I love fine mechanical watches and I discovered reps a bit over year ago. Before that, all I knew of them were that they were these cheap "POS" knockoffs that screamed "fake" Well, what a surprise! My roommate showed me some reps he got while in NY and I just could not believe how good they were. I know mid-range gen watches. Or at least I thought I did. I've owned quite a few from Ball to Omega to Tag Heuer, etc. I could not tell a gen from a rep on that day. I was hooked.
After reading all the rep forums and pouring over the websites, and taking some not so good (but well intentioned) advice from the experienced members (I'll get to that shortly), I ended up with about 8-9 reps over the course of about 6-8 months time. You can search my posts here at RWI under my user name for them if interested. I eventually sold all of them in the end and promised myself never to get back into the rep game again.
Why sell them all? I purchased mid-range reps (in the $180 to $280 range) and all of them without fail had something not quite right with them cosmetically. This drove me nuts. I'm too picky and perfectionistic to ignore the little things that I ended up eventually seeing. Nothing really glaring or screaming rep/fake, but just enough to let "me" know that it was not quite 99% (one can never get to 100%-even I know that). Now most people will not even notice these little tells. I eventually did, on all of them.
So, for those experienced members who advise "noobs" (no, not the maker) to just get any mid-range rep and "you'll be happy" with it, I beg to differ. My standards are way too high to accept the flaws I found. But, for some members, this might not matter at all. It does matter to me. Anyways, I know the advice was well intentioned. But for those whose "eye" is quite a bit above average, I would not advise this course.
Thus, after a few months hiatus from the rep scene, I have decided to try them again as I cannot afford gens these days. In this instance, I decided to go after the "first-class/super rep/ultimate rep". I should have gone this route from the beginning.
As you can see, I decided on the Panerai 299K version rep as my initial first class/super rep. I am not disappointed. It's a world of difference from the ones I owned before if you have an eye for the details (and I do, but not really as anal as some of the other members who are even more picky than I am-maybe one day! LOL).
I opted for the "K" version because for such a large face watch, the thicker makers and numerals are more becoming and more in keeping with the scale of the watch overall. I found the "N" to be a bit too thin in the markings for my taste.
My Impressions/Review (no particular order):
-Dial is typical classic Pam. This is "the" face of Pam; instantly recognizable and the traditional one to have. I see nothing wrong with it (unless someone wants to do one of those side-by-side comparisons with all the grid lines and the such (now that's even too anal for this anal guy! LOL). Even the curves on the "2" look correct. Although, I have yet to be able to perfectly align each marker to the minute hand as it passes that marker at the minute mark. Perhaps this is an alignment issue with the markings themselves as they are not as perfect at they seem.
-Lume is fantastic. Just like a gen (as far as I can compare to gen lume on other gens I own/owned). Even better than my Hamilton.
-Fit and finish are flawless as is the polish.
-Magnifier just like the gen in terms of mag (as far as I can tell) and amount of pinchuision distortion it generates looks the same to me (compared to the one on the Panerai website). Well centered as well. Although the distortion itself is a bit annoying as it makes the date numeral difficult to see.
-Date font looks good and is even centered (ignoring the distortion as already mentioned above).
-Sapphire crystal is well mounted and is even all the way around; not tilted lower/higher at one side like on some of my other (former) reps and my Hamilton gen.
-Hands might be a tad short, but not in any way that I can tell as I don't have a gen to compare them with be be sure. Plus, they are unscratched with the "micro-scratches" so common amongst most reps. This is most easily seen under bright sunlight and is unmistakable/impossible to ignore once noticed. But there are a few markings on that part of the hand that was pushed into the cannon pin by the hand tool.
-Polished cannon pin just like gen. Nicely done. Makes a world of difference and the most obvious tell if missing.
-Colorless AR seems not too bad. Certainly better than no AR. My Hamilton gen has no AR and that's a world of difference right there. But the reflections that are visible are still annoying, just not as much.
-Properly square and non-chamfered CG with snappy properly shaped lever (also nice and square). Perhaps a bit too tight, though.
-The crown itself is also properly repped with thin webbing and not the too thick webbing on its circumference.
-The caseback can be a bit more deeply engraved and the font could be more accurate (it's almost unnoticeable), but that's something I don't have to look at all the time. I'm not familiar enough with all the numbers there (at least the specific model/edition/part [OP/BP] numbers so I'm going to assume they're correct).
-Finally, the bracelet is very good. Very comfortable and the best rep bracelet I've worn. Locktite the screws. I did not even have to diamond-file chamfer a few sharp edges as it's all good to go from the start. Well, almost. I did come across a very sharp edge on the clasp mechanism itself that I will diamond-file one day. Speaking of the clasp mechanism. I have noticed a bit of play where the two ends meet and there is a some tilt and mis-alignment that I don't know is present on the ten or not. I hate oiling these things as it make a mess of the wrist for quite a while. This one's very smooth and non-squeaky already.
