{*PCTeam*} Sead's special PAM 360 short review [PICS HEAVY]

[kilowattore]

SEAD "special" PAM 360



Model: PAM 360
Maker: unknown
Movement: low beat a6497
Dealer: Supermirrors

Ok, I could not resist. I was still waiting for the KW 382 to show up and saw this special offer on Sead's section. As I said I could not resist

From what I read this 360, as well as other Luminors like the 411-417, is made from unfinished parts originally meant for the kw reps that are finished and assembled by another factory who sells them at discounted price.
As you will see in the review, there are flaws indeed, but this is a very nice and solid rep.
The build quality is good and the overall look is satisfactory, especially for a model like the 360, which has not reached the "super rep" status, meaning that all versions out there have noticeable flaws especially regarding case color and dial fonts/numbers.
The usual thank you goes to ALE for his great guide and to Klockis for his comparisons (here) and knowledge about the various versions of this rep.

THE GEN





The gen 360 is a limited edition of 300 pieces produced for the Paneristi website. It is obvious that the chances to find one of these in the wild are close to zero.
The gen has a dark grey/graphite pvd coating on a Luminor case. Dial is black with gorgeous vintage lume and no small seconds.
On the caseback the reference to Paneristi.com and the limited edition number.

THE REP



This is not an easy rep to review, especially regarding case color and lume. I will write my impressions, but take them with a grain of salt. Only a direct comparison with a gen could tell the final word on case color.

CASE





The case is PVD coated as per gen, color changes with light conditions, to me the color is a bit too dark.
The matte finish is nice and smooth and gives the watch a nice "touch". Compared to my KW 504 though, the finish as a bit less "depth", probably being the 360 an older release the coating process used by KW maker had to be perfectioned at the time of production.



One thing I noticed are the thin lugs, noticeably thinner than my noob 390. If I'm correct this is common in KW luminor cases.
Lug screws are oddly placed too close to the edge, not so noticeable at first but definitely not as gen and not as good looking as other makers.

CROWNGUARD





Crownguard is possibly the worst made part of the watch, it looks longer and thinner than gen.
CG lever tip seems to stick a bit out to my eyes, shape is incorrect as well.
CG pin is flush and the correct matte finish.





The roller ball that pushes the crown is black coated and not SS like gen.
On the other hand it feels quite solid and doesn't seem willing to fall apart, the lever closes so tight it feels hard to push, maybe even too much

DIAL



Dial is black matte with sausage lume. Lume application is good and has a nice height. Some say color is too saturated, but it looks very good in the flesh
Number fonts are correct as far as I can say. Same is for the LUMINOR PANERAI inscription and OP logo, nice glossy finish and correct placement. L SWISS L seem correct enough as well.
All of the above has been observed with the naked eye, I did not take any precise measurement so I may be wrong.

LUME



Lume is bright enough, but not super.

HANDS



Hands are black, correct color, but should be PRE-V and not modern.
Finish could be sharper, but that's something I think it's really barely noticeable to the normal observer.
Lume color matches the indices perfectly.
CP is slightly recessed, as often happens with KW reps.

CRYSTAL



Crystal is sapphire and definitely has AR, unluckily it's blue/purplish tinted and not colorless as per gen PAMs, it's pretty clear though.
I think it has a bit more height than my noob 390, but again no precise measurement.



CASEBACK



The closed case back has a nice circular brushing finish and deep engravings.
All case back inscriptions are correct, maybe some font might be a little off, but nothing major.

CONCLUSIONS



This watch has indeed some more flaws than the latest reps I've seen, but I must say it feels and looks pretty good nonetheless. Construction feels solid and everything works as it should.
The flaws, though there, are however minor
Considering the above and the price it's offered at, I'm very happy with it and, for what my opinion is worth, I consider it an advisable buy
One last note about the movement, it's not decorated but this is not a problem because of the closed case back. It has to be said though that it is a low beat movement, thus the ticking is even more noticeable than in other PAMs.

Some more pics:























Mandatory wristie:



As usual feel free to comment any inaccuracies I have stated, I'm glad to update the review with all possible info

:cheers:

 

[Ruski91]

Love your reviews. Keep up the great work!

From what I understand, those models sead released were a great bang for the buck. Not 100% accurate but from 5 feet away they certainly look great and well worth the money. Regret not picking up a few of them myself!

 

[Fiddo]

Nice review!

That watch is a pretty good deal.

 

[thefever]

The gen PAM 360 actually has pre v hands as this watch was a tribute to the older pre v PAMs eg 5218-201a.

The promo picture sporting the modern hands is another example of panerai switching things around before the model's actual release.

 

[kilowattore]

Love your reviews. Keep up the great work!

From what I understand, those models sead released were a great bang for the buck. Not 100% accurate but from 5 feet away they certainly look great and well worth the money. Regret not picking up a few of them myself!

Nice review!

That watch is a pretty good deal.

Thanks guys!
These releases are indeed good deals

The gen PAM 360 actually has pre v hands as this watch was a tribute to the older pre v PAMs eg 5218-201a.

The promo picture sporting the modern hands is another example of panerai switching things around before the model's actual release.

Oh. So that's why I could not spot the difference between gen and rep hands! icard:

 

[thefever]

The makers should just get this one right. The DLC on the H Fac 26k thumbnail buckle is the perfect pencil lead grey found on the gen 360 and gen 195. Perfect in color and texture.

Please just use that as a base and this watch will truly be a super rep.

 

[erekose]

I have one of these and love it. The lugs holes are oddly placed but I think the KW lug profile is closer to correct than others.

