a A7750 and it's currently my daily watch. It stopped last week but after a couple of shakes (having not worn it for a couple of days) it started again no problems. I stay away from winding it, just put it on the wrist and let it wind itself up. Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[psychom3]

Thanks for the comments. I have several gen 7750s so I know about the care and keeping of the somewhat quirky movement. I think my next order will be a 243.

 

[ALE7575]

Being careful no worries about A7750 in your PAM 243 without chrono function

ALE

 

[thedoover]

I love busy watches, and as a result have been through many chonos with A7750s in them. Only one has ever needed a repair, and that was after 2-3 years of pretty regular use.

Dont avoid them. Go for it. I even use the chrono once in a while to make sure it still works, but not for too long. Just avoid setting the date with the crown between 6pm and 3am, as doing so can cause the date to stop advancing. This is true for swiss 7750's as well I believe.

 

[P4GTR]

They are pretty good movements. If something is wrong, it should be apparent from the start. Otherwise, you should get good life out of it.

There is a sliding scale for me with the A7750. The relation of cost to reliability concerns were what bothered me the most. The more expensive the watch, the less degree of comfort/enjoyment I have with it. I wasn't enjoying owning my AP reps for this reason. I constantly worried they would become $700 paperweights at any given moment. My Skyland on the other hand, I am completely comfortable with.

 

[sanankid]

I am much more confortable w 6497 or eta clones 2824 or 2836...

 

[Hawker789]

I am much more confortable w 6497 or eta clones 2824 or 2836...

Echo this - 6497 is bulletproof

 

[trailboss99]

As long as you respect the rules of the 7750 (the gen can be fragile as well if mistreated) all will be fine with a sec@9 7750 or a native 7753.

 

[italdream]

Well, OP, I just got my Pam243 (seconds @ 9 and no chrono, so should have less problems). The watch stops every time when it reaches the minute 54.

TD (one of the highest rated) serviced movement once before sending it. Now I am stuck with an expensive paperweight until I can find someone who would work with A7750, without completely breaking the bank.

Even if I find someone who will work with it, it might take months before I see it again.

Now this is just my experience. Others may disagree. It is like playing the roulette. Take your chance and decide how much risk you want to take. In my case, the odds turned against me.

 

[thedoover]

Its important to note that 7750s now are sometimes cheaper than the new watches with clone 3 hand movements! A clone movement sub used to be just shy of $200. Now when I see some of these that are coming out clearing 3 and 4 hundred it is crazy.

 

[d4m.test]

The main problems you see with the 7750 movements are the modded seconds at 12 and chrono configurations. The plain old seconds at 9 is a great movement that keeps even better time. If you find a watch you really love, learn how to do a basic disassembly on it and keep a spare movement on hand. That way if the movement ever craps out on you, it is a quick job to swap out for a new movement. Let me give you an example...

You have the PAM243 Noob that you paid $375 shipped. Your movement implodes...(unlikely) Your options are:

1. Sell it at a loss as a broken watch for around $150 and buy a new one (total expense including original watch purchase: $600)
2. Send it in to get serviced for $150 (total expense including original watch purchase: $525)
3. Find a seconds at 9 donor watch to part out. By the time you sell the parts, your movement will be free. Instead of paying $150 for service, you get a replacement movement for free. (total expense including original watch purchase: $375)

 

[italdream]

You make it sound so easy. I wish I could do it.

BTW I tried to get an A7750 to swap, instead of watch replacement, but TD said no.

Buying the movement new would probably not make much sense.

But been sold a watch that was displaying problems from start, well, that's irritating. I have had $50 gen watches lasting years. I was hoping for at least a few hours of problem-free enjoyment from a 380 super rep.

 

[lfovco]

I had a Pam with Asian 7750, serviced by the top guy. It still died after 2 years. All other reps I have are also serviced and run perfectly year after year.