Hi Everyone,
Presenting my brand new 44mm Franken Panda in SS/Ceramic.
I think this is the second Franken of this 44mm model ever built but the first one with a Gen movement!
Specs:
Gen Dial
Gen hands
Gen Datewheel
Gen Cyclops
Gen AP 3126 chronograph movement (50 hour power reserve!)
JF base Panda
1xAR crystal
All started about October last year when I picked up the dial and base watch from QueTip. It was opportunistic and I was able to convince myself further when Q offered to coordinate everything with Domi for me.
We then got to talking and I decided to upgrade the hands and... movement! A source had access to a gen AP 3126 movement (which is correct for this openback model) and whilst it was not cheap I thought that I may as well given this is an open caseback version unlike some of the older 42mm Frankens with closed caseback where you can get away with an LWO movement.
Anyway - waiting patiently for the movement to get to the watchsmith before he starts on my franken. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Nothing. Ask the sender to start a trace and it comes up with... nothing! Package with my 3126 movement is gone... no trace of it. Just vanished in the logistics chain somewhere between the US and Germany.
I have never ever lost a package before and I couldn't believe the one package I actually really cared about was lost along with weeks and weeks of waiting
.
To say I was in disbelief and frustrated at the same time would be a masterpiece of understatement.
Saving grace was... package was fully insured as it was a gen movement. Phew. And lucky for me I was able to source another Gen 3126 movement for about the same price.
Long story short - new movement arrives at watchsmith along with other parts (movement came with Gen Cyclops and datewheel) and after a few more weeks waiting it all comes together including flawless casework. I have a few Domi Frankens and this is the best, most solid feeling casework of them all IMO.
I love it. For those of you that don't know, this model is a combination of stainless steel, ceramic and rubber. The bezel is brushed ceramic on top and polished ceramic on the sides. The crown and pushers are also ceramic.
Rest of the case is steel and the rep rubber strap feels really close to gen.
The panda dial of course is classic and more versatile and dressy than say a GP dial which is very sporty. Dial markers and hands are white gold and shimmer in the light.
This is closest I'm going to get (and care to get) to gen of this for about 20% - 25% of gen price. This will now be my daily watch for a while.
Thanks again to QueTip for kicking this off and coordinating with Domi. Also thanks to @Sachsha1 for his opinions and supply chain! And of course thanks to the great Domi for his work.
For those contemplating building a Franken I would encourage you to do lots of research - it is rewarding for sure but not for the faint of heart or the impatient.
Enjoy the pics!
(...and I hope whoever has my 1st AP movement knows its worth and does something great with it!)
P.s. if anyone has a lead on genuine AP Survivor hands please let me know. That needs to be my next Project!
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Presenting my brand new 44mm Franken Panda in SS/Ceramic.
I think this is the second Franken of this 44mm model ever built but the first one with a Gen movement!
Specs:
Gen Dial
Gen hands
Gen Datewheel
Gen Cyclops
Gen AP 3126 chronograph movement (50 hour power reserve!)
JF base Panda
1xAR crystal
All started about October last year when I picked up the dial and base watch from QueTip. It was opportunistic and I was able to convince myself further when Q offered to coordinate everything with Domi for me.
We then got to talking and I decided to upgrade the hands and... movement! A source had access to a gen AP 3126 movement (which is correct for this openback model) and whilst it was not cheap I thought that I may as well given this is an open caseback version unlike some of the older 42mm Frankens with closed caseback where you can get away with an LWO movement.
Anyway - waiting patiently for the movement to get to the watchsmith before he starts on my franken. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Nothing. Ask the sender to start a trace and it comes up with... nothing! Package with my 3126 movement is gone... no trace of it. Just vanished in the logistics chain somewhere between the US and Germany.
I have never ever lost a package before and I couldn't believe the one package I actually really cared about was lost along with weeks and weeks of waiting
.To say I was in disbelief and frustrated at the same time would be a masterpiece of understatement.
Saving grace was... package was fully insured as it was a gen movement. Phew. And lucky for me I was able to source another Gen 3126 movement for about the same price.
Long story short - new movement arrives at watchsmith along with other parts (movement came with Gen Cyclops and datewheel) and after a few more weeks waiting it all comes together including flawless casework. I have a few Domi Frankens and this is the best, most solid feeling casework of them all IMO.
I love it. For those of you that don't know, this model is a combination of stainless steel, ceramic and rubber. The bezel is brushed ceramic on top and polished ceramic on the sides. The crown and pushers are also ceramic.
Rest of the case is steel and the rep rubber strap feels really close to gen.
The panda dial of course is classic and more versatile and dressy than say a GP dial which is very sporty. Dial markers and hands are white gold and shimmer in the light.
This is closest I'm going to get (and care to get) to gen of this for about 20% - 25% of gen price. This will now be my daily watch for a while
.Thanks again to QueTip for kicking this off and coordinating with Domi. Also thanks to @Sachsha1 for his opinions and supply chain! And of course thanks to the great Domi for his work.
For those contemplating building a Franken I would encourage you to do lots of research - it is rewarding for sure but not for the faint of heart or the impatient.
Enjoy the pics!
(...and I hope whoever has my 1st AP movement knows its worth and does something great with it!)
P.s. if anyone has a lead on genuine AP Survivor hands please let me know. That needs to be my next Project!
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
