PROJECT: Pam 180

[Dalton]

Hey guys! Well some of you already know that I restore watches with my partners and normally i dont post our Panerai stuff but, What the heck. We got this watch from an AD who was worried since Panerai will not offer refinishing for their White Gold watches. With everyone's permission we took pics, assesed the watch and accepted the job.

This is what it looked like:






This is how it came out: These are macro pics so specs of dust on the WG case will be very visible, I apologize for that, since it I tried not to touch it.









Cheers!

[JJ Irani]

Dalton,

What can I say? You have the mind, the hands and the skills of a true craftsman - end of story!!

[watchboy]

AMAZING!!!!

[Letsgodiving]

Amazing job! It looks like a different watch.

[marke]

looks great....

[Lol-x]

Great refinish to that watch.
I'm surprised that Panerai will not work on a WG case
Anyway, I guess that is good for business.
It is a significant transformation.
So I'm guessing stainless steel is the best to work with in terms of restoration/refurbishment, gold seems a lot more difficult, what about titanium?

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Great refinish to that watch.
I'm surprised that Panerai will not work on a WG case
Anyway, I guess that is good for business.
It is a significant transformation.
So I'm guessing stainless steel is the best to work with in terms of restoration/refurbishment, gold seems a lot more difficult, what about titanium?

Hi Everyone! Steve, Steel is the most forgiving and the def the best to work with. Yellow Gold is a cinch, if anything a pleasure to work with White Gold is a bitch to work with since it doesn't give as much as YG. White Gold is hard and yet not as forgiving. Now, Titanium is difficult because of its properties(not as dense). To me, it just never looks right, and even though it's strong and light, I just dont seem to connect with this Metal. My partner/teacher feels the same way about Titanium, and he's the real Master Refinisher. Talk about a Creative Crafstman.

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Dalton,

What can I say? You have the mind, the hands and the skills of a true craftsman - end of story!!

thanks JJ

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Dalton, I am glad you joined TRF!

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by SPACE-DWELLER

Dalton, I am glad you joined TRF!

Thanks Bo! I'm glad I did too. I needed a home, since the Porsches have taken a back seat these days.

[etp095]

Originally Posted by SPACE-DWELLER

Dalton, I am glad you joined TRF!

X2
your a real craftsman dalton,beautiful job.keep those pics coming,lots of us like panerai also.

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by etp095

X2
your a real craftsman dalton,beautiful job.keep those pics coming,lots of us like panerai also.

Your comments are truly appreciated!

[SubKing]

why won't they polish a white gold case? in fear that the white gold will turn yellow from extreme polishing? because as we all know there is no such thing as WG, all it is, is yellow gold rodium plated..

[Markg]

Originally Posted by SubKing

because as we all know there is no such thing as WG, all it is, is yellow gold rodium plated..

not so with rolex white gold...

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by SubKing

why won't they polish a white gold case? in fear that the white gold will turn yellow from extreme polishing? because as we all know there is no such thing as WG, all it is, is yellow gold rodium plated..

Not at all with Panerai, and Rolex. Their White Gold is white. They do not Rhodium Plate at all. Either way I dont know exactly why they wont do it, all I know is Panerai wont.

[Magik]

Another fine example of your attention to detail Dalton. You're doing incredible work.

[duc748]

Such a great work!

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by Magik

Another fine example of your attention to detail Dalton. You're doing incredible work.

Thanks man.

[TswaneNguni]

Dalton,it is extremely pleasing to see the work of a true artist.

Just some thoughts on 18ct gold .....

18ct gold is 75% pure gold.The other 25% is made up of the following metals ... Copper,Palladium,Nickel,Zinc,Silver.The mix on the 25% part determines the colour ~ YG,WG,RG.

WG is not merely YG,thats rhodium plated.My jeweller and I have created some interesting mixes of 18ct gold.One of my favourites is a 18ct WG thats made up of 75% gold,12.5% Palladium and 12.5% Silver.Its one of the nicest white gold mixes I have seen.Its a very soft mix,which makes it ideal for a cuff bracelet.Scratches easily,but the scratches are also very easy to remove.

Gold is a wonderful metal.

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Dalton,it is extremely pleasing to see the work of a true artist.

Just some thoughts on 18ct gold .....

18ct gold is 75% pure gold.The other 25% is made up of the following metals ... Copper,Palladium,Nickel,Zinc,Silver.The mix on the 25% part determines the colour ~ YG,WG,RG.

WG is not merely YG,thats rhodium plated.My jeweller and I have created some interesting mixes of 18ct gold.One of my favourites is a 18ct WG thats made up of 75% gold,12.5% Palladium and 12.5% Silver.Its one of the nicest white gold mixes I have seen.Its a very soft mix,which makes it ideal for a cuff bracelet.Scratches easily,but the scratches are also very easy to remove.

Gold is a wonderful metal.

Thanks! Gold in either form is nice to look at but the WG is different from all other Golds. Rose Gold is my favorite when finished since it looks perfect in my eyes, sort of a Noble yet Rugged metal that can be taken anywhere. But that's only an appearance(Hublot's are a challenge but look outstanding after I've put tools to em). WG is tougher even though it scratches easy, like you mentioned, but when polishing it, you can easily distort lines and edges if you push too hard. It's a deceiver, if you ask me. Thanks for your input!

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by Dalton

Thanks! Gold in either form is nice to look at but the WG is different from all other Golds. Rose Gold is my favorite when finished since it looks perfect in my eyes, sort of a Noble yet Rugged metal that can be taken anywhere. But that's only an appearance(Hublot's are a challenge but look outstanding after I've put tools to em). WG is tougher even though it scratches easy, like you mentioned, but when polishing it, you can easily distort lines and edges if you push too hard. It's a deceiver, if you ask me. Thanks for your input!

The RG that Panerai uses is fantastic !! A lot of character and "weight" to the look.Love them !!

[Markg]

Originally Posted by Dalton

Not at all with Panerai, and Rolex. Their White Gold is white. They do not Rhodium Plate at all.

i know rolex states their white gold is white, with no rhodium plating, but my panerai AD told me that Panerai does plate their "white gold" watches with paladium.

i dont know one way or the other, but that certainly steered me away from their white gold models.

is this not true? it would certainly open up a few watch opportunities for me!!

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by Markg

i know rolex states their white gold is white, with no rhodium plating, but my panerai AD told me that Panerai does plate their "white gold" watches with paladium.

i dont know one way or the other, but that certainly steered me away from their white gold models.

is this not true? it would certainly open up a few watch opportunities for me!!

not true. Ask another AD, and then another and see how many different answers you get. Panerai's WG is not plated, unless they've started something new. When I polish WG watches I can tell if and when plating is rubbed off. the watch pictured above would look yellow and the owner would have called me already. Another thing, Plating makes WG or any metal appear soft in texture and does not reflect light the way polished metals do. If you see yourself perfectly in the finish, chances are its not plated.