-One of the spring-loaded bracelet release plungers was stuck in very slightly lower position. I'd already noticed it in the QC pix and figured it should be an easy fix. A bit of bracelet wiggle and gentle release pin tapping with a soft-face jewelers hammer and/or drift-pin should solved that I figured. But it turned out to be unnecessary as it was properly spring already. It just sits lower than it should. I noticed this seems to be a common issue with Noob Pams. My other Noob Pam had similar issues with this tiny mechanism, too.
-A few "issues" on the first day: the date did not roll-over all the way last night, it got stuck mid-way between two dates; the minute hand seemed to jump when snapping in the lever (it's too tight as I already mentioned above); and I cannot seem to perfectly align the minute hand to all markers (also mentioned above); the watch is also a lot heavier than I thought it would be (not really an issue, just an impression).
So there you have it. That is my impression/review of the Pam 299K. I think this one is a keeper. I should have started with first class reps when I initially got into the rep game. I know nothing is perfect and there are a few very tiny flaws with it, but not enough to worry about. After all this is a rep and a very good one at that.
Also, beware of good intentioned advice if you are not an "average" person when it comes to seeing/accepting fine details that are not quite what they should be.
One more thing. Not all advice can lead one astray though. Most experienced members do recommend Asian clone movements over questionable "vintage" ETA movements. I have to agree with this one. Of all the reps I've owned so far, all of the them have been clone Asian movements. I did not encounter a single problem with any of them yet. Most kept time within +10-15 seconds (except the SA3135 +20 seconds) per day and one A7750 was bang-on every day. Can't really ask for more than that.
Please be advised that it is not my intent to offend or otherwise insult anyone. These are just my experiences and their impact upon me. Your mileage may vary.
Cheers and enjoy the pix!
w
Note:
TD review can be found HERE.
UPDATE:
I discovered that the rep has a loose minute hand. I saw it the first time I set the time as the hand jumped when I snapped back the lever on the CG. I didn't realize until a few days afterwards that it was because the hand itself is loose. I incorrectly attributed it to the lever being too tight.
Also, as noted in my review above, I wondered why the markers were a bit off at times and, again, incorrectly attributed it to poor placement of the markers themselves. The markers are bang-on. If I set the watch up and let it run undisturbed, the minute hand and markers align perfectly.
I'm in the process of returning it to PureTime for a warranty repair. That will take forever!
FINAL UPDATE:
After almost two months, the rep finally arrived back to me once again. The TD did not fix it. I don't think they understood what I was trying to say about what is wrong with the minute hand. It's for sale for anyone who wants to try and fix it, or for anyone with the knowledge to fix it. What a disappointing turn of events.
After reading all the rep forums and pouring over the websites, and taking some not so good (but well intentioned) advice from the experienced members (I'll get to that shortly), I ended up with about 8-9 reps over the course of about 6-8 months time. You can search my posts here at RWI under my user name for them if interested. I eventually sold all of them in the end and promised myself never to get back into the rep game again.
Why sell them all? I purchased mid-range reps (in the $180 to $280 range) and all of them without fail had something not quite right with them cosmetically. This drove me nuts. I'm too picky and perfectionistic to ignore the little things that I ended up eventually seeing. Nothing really glaring or screaming rep/fake, but just enough to let "me" know that it was not quite 99% (one can never get to 100%-even I know that). Now most people will not even notice these little tells. I eventually did, on all of them.
So, for those experienced members who advise "noobs" (no, not the maker) to just get any mid-range rep and "you'll be happy" with it, I beg to differ. My standards are way too high to accept the flaws I found. But, for some members, this might not matter at all. It does matter to me. Anyways, I know the advice was well intentioned. But for those whose "eye" is quite a bit above average, I would not advise this course.
Thus, after a few months hiatus from the rep scene, I have decided to try them again as I cannot afford gens these days. In this instance, I decided to go after the "first-class/super rep/ultimate rep". I should have gone this route from the beginning.
As you can see, I decided on the Panerai 299K version rep as my initial first class/super rep. I am not disappointed. It's a world of difference from the ones I owned before if you have an eye for the details (and I do, but not really as anal as some of the other members who are even more picky than I am-maybe one day! LOL).
I opted for the "K" version because for such a large face watch, the thicker makers and numerals are more becoming and more in keeping with the scale of the watch overall. I found the "N" to be a bit too thin in the markings for my taste.
My Impressions/Review (no particular order):
-Dial is typical classic Pam. This is "the" face of Pam; instantly recognizable and the traditional one to have. I see nothing wrong with it (unless someone wants to do one of those side-by-side comparisons with all the grid lines and the such (now that's even too anal for this anal guy! LOL). Even the curves on the "2" look correct. Although, I have yet to be able to perfectly align each marker to the minute hand as it passes that marker at the minute mark. Perhaps this is an alignment issue with the markings themselves as they are not as perfect at they seem.
