DSN's Best (Your Opinions Please)

[optimus_prime]

Having owned, and later sold, a DSN 111. I am in the market for another one of his offerings. I was set on a unbranded PVD, but he came out with the 010D. He built one for me, but by the time I was ready to send payment he had sold that watch and had run out of cases (he suggested taking the 201a case).
Then I saw some pictorials of the 127, and found that his work was remarkable in terms of dial, crown guard, and case.
Then DSN offers a improved 201a.
So what are your opinions? In terms of accuracy and aesthetics, what is his best watch?

 

[evildee]

Well, I own an ultimate fiddy so I will talk about the inaccuracy of it.

The dial has a thin top slice, matte finish, not super lume and the print is the wrong color. You can remedy this by getting a regular rep dial and super lume it.

The profile of the crystal is wrong and of course the AR. It should be a super dome profile.

 

[asad]

I would say either one of his Base dial alterations. Either the 112 or the 210. The 210 is closer to Gen but his 112 is very good also.

 

[JOEJOEJOE]

DSN's most accurate are (my list) -

10D
127E
112H
217H

I don't personally own any DSN's but based on the pictures and reviews I have seen/read those 4 stood out from the rest.

J

 

[pete2528ca]

it is all hype.

I am not happy at all with my 000. I have had it a month and it gets minimal wrist time. I showed it to someone today and they commented on how crooked the dial was. lol, i hadn't noticed that before.

save the grief. get a decent rep from another dealer and send it out for mods.

OR, build it yourself. buy the parts and make a super watch from scratch. thats what I did with my 201 and i LOVE it.

 

[horologie_unitas]

i am very happy with DVSN 112 - 176 - 202A.
if you are very very anal.....you can spend 1200 $ for a super rep. i am sure Vaccum will built one for you.

 

[ThreadLocker]

DSN's most accurate are (my list) -

10D
127E
112H
217H

I don't personally own any DSN's but based on the pictures and reviews I have seen/read those 4 stood out from the rest.

J

Well, I own an ultimate fiddy so I will talk about the inaccuracy of it.

The dial has a thin top slice, matte finish, not super lume and the print is the wrong color. You can remedy this by getting a regular rep dial and super lume it.

The profile of the crystal is wrong and of course the AR. It should be a super dome profile.

Who is right? The guy that has the ultimate fiddy, and shows the inaccuracy of it. OR, the guy that does not own a DSN, but has heard that the 127 is the most accurate? Kinda conflicting, don't ya think?

 

[evildee]

Who is right? The guy that has the ultimate fiddy, and shows the inaccuracy of it. OR, the guy that does not own a DSN, but has heard that the 127 is the most accurate? Kinda conflicting, don't ya think?

Judge for yourself.

Feel free to dig up my old post about the ultimate fiddy. It's not all in one thread though. :wink:

 

[ThreadLocker]

Who is right? The guy that has the ultimate fiddy, and shows the inaccuracy of it. OR, the guy that does not own a DSN, but has heard that the 127 is the most accurate? Kinda conflicting, don't ya think?

Judge for yourself.

Feel free to dig up my old post about the ultimate fiddy. It's not all in one thread though. :wink:

Just making a joke, evil. Of course, you are right. Someone who does not own a DSN should not post his opinions of them when people ask for advise. The forum is here for those with first-hand experience to give advise. It really peeves me, when I see a guy offering advise based on assumptions. Cudos to you for sharing.

 

[rogerwine]

The one thing about DSN Pams that is very dissappointing and not worth the money paid is his lume. I have DSNs 177 and a 005 and a 172, plus I sent back a 082. The 3 that I still have all needed to be sent out for re-lume. The new 172 has the worst lume I have ever received on a rep and you understand it is part of what I am paying for. Also the hand and dial lume rarely match. As far as the dials go they are no better or worse then other dealers dials and at least you do not have to worry about a Cannon pin swap. The watch case finish on DSN watches are very good except for the drilled and tapped watch strap holes which seem to strip fairly soon and fairly often. And that is my experience.
Rogerwine

 

[MEYER8888]

I have from him a ultimate 217, and and very satisfy, the lume is perfect, nice mouvement, good service and contact
optimum for Panerai dealer

 

[pete2528ca]

meyer, he is not a panerai dealer, he is a rep dealer. if he was a panerai dealer we wouldn't be having this conversation whatsoever.

in my humble oppinion, being a first time buyer i was very dissatisfied with the product, and was more dissatisfied with the replacement he sent. i paid for thick crown guard, his spring loaded crown, etc etc, and the replacement came with standard everything.

now in saying that we came to a solution, however i would not order a whole watch again.

now, in saying that, i would however order parts from him and build my own watches, if that makes any sense.

 

[hooligan]

Just making a joke, evil. Of course, you are right. Someone who does not own a DSN should not post his opinions of them when people ask for advise. The forum is here for those with first-hand experience to give advise. It really peeves me, when I see a guy offering advise based on assumptions. Cudos to you for sharing.

Well, the OP simply solicited opinions of DSN's most accurate offerings. He didn't limit that to only people who own DSN watches. So, by your reasoning, Joe has no right to form an opinion since he hasn't owned that watch?

