Review of the Pam 339

[Spboudart]

Intro :

This will be the review of a very specific Pam 339, I got this one from Watcheden, I’m sure it’s also available from the other dealers but the one I’ve seen elsewhere were very different.
And that’s the problem with the reps of the 339: there’s no good one but many different!
So, why make a review of a bad rep?
Because: I like watches and particularly this one…



Why is that a bad rep?

Before I make any comment, pics will speak for themselves:

Gen:

Rep from other dealers (I voluntarily took a pic from a scam site neither to advantage or disadvantage our trusted dealer, so please mods or admin do not edit):

My rep:

First problem, obvious on pic: the dial is wrong!!!
The rep from the other dealer has the correct dial (almost, let’s say!), but on mine the 9 is missing and the second hand dial is closer to the bezel…
In fact, the Gen is 47mm, so is the other rep while mine is only 45!

Second biggest problem in repping the 339 is the case material: it’s composite!
I don’t believe we’ll ever see a composite rep case one day …

Third big problem: The movement!
The gen has the 3 barrels 8 days power reseve p2002 and there’s no such movement in the rep industry so it’s fitted with a 6497.

And the fourth and last one: golden hands!!!WTF!!!
I guess they had an old stock to get rid of...
Very easy mod to do but WHY???



Pictures review:

From the 3 above pictures, we can see 3 different shades of case color, the composite brown of the gen, the black Pvd of the other rep and the brown Pvd of mine…
Nevertheless, when checking at other pic of the gen we can see that the brown of the composite isn’t very dark:

And when looking at mine in detail the color is closer than a black PVD for sure, even though it's a little too shiny:

A pic of the rep movement:

Not a very nice one, no panerai bridge, no swan neck, no dagger, but it really doesn’t matter as it will never look like the real thing anyway….

And a pic of the buckle:

A pic review wouldn’t be complete without a wristshot, here are 2:

So, why do I like this particular watch?

I’ve been lurking into Helenarou's brown Pvd case for a while.
And, come on: it’s no so often that you see brown watch, I’ve always been found of brown dial in Panerai as for the 036, or Egi, etc…
Plus the dial color on this particular watch matches perfectly with the case!!!
I could have purchased the Black Pvd version, which is closer dial wise to the gen, but I already have a black Pvd luminor, and the one I have has Avitt’s Dlc treatement and once you’ve got that you can’t go for lesser than that, so it had to be different…
I also like the size, 47mm is way to much for me as 45…..wristshots speaks for themselves.
Something else is great on this watch and I wasn’t expecting it: the strap!
It might be the first Pam for which I won’t swap the strap, the feel is great, the quality really nice, even though I expect it to be a bit fragile, time will be the best judge!
I wrote ‘I might’ because even if it’s really a nice strap I think this watch probably need something more rugged in the ‘loco horse’ style, but it will have to be a 26/22 strap because that buckle is unique…
What I would love to find is also a close caseback, but I’m sure you’d agree with me in saying: That’s not so important…


Conclusion:

Not a close rep BUT a nice watch!
Watcheden sells it for 138$ but with the coupon (20$ off), that’s only 118$ shipping included, it’s not a bargain but it’s been a while since I’ve taken such pleasure with a watch at that price.
I have to admit that when I made my order I wasn’t expecting much, but the watch I received is much better than the pic WE showed on their site!!! Thus, the pleasure… I guess!

 

[ugoderosa]

Boudart- thanks for the review. I bought the same watch from WE back in September. While it is not accurate at all, to me, it is the most accurate rep of the 339 right now (I know that is not saying much as all of the 339 reps are so far off it is hard to even call them a 339). At least it is a brown case and brown dial. The other "339" reps are not brown.

I just consider it a fantasy piece and enjoy it for what it is. Unfortunately, we will most likely never see a good rep of the 339.

Here is mine:

 

[Spboudart]

And the whole point about this watch is to have it brown..

 

[ugoderosa]

....exactly! I bought this watch because it is brown and stands out from my other pam reps. Plus I love the 8 days symbol! The brown color is the coolest thing about the 339.

 

[Spboudart]

Someone at W-C was selling brown T-shirt with that logo and I got one, I wore it all summer long.
I think they're selling hooded sweat as of now.

Found the link if you're interested:
http://www.wrist-check.com/showthre...Panerai-Hooded-Sweatshirts!!&highlight=Hooded

 

[MrYesterday]

It's a great watch, looks amazing... I just thought, from the pics, it would be brown PVD.

 

[J.Prime]

This exists in better form. I made this strap for a friend who owns this and is now getting one for me. Not sure where from but I can find out. The case is matte PVD, not brown but very nice, the dial looks great and the numerals have an awesome patina color, closer to gen with black hands. It is also a 47mm case.

 

[Spboudart]

This exists in better form. I made this strap for a friend who owns this and is now getting one for me. Not sure where from but I can find out. The case is matte PVD, not brown but very nice, the dial looks great and the numerals have an awesome patina color, closer to gen with black hands. It is also a 47mm case.

Yes, I know that and that's why the 3 rd pic I posted is one of that exact same watch. But to me it's just another Black Pvd watch, or another 47mm rad, as that's not what the 339 is.
There's no good 339 rep, just 2 different option that don't even come close, some chose one while other the othe.

 

[QinetiQ]

Excellent review mate. Saw that on WC the other day. I think with the proper determination you can get this to look very close to gen. Have taka or avitt sandblast the case, do brownish DLC coating, relume the backplate with more tan lume and you're good to go.

 

[Spboudart]

After Ugoderaso, I thought about adding the following pics:

 

[ugoderosa]

Very cool sweatshirt Boudart!