-Lume is fantastic. Just like a gen (as far as I can compare to gen lume on other gens I own/owned). Even better than my Hamilton.
-Fit and finish are flawless as is the polish.
-Magnifier just like the gen in terms of mag (as far as I can tell) and amount of pinchuision distortion it generates looks the same to me (compared to the one on the Panerai website). Well centered as well. Although the distortion itself is a bit annoying as it makes the date numeral difficult to see.
-Date font looks good and is even centered (ignoring the distortion as already mentioned above).
-Sapphire crystal is well mounted and is even all the way around; not tilted lower/higher at one side like on some of my other (former) reps and my Hamilton gen.
-Hands might be a tad short, but not in any way that I can tell as I don't have a gen to compare them with be be sure. Plus, they are unscratched with the "micro-scratches" so common amongst most reps. This is most easily seen under bright sunlight and is unmistakable/impossible to ignore once noticed. But there are a few markings on that part of the hand that was pushed into the cannon pin by the hand tool.
-Polished cannon pin just like gen. Nicely done. Makes a world of difference and the most obvious tell if missing.
-Colorless AR seems not too bad. Certainly better than no AR. My Hamilton gen has no AR and that's a world of difference right there. But the reflections that are visible are still annoying, just not as much.
-Properly square and non-chamfered CG with snappy properly shaped lever (also nice and square). Perhaps a bit too tight, though.
-The crown itself is also properly repped with thin webbing and not the too thick webbing on its circumference.
-The caseback can be a bit more deeply engraved and the font could be more accurate (it's almost unnoticeable), but that's something I don't have to look at all the time. I'm not familiar enough with all the numbers there (at least the specific model/edition/part [OP/BP] numbers so I'm going to assume they're correct).
-Finally, the bracelet is very good. Very comfortable and the best rep bracelet I've worn. Locktite the screws. I did not even have to diamond-file chamfer a few sharp edges as it's all good to go from the start. Well, almost. I did come across a very sharp edge on the clasp mechanism itself that I will diamond-file one day. Speaking of the clasp mechanism. I have noticed a bit of play where the two ends meet and there is a some tilt and mis-alignment that I don't know is present on the ten or not. I hate oiling these things as it make a mess of the wrist for quite a while. This one's very smooth and non-squeaky already.
-One of the spring-loaded bracelet release plungers was stuck in very slightly lower position. I'd already noticed it in the QC pix and figured it should be an easy fix. A bit of bracelet wiggle and gentle release pin tapping with a soft-face jewelers hammer and/or drift-pin should solved that I figured. But it turned out to be unnecessary as it was properly spring already. It just sits lower than it should. I noticed this seems to be a common issue with Noob Pams. My other Noob Pam had similar issues with this tiny mechanism, too.
-A few "issues" on the first day: the date did not roll-over all the way last night, it got stuck mid-way between two dates; the minute hand seemed to jump when snapping in the lever (it's too tight as I already mentioned above); and I cannot seem to perfectly align the minute hand to all markers (also mentioned above); the watch is also a lot heavier than I thought it would be (not really an issue, just an impression).
So there you have it. That is my impression/review of the Pam 299K. I think this one is a keeper. I should have started with first class reps when I initially got into the rep game. I know nothing is perfect and there are a few very tiny flaws with it, but not enough to worry about. After all this is a rep and a very good one at that.
Also, beware of good intentioned advice if you are not an "average" person when it comes to seeing/accepting fine details that are not quite what they should be.
One more thing. Not all advice can lead one astray though. Most experienced members do recommend Asian clone movements over questionable "vintage" ETA movements. I have to agree with this one. Of all the reps I've owned so far, all of the them have been clone Asian movements. I did not encounter a single problem with any of them yet. Most kept time within +10-15 seconds (except the SA3135 +20 seconds) per day and one A7750 was bang-on every day. Can't really ask for more than that.
Please be advised that it is not my intent to offend or otherwise insult anyone. These are just my experiences and their impact upon me. Your mileage may vary.
Cheers and enjoy the pix!
w
Note:
TD review can be found HERE.
UPDATE:
I discovered that the rep has a loose minute hand. I saw it the first time I set the time as the hand jumped when I snapped back the lever on the CG. I didn't realize until a few days afterwards that it was because the hand itself is loose. I incorrectly attributed it to the lever being too tight.
Also, as noted in my review above, I wondered why the markers were a bit off at times and, again, incorrectly attributed it to poor placement of the markers themselves. The markers are bang-on. If I set the watch up and let it run undisturbed, the minute hand and markers align perfectly.
I'm in the process of returning it to PureTime for a warranty repair. That will take forever!
FINAL UPDATE:
After almost two months, the rep finally arrived back to me once again. The TD did not fix it. I don't think they understood what I was trying to say about what is wrong with the minute hand. It's for sale for anyone who wants to try and fix it, or for anyone with the knowledge to fix it. What a disappointing turn of events.