Sent from my GT-I9295 using Tapatalk

 

[Bozz]

As kuvarsit wrote, this is a rep of KW reps. Btw a nice watch and considering the price a good deal. The dial is very nice, better than Noob and maybe H

 

[kilowattore]

The makers should just get this one right. The DLC on the H Fac 26k thumbnail buckle is the perfect pencil lead grey found on the gen 360 and gen 195. Perfect in color and texture.

Please just use that as a base and this watch will truly be a super rep.

I agree with you, from the pics I saw it looks very close in color to the gen 360.
With few improvements we would have a super rep.
Anyway I also read somewhere that Kuvarsit has released a new batch of these with better (he says) color of the coating.

I have one of these and love it. The lugs holes are oddly placed but I think the KW lug profile is closer to correct than others.

Sent from my GT-I9295 using Tapatalk

Pity the position of the holes is quite easy to tell if you hold the watch in your hands, even if you don't know this particular model

As kuvarsit wrote, this is a rep of KW reps. Btw a nice watch and considering the price a good deal. The dial is very nice, better than Noob and maybe H

In the klockis thread I linked the KW dial looks just the same to me.
I really think these are made from parts coming from the same factories used by more known rep makers, probably from end batches or over production.
Maybe these parts were laying in a warehouse while KW was producing his v2 and someone used them.

 

[Polebear]

Thanks Kilowattore for another great review!
I also could not resist and have absolutely no regrets buying one.
my major flaw is the purple AR, rest is very good indeed!
Another thing learned from this review: recieving this watch i thought the font of the lettering was way too small, compared to my other luminors. But reading this review, it seems that the gen has this too?
Greetings!

 

[kilowattore]

If there's a difference it's not something I can see with naked eye
The dial is pretty close imho, except the structure of sausage lume.

 

[NickOT]

I know ALE is the trusted source of all things PAM, so just wondering if anyone has pictures to confirm that the gen crown guard lever roller ball is NOT DLC coated on the gen?

pics on this site shows the ball with DLC:
http://www.9maiali.com/product-pane...nn-paneristi-op-logo-black-dlc-44mm-se-300-p/

just looking for some clarification,
I just finished building my franken 360 using a noob case which has DLC roller ball so I used diamond polishing compound and removed the DLC.

 

[Knifemaker]

I'm wondering if any of the current 360's are any better. As this is an old thread. I do know there have been a few changes from back in 2014. And at least one not so good.
I speak of the Hub-Cap CP on some of the KW's Grrrr!!!

None of the Gen pics have seen have the roller dlc. Only stainless showing.

Knife

 

[kilowattore]

Personally I can't confirm nor deny gens with DLC roller bearing exist, I admit I did not search extensively on this feature but based my observations only on the P website pics which are known to be not always accurate.

I noticed the new kw release looks to have a closer to gen DLC color/finish, the huge CP can only be solved with a new set of hands though.

Finally [MENTION=23617]NickOT[/MENTION], I'm on my phone ATM and might be seeing things, but don't you think the lume application and the CG lever tip are a bit odd on the link you posted?

 

[kanok14]

Here is my 360 from Noob Fac, I believe from the look of it the case has slight different color, noob one is not as black but more like a black pencil color

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[NickOT]

I'm wondering if any of the current 360's are any better. As this is an old thread. I do know there have been a few changes from back in 2014. And at least one not so good.
I speak of the Hub-Cap CP on some of the KW's Grrrr!!!

None of the Gen pics have seen have the roller dlc. Only stainless showing.

Knife

Personally I can't confirm nor deny gens with DLC roller bearing exist, I admit I did not search extensively on this feature but based my observations only on the P website pics which are known to be not always accurate.

I noticed the new kw release looks to have a closer to gen DLC color/finish, the huge CP can only be solved with a new set of hands though.

Finally @NickOT, I'm on my phone ATM and might be seeing things, but don't you think the lume application and the CG lever tip are a bit odd on the link you posted?

Here is my 360 from Noob Fac, I believe from the look of it the case has slight different color, noob one is not as black but more like a black pencil color

@Knifemaker Are you able to link where you saw the gen pics? Haven't been able to find other ones with the CG open and showing the rollerball.

According to Ryllz the gen has a satin finish, it has this sheen which shimmers in the light. He has also built a franken and says the best is using a cape cod to polish the noob, this lightens the colour. The KW colour is more accurate OOTB but it is just completely matte which is not quite correct.

@kilowattore yeah there is something off about the 360 on 9maiali's site. They are a reputable dealer, but some pam reps are so good that unless you really know your stuff you can be fooled, there was a case with watchuwant.com listing a rep pam as well if I remember correctly.
I feel there is some funny business going on with that 360. One of the things which looked slightly off to me was the CG pin. I went to the shop yesterday to have a look at the pams, one thing that struck me first was the numerals looked too thin, and looking closer it did look more like a sausage lume that we get with the reps, which sticks up above the dial.
Another thing was the DLC, all other other DLC pams they had in the shop, the 785, 532, 617, 028, all had the satin finish grey DLC which had sheen which shimmers in the light. All except the 360, which was matte. Considering they have the box and papers it's possible someone has switched the caseback onto a rep and sold it to them.

 

[Knifemaker]

My thinking on the roller ball, is only from memory. No links. Sorry.

Yep, something just looks wrong in an almost spooky way with that watch! And the Lever looks too thin, and the tip doesn't' turn up correctly for my eyes.

Killed my search for a 360 for a month or so. Just ordered a 571 from one of our members. Second watch I have ordered from him. The first was a lovely 386 that is quite striking!
Or in Texas Speak, Dayum good Looking. LOL!!!

Knife

 

[ALE7575]

Sorry Kilo

How can I have missed this review !!

This is a fantastic and useful pictorial and review in order to know the qualities and flaws of this rep

Thanks for the good job

BTW: the case is the old model KW case before 2015

ALE