Hey guys, I just received a couple of watches from sead, including a KW 312O v2 with the ST2555. Although I would normally wait a week and post a full review, my first impressions are so positive I wanted to just post those initial thoughts. This is my first KW product (as far as I know). I tried on a gen 312 a month ago and decided I really loved the look of the simple sandwich dial with the 1950's case. It was a stunning watch with first rate craftsmanship. Last week, I tried on a 320 at a different dealer (didn't have a 312 in stock) and decided I needed a 312 in the collection. I ordered my KW 312 O-series from sead with the ST2555 movement and picked the watch up at the post office this morning.
Wholly sh!t!!!. What a hell of a watch!!!! I have owned a number of pams over the past couple of years: h-factory 111n, noob 111n v3, noob 243m v2/3, noob 299O, and a DSN 88. While all of my pams were nice watches, this KW 312 is on a whole new level.
The Case:
First, the case is by far the best finished rep case I have ever received. Every pam rep I have owned has needed some work to smooth out some sharp edges, rough corners etc. Even my 243m v3 required a couple of hours to work the case to get the feeling I wanted. The 243 is a great watch, but the KW 312 felt like a gen without any work at all. The finish is just perfect. While the lug holes might be placed a little high on the KW case, that about the only thing I case say about the case that is critical. Some of our more knowledgeable members might be able to find some other nits, but IMO no one has a right to expect a better case on any rep--let alone a rep that only cost me $260.
Crystal:
The crystal is very clear and the AR is very close to gen. I have yet to see any sign of blue or purple tinging that some have said they see on the KW. Perhaps KW upgraded the AR for the v2? It's not the strongest AR I have seen, but neither is the gen. This look is very authentic.
Update:
I also received a Sead/KW 390 this morning. I can confirm that the 390's AR does have a blue/purple hue. It actually is better at reducing reflection, but isn't like the gen. The 312 is clear AR, same quality as on my noob 243 and 299O--i.e., like the gen.
Dial:
Looks great to me. I had heard that H-factory and Noob lume was stronger, but the lume on the KW 312 is every bit as strong as on my 243.
Caseback:
The case back engraving is very good. I don't have a gen handy for comparison, but the engraving quality is as good or better than my noob 243 caseback engraving. In addition, the crystal for the caseback is sapphire--usually the backs have mineral crystal on reps, so this is actually a very big upgrade!
Movement:
I have had no prior experience with the ST2555, but I can tell you though that it looks superb. The plate for the faux decorated bridge is amazing. Really nice quality engraving and the ST2555 is a much better base movement for a "rep p.9000" than the A7750. The only tell is the fact that the arm holding the balance wheel is going in the "wrong" direction. Otherwise, it looks exactly like a p.9000. It is certainly convincing enough that plenty of watch people that aren't pam experts (including sales people at AD's) wouldn't realize its a rep. As for the ST2555 itself, it does not function like a gen p.9000, but I am very pleased with the quality of the movement. I was expecting/fearing that it would feel like a 2813. This is NOT the case. The ST2555 has a hacking feature and a good quickset date feature. It also winds smoothly---a lot more like the gen than any non-serviced A7750 I have had. As a movement, it feels a lot like a high quality A2836-2 to me--even the way the date changes over. It is a 21,600 vph movement, compared to a higher beat 28,8000 movement like the gen p.9000, A7750 and A2836, but you can't see the difference on a watch with a small seconds at 9 subdial. If you have a choice between a A7750 version and a ST2555, the ST2555 seems like a no brainer--although I'll let you know how reliable it is a year from now.
Strap:
I would normally never discuss a rep strap in a post like this, other than to say it's a "typical sh!t rep strap". That is not the case on this watch. The rep strap is a leather strap with embossed croc print. The embossing is deep though and gives the watch a really nice feeling--almost like a real croc. I am using an orloff croc, but the rep really feels very similar. I would absolutely wear this rep strap, except for the fact that it won't fit my 8.4" wrist.
Anyway, here are some quick pictures taken from my less than perfect Nexus 5 camera:
P.S. I am so pleased with this watch, I think I need to add a 346 and Bronzo.
Wholly sh!t!!!. What a hell of a watch!!!! I have owned a number of pams over the past couple of years: h-factory 111n, noob 111n v3, noob 243m v2/3, noob 299O, and a DSN 88. While all of my pams were nice watches, this KW 312 is on a whole new level.
The Case:
First, the case is by far the best finished rep case I have ever received. Every pam rep I have owned has needed some work to smooth out some sharp edges, rough corners etc. Even my 243m v3 required a couple of hours to work the case to get the feeling I wanted. The 243 is a great watch, but the KW 312 felt like a gen without any work at all. The finish is just perfect. While the lug holes might be placed a little high on the KW case, that about the only thing I case say about the case that is critical. Some of our more knowledgeable members might be able to find some other nits, but IMO no one has a right to expect a better case on any rep--let alone a rep that only cost me $260.
Crystal:
The crystal is very clear and the AR is very close to gen. I have yet to see any sign of blue or purple tinging that some have said they see on the KW. Perhaps KW upgraded the AR for the v2? It's not the strongest AR I have seen, but neither is the gen. This look is very authentic.
Update:
I also received a Sead/KW 390 this morning. I can confirm that the 390's AR does have a blue/purple hue. It actually is better at reducing reflection, but isn't like the gen. The 312 is clear AR, same quality as on my noob 243 and 299O--i.e., like the gen.
Dial:
Looks great to me. I had heard that H-factory and Noob lume was stronger, but the lume on the KW 312 is every bit as strong as on my 243.
Caseback:
The case back engraving is very good. I don't have a gen handy for comparison, but the engraving quality is as good or better than my noob 243 caseback engraving. In addition, the crystal for the caseback is sapphire--usually the backs have mineral crystal on reps, so this is actually a very big upgrade!
Movement:
I have had no prior experience with the ST2555, but I can tell you though that it looks superb. The plate for the faux decorated bridge is amazing. Really nice quality engraving and the ST2555 is a much better base movement for a "rep p.9000" than the A7750. The only tell is the fact that the arm holding the balance wheel is going in the "wrong" direction. Otherwise, it looks exactly like a p.9000. It is certainly convincing enough that plenty of watch people that aren't pam experts (including sales people at AD's) wouldn't realize its a rep. As for the ST2555 itself, it does not function like a gen p.9000, but I am very pleased with the quality of the movement. I was expecting/fearing that it would feel like a 2813. This is NOT the case. The ST2555 has a hacking feature and a good quickset date feature. It also winds smoothly---a lot more like the gen than any non-serviced A7750 I have had. As a movement, it feels a lot like a high quality A2836-2 to me--even the way the date changes over. It is a 21,600 vph movement, compared to a higher beat 28,8000 movement like the gen p.9000, A7750 and A2836, but you can't see the difference on a watch with a small seconds at 9 subdial. If you have a choice between a A7750 version and a ST2555, the ST2555 seems like a no brainer--although I'll let you know how reliable it is a year from now.
Strap:
I would normally never discuss a rep strap in a post like this, other than to say it's a "typical sh!t rep strap". That is not the case on this watch. The rep strap is a leather strap with embossed croc print. The embossing is deep though and gives the watch a really nice feeling--almost like a real croc. I am using an orloff croc, but the rep really feels very similar. I would absolutely wear this rep strap, except for the fact that it won't fit my 8.4" wrist.
Anyway, here are some quick pictures taken from my less than perfect Nexus 5 camera:
P.S. I am so pleased with this watch, I think I need to add a 346 and Bronzo.
