New PAM, Bad AR

[tgd3]

Just received my first Panerai (111h) in the mail today. I've been looking forward to this watch for some time now. I really enjoy this watch, except the fact that you can see the blue AR from a mile away. How have owners overcome this obstacle? I'm trying to find the most cost effective way to fixing this: either replacing the crystal or sending it to get fixed, preferably CONUS.

I'm going to post pictures once the camera's batteries are charged.

 

[Dr.Verylong]

Where did you get it from at which cost? I often find that the cheaper PAMs have this annoying blue AR.

And pichers pleez

 

[ikiestik]

What DR.V said where did it come from? how much?

You can either send the crystal to chief and have him ar it on the next run, send it to finedd to have him ar it although he is EU.
Buy a new crystal http://www.jacksontse.com/mm104.html cheap
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAM-SAPPHIRE-...ltDomain_0&hash=item2a02f53815#ht_4981wt_1139 expensive.

Or the best option PM BigCrown and see if he has any genuine swiss corundum OEM copy crystals left. BC decided to get some crystals made with exact OEM dimensions made from the same stuff probably the most expensive option but also true to gen(no pink hue in the crystal which all chinese sapphire has)

P

Oh yeah pics would help.

 

[Replica Replica]

Pam 111h was my first Panerai, great looking watch and yes the blue AR is clear for all to see, you get what you pay for, still the watch is great value for the price point. A lot of people here would advise sending your watch to a modder such as Katt or Domi or you could buy the crystal and replace it your self. Taking out the movement is tricky for a first timer, but quite easy when you become familiar with the movements.

 

[tgd3]

I got the watch from a member here, who got it from another member here, who got it from trevor.
http://www.trevortime.info/product_info.php?cPath=157_166&products_id=2037
It is his ulitmate version for $188. I got it for $150 with a much nicer strap. On trevor's link you can see how the AR looks.
The JacksonTse crystal seems like the best option here. Is it a difficult process to remove and replace the crystal?

Thanks for the help guys

 

[COLDI]

If its sapphire all you have to do it take a dremel and some cape cod to it. This removes the AR. No AR is better than crappy AR imo

 

[J.Prime]

If its sapphire all you have to do it take a dremel and some cape cod to it. This removes the AR. No AR is better than crappy AR imo

Agreed, cape cod is a great thing to have!!

 

[tgd3]

Still weighing my options and i think i'm still leaning toward ordering the crystal from jacksontse.
i also feel like the numerals are kind-of yellowish, but maybe that's just me because this is the first time i've seen a Panerai (rep or gen) in person.
in the meantime here's some pics:

And the AR shot. It's a bit blurry.

 

[tgd3]

I was reading that if the crystal is sapphire then when it's AR'd it will be colorless. But if the crystal is another material (i.e. mineral) then once AR'd it will look blue/purple. Any truth to this? Also should I do something about the yellowish numbers? I'm not sure if I should get it all fixed at once my a modder.

Obviously I'm new to PAMs so all feedback is appreciated.

 

[MrYesterday]

That's not true at all, it's the AR material itself that has a color. It has NOTHING to do with mineral/sapphire. Cheap AR is blue, good AR is colorless.

 

[tgd3]

That's good. I just wanted to make sure I bought what I thought I did.

 

[cornice6]

I took mine to Vac and had him remove the blue AR on my DSN 177 for a very small fee and a quick turn around. He could have sent it to Chief for a colorless AR but that was going to take 5-6 months according to him. I can't wait that long and the outcome was great! Highly recommended if you do not wish to do it yourself.

 

[JC7]

The AR itself is not blue I believe it's the only color that gets reflected once the coating is applied all the other colors are allowed to pass through.

 

[tgd3]

I took mine to Vac and had him remove the blue AR on my DSN 177 for a very small fee and a quick turn around. He could have sent it to Chief for a colorless AR but that was going to take 5-6 months according to him. I can't wait that long and the outcome was great! Highly recommended if you do not wish to do it yourself.

Thanks! but I decided to try to do this myself. I ordered parts & tools from jacksontse and while it's open I'm going to try and fix the yellow numbers as well. It's good to know that if I find that i can't do this myself I can take it somewhere.

 

[alvinado]

you could also relume it! But take your time to read through the tutorials before you decide to do anything to the watch. THe first time is always very scary

You can learn how to relume on my signature

 

[tgd3]

thanks for the advise! alvinado, you'll be happy to know i already have your tutorial printed for reference once i start and have read it a couple times. The only thing I'm having trouble finding is a tutorial on how to remove and (more importantly) install the new crystal