Joe didn't say that DSN's was the most accurate Fiddy out there, he simply said that DSN's Fiddy is one of the most accurate watches that DSN offers. I agree with him.

It really peeves me when I see one member trying to invalidate the OPINION of another member. Opinions are not fact. Opinions ARE what was solicited by the OP. Joe's opinion does not diminish Evildee's observations in any way. The reverse should also be true, no?

Is it the most accurate Fiddy available? I have no idea, and since I don't want a Fiddy, I don't care. I do know that babola and BigBadBrad both have sung the praises of DSN's Fiddy and they are both far more knowledgeable about Fiddys/PAMs than I am.

I don't know if Evildee has owned any other Fiddys, but if he has, perhaps he could offer a compare/contrast of the flaws of each that he's owned?

I know my modded 010D is VERY accurate. That's the only DSN rep that I currently own.

 

[takashi]

I used to own a DSN unbranded PVD. As stated above, it's very easy to strip the screw lugholes. Replacement springbar from River comes very handy and of superior quality than DSN springbar replacement. DSN includes this replacement springbar on his sales package. Didn't bother to use them as they are too thin.

As for the watch, I think it's a well made Panerai rep. It may not have 1:1 case from real Panerai but overall looks is really good. And his PAM PVD coating is the best out of box from any other reps. This is where DSN made his name good... PVD PAM and of course the best 127 rep out of box.

Looking further the timeline, he is the first "independent" repmaker who offers PAM082 for sale. You won't find this replica from any other dealers. DSN is the first...

There is a pending project from DSN, namely Ceramic Case Radiomir from Baselworld 2006/7. Till today I haven't heard further news about development of this piece.

 

[watchbuff]

I have a 111H Ultimate and it has been great. There are inherent flaws in any rep but the least lies with his product. DSN concentrates on making them as 1:1 as he can. Obviously that is near impossible when reverse engineering almost anything. The PAMs have so many variants that look the same but different and the Italians are known for style, not quality. They are built for speed, not durability. Im Italian and own a Ducati so I AM AN EXPERT on this.

Some of his PAMS come closer than others. You will also pay a little less. (Water closer to the well is always cheaper)

The movements offered can be a quality swiss and the lume and canon pin fix can make lfe easier. I lucked out and got the thicker crown and the fit and finish was superior. He also gave 2 very good leather straps in your choice of color.

The best PAM is with DSN for the $

 

[Aquaracer]

His 036 is very nice-

I LOVE my 210

Wearing my 112 so much it now has the "gen patina"

And when you buy a NEW era Pam from DSN the lume is awesome- When you buy a T dial or older version Pam that shoud NOT be superlumed today- you get a different lume. Here's my 112 DSN- Exceptionally Gen-like.

 

[reddogsd]

Italians are known for style, not quality. They are built for speed, not durability. Im Italian and own a Ducati so I AM AN EXPERT on this.

Amen brother. I have owned 3 Alfa Romeos over the years (before they stopped importing them into the US) and while they were ALL very fast and very fun to drive, most had problems. The major problem with Italian cars is usually the Transmission.

 

[savage_here]

There are inherent flaws in any rep but the least lies with his product. DSN concentrates on making them as 1:1 as he can. Obviously that is near impossible when reverse engineering almost anything.

Does anybody else but me think this is total crap? (I'm not picking on the poster, just the premise)

I mean in an age of computers, CAD, CNC, etc. not being able to produce 1:1 is just a lame excuse. Now, not being able to produce it cheaply may be another story.

Let's take a 111 for example. You can buy a gen for say, $4000 (not sure what the current pricing is). Use it to get all the photos, scans, measurements, etc. that you need. Sell it for $3500-$4000. What the hell would be the problem in getting a 1:1 of that case, bezel, crystal, crown guard, cg lever, crown???? Now, the movement is a diff story obviously. The dials sometimes get a little dicey when you're talking about the way the cutouts are filled, etc. on some models. But the printing, number shapes, logos, etc.? Where exactly is the problem in making those 1:1.

It's just crap.

My $.02.

Savage

 

[Aquaracer]

Savage-

(Notice your straps on my pics??)

Regarding the 1:1 thing- WHY??

Towards what end??

"Fooling" people??

Selling these for profit as real Panerais??

Impressing Women (Who don't give a shit about watches)

Impressing Co-Workers (Who've never heard of Panerai

Impressing Gen Owners (Who don't give a shit if you have a real watch or a fake watch)

These ARE 1:1- as close as they NEED to be. They look JUST LIKE gens, They function JUST LIKE gens- You can waterproof them and dive with them (I've done it). You can regulate them and they'll run within a few seconds a day, just like the gen.

On the wrist they are indistinguishable from gens- In macro photography they are instantly recognizable as reps.

I guess I just don't get it.

 

[hooligan]

Aqua, I think Savage's post was about the need to stop making excuses for not being 1:1. The conventional logic is that they try, but just can't do it. I believe what Savage was trying to point out is that they COULD do it, they just don't try.

:wink: