[Help] Replacement (Sapphire) Crystal for PAM 212 / 253 / 233 / 286 (Luminor 1950 44mm Chrono)?

[slay]

Someone smashed a Stein against my PAM Chrono during one my last pre-covid escapades and the crystal broke. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement? Ideally sapphire with A/R Coating, but will consider mineral as well if necessary or if more reasonably priced. As far as I know PAM 212 / 253 / 233 / 286 and most Luminor 1950 Chronos in 44mm share the same domed crystal.

Yes, I found the ridiculously expensive wholesaleoutlet990 crystal on eBay, but considering that WSO is known for selling cheap and shitty parts that often neither match the specs nor the pictures of their listings, I have my doubts that the 169,95$ sticker price is warranted. On top of that, paying more than half of the value of the watch solely for a crystal of questionable origin also doesn't sit right with me.

So appreciate any tips for generic crystals for the aforementioned watch(es)

 

[mysterio]

Really? While you can't be too sure with every online seller, I have not heard of these dubious stories about WSO. I would suggest changing your frame of reference, since you're comparing the price of the crystals with the price of the rep which makes them look overpriced. Keep in mind these crystals aren't sold for the rep market, these are aftermarket crystals for the gen. Compare WSO's asking price with the price of the gen PAM, it should sit better with you. WSO is Marlin's source of crystals for his celebrated PAM127 because they look the part (pardon the pun) without paying what a gen/OEM crystal costs. But if you really don't want to buy from them, plenty of sellers on ebay.

 

[slay]

Really? While you can't be too sure with every online seller, I have not heard of these dubious stories about WSO. I would suggest changing your frame of reference, since you're comparing the price of the crystals with the price of the rep which makes them look overpriced. Keep in mind these crystals aren't sold for the rep market, these are aftermarket crystals for the gen. Compare WSO's asking price with the price of the gen PAM, it should sit better with you. WSO is Marlin's source of crystals for his celebrated PAM127 because they look the part (pardon the pun) without paying what a gen/OEM crystal costs. But if you really don't want to buy from them, plenty of sellers on ebay.

Plenty of people posted similar experiences here and on the other forums - my personal experience over the years has been that parts were:
1) vastly different vs what was on the pictures.
2) didn't fit (e.g. subdial handsets had different tube sizes than the movement specs they were sold for, bezel inserts didn't fit the watch/bezel they were sold for)
3) mixed parts in a single bag, e.g. 2 long subdial hands and 1 short subdial hands when all 3 should have been identical in design.

Out of 10 orders over the past 10+ years, only 1 was like advertised, the rest were either unusable or I had to invest significant amount of time and buy new tools to fix them. The only advantage is that they have a large selection of parts and sometimes parts no one else makes/carries.

I doubt WSO makes all these parts themselves; so it's possible that they carry some high quality parts in some categories, but I'm hesitant to take another gamble on something that I know I can't fix myself if it's not as advertised (I can't increase or shave a sapphire crystal's diameter if it doesn't fit). Returning items is expensive when you order from overseas (WSO asked me to pay for return shipping, even if wrong products were delivered and it was their mistake; additionally, duties have to be paid upon import and getting import duties returned from customs after returning an item is way too complicated).

If Marlin says his 127 Crystals are great, then I trust him, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the 212 crystals are of the same quality or production facility and will fit without issues. As I said, mine and other members' experience has been hit-or-miss, that's why I was looking for (cheaper) alternatives (which might not be such a big gamble if someone else has already tried them)

 

[papabear244]

Isn’t this the same crystal used in the “mini fiddy” builds? I have been looking for them as well. But in my case I would be content with acrylic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-Dome-C...-/184494550782?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

I’ve read somewhere probably from homage forums, most use 37.4-37.7mm. And most go with sternkreuz, although the guy from eBay told me his was better.


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[slay]

Isn’t this the same crystal used in the “mini fiddy” builds? I have been looking for them as well. But in my case I would be content with acrylic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-Dome-C...-/184494550782?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

I’ve read somewhere probably from homage forums, most use 37.4-37.7mm. And most go with sternkreuz, although the guy from eBay told me his was better.


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Thanks for the tip, but plastic is not an option. Aside from the fact that it won’t look right on a modern watch, plastic crystals can’t be secured the same way as mineral/sapphire crystals, they need some sort of retaining ring or a lip that they can be pressed into with a lot more to grip than you need for actual Glas with a plastic gasket.


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[papabear244]

Thanks for the tip, but plastic is not an option. Aside from the fact that it won’t look right on a modern watch, plastic crystals can’t be secured the same way as mineral/sapphire crystals, they need some sort of retaining ring or a lip that they can be pressed into with a lot more to grip than you need for actual Glas with a plastic gasket.


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Well, the cheaper option would be the MaxFocus sapphires sold on AliExpress but those do not come with AR. And the difference in price isn’t great either.

US $32.00 20％ Off | Sapphire watch crystal For PAM RADIOMIR LUMINOR series Pot shape Double domed front glass Watch case parts for Panerai
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNKD7cT


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[KOT1917]

mrsullivan , maybe he will be able to share his experience.

 

[mrsullivan]

Yes, I received one of those WSO aftermarket domed crystal for my 253 two days ago. Highly priced but it looks really good to me.

I can't comment about measurments yet, my 253 goes for the crystal swap early september as my modder is off for holidays right now, but I'll update once done.

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