Pix said:Mine is very loose in open position and slightly when closed.
sssurfer said:Pix said:Mine is very loose in open position and slightly when closed.
Ok. For the loose lever in the closed position:
This is the worst flaw of the two as it may compromise waterproof. It is due to too much room between the crown and the lever, so that the lever is not pressed enough against the crown when closed. In its turn, this can be due to a lacking the gasket below the crown, or to a poorly manufactured CG.
If the gasket is missing, naturally you have to add it.
But even if the gasket is present, adding another gasket (so to increase the overall gasket thickness) may help.
If this does not work, you have to file down the CG feet (where the CG touches the case) a little, so to make the CG shorter, so to reduce the room between the lever and the crown. This can be a tricky task as you need to preserve the CG shape and not to mess the CG screw threads.
For the loose lever in the open position:
This is an universal flaw of almost all PAM reps (I just saw a very recent 005 unaffected). It is not dangerous, but it makes for the easiest way to tell a rep from a gen.
It is due to the fact that the rep lack a rubber gasket around the lever's pin, while the gen have it.
To fix it you have to remove the lever's pin and the lever, slightly enlarge the lever's hole where the pin goes into, put a small segment of a plastic tube (e.g. a piece of electrical wire insulant) into the lever's hole, and reassemble the whole thing. The insulant will replace the missing gasket.
An easiest but less durable fix is made by removing the lever's pin and lever, filling the lever's hole with silicon glue, reassembling the whole thing, and leaving all untouched 24 hours in order to leave silicon to harden. In this case the silicon will replace the missing casket.
I hope to have been clear enough, English is not my language so it is quite difficult to me to describe this sort of things. In case, feel free to ask again.
Pix said:ssurfer,
what's your advice to remove the lever pin ?
It does not look like a bracelet pin. Not sure how it goes out.
Just push the pin out of the CG and the lever will come out easily.JOEJOEJOE said:How do you take the lever and the pin out of the CG?
sssurfer said:Pix said:ssurfer,
what's your advice to remove the lever pin ?
It does not look like a bracelet pin. Not sure how it goes out.Just push the pin out of the CG and the lever will come out easily.JOEJOEJOE said:How do you take the lever and the pin out of the CG?
To push the pin, yes, I use a bracelet pin remover, this tool by ofrei (the first in the page):
http://www.ofrei.com/page237.html
It really is a gem of a tool, don't get any cheaper model or it won't work and/or it will break soon and/or it will damage your crown guard.
The pin has a direction you need to push. Usually it is from the downside (wrist side) of the CG towards the upper side. But as some models have it in the opposite direction the best way is to try gently, first in the said direction and if it does not work then in the opposite direction. If the pin does not move you repeat the whole procedure (first one side, and if it does not work then the other side) by applying a little more pressure, and so on until you feel that the pin starts moving.
When the pin comes out, notice its look (it usually has sort of teeth at one end). When you will push it back you'll have to place it back in this original direction of it (but naturally by applying pressure towards the opposite direction that worked to remove it).
JOEJOEJOE said:I thought it was either a spring pin, or just built it like that from factory.
Pix said:The simple fact to unscrew and screw the crownguard has settled the loose lever problem (in closed position).
I guess that it was just not tight enough when leaving the factory.
As for the open lever problem, I must say I did not manage the plastic tube segment trick. I think that the silicone solution is easier to apply. Before trying it, I have just wrapped a part of the pin into adhesive tape. Most of the tape did not follow the pin when I fixed it back, but the very few that got inserted in the hole managed to make the lever much more stable than before. It's really a tricky way, but it works
Next step is to try with glue.
The thing that disturbed me the most on my PAM have now vanished. Thx sssurfer !
Completely agree.Pix said:
Well, I think that buying completely unknown brands as I do (Vacheron, Patek) is probably the best solution not to be called out... Even if it's finally not so important.
But honestly, the chances to get caught with a PAM is almost the same, i.e. close to 0.
Except for Rolex, non watch afficionados have no clue about the whole things we're talking about here, at least those I know.
sssurfer said:Completely agree.Pix said:
Well, I think that buying completely unknown brands as I do (Vacheron, Patek) is probably the best solution not to be called out... Even if it's finally not so important.
But honestly, the chances to get caught with a PAM is almost the same, i.e. close to 0.
Except for Rolex, non watch afficionados have no clue about the whole things we're talking about here, at least those I know.
Here, just 1% people seem to recognise PAMs, and that 1% have no clue to tell a rep from a gen from a hamburger (similarly dark and large).
But, just in case I stumble upon a Panerista, I'd like to wear a decent watch... just to make him die on a watch that is 99% his watch, and 10% its price... You know, Paneristi are local fauna in my country. :lol:
But... Patek an unknown brand?!?... :shock:
Pix said:Well, you must be the 2 guys I know who are used to Patek Philippe then ^_^
Is one of you Swiss or something ? :lol: