Officine Panerai

Has anyone else had such a terrible accident like this with a ceramic PAM? If so how did the service go? I really liked the look of the watch and started wearing it more often. Now, i wish i would have treated like one of my more delicate watches. Sad day...  

I feel sad in your place ... that's a total loss IMO, wonder if the costs (new case + full service) in the hope the movement wasn't damaged, are not coming close to an almost new watch ?? Keep us posted on what the solution will be ..... And yes after see... 

... i feel your pain. Scratch resistant but it breaks. Your photo is a good reminder of that issue with the ceramic.

you should re read the press files about this watch and ask Panerai what they are willing to do for you. If they claim that Ceramic is hardzer than SS. With a SS case, that would not happen in such a terrific way. Best, Nicolas

The...only...other "ceramic" which went bang, to memory, was a 317 few years' back. The chappie had a case change (in Panerai) and went back to normal. Sorry but, however much you're frustrated and would like to offload the responsability on anybody and e... 

Unfortunately, ceramic whilst very hard and scratch resistant is brittle unlike steel which is malleable. Thus , ceramic will shatter when hit with force ( like dropping it on a hard floor ) whilst metals such as steel, gold being malleable will dent. Hop... 

I dropped my 320 8ft down wooden stairs 2 bounces to a tiled floor. I was scared stiff at what happened. I do agree with you on the buckle. Should be a deployment clasp. I needed a movement service which was lucky. Hope you get it back quickly once its fi... 

I really hope OP sort it out for you Best of luck Imran

Thanks for the sympathy. However, I'm still upset i let it fall... This morning, I took the watch to the Shanghai Richemont service center. They, of coarse, said they will have to send it back to the factory for repairs. Good news is that the movement is ...  

The service center's PANERAI sign is crooked / not even working right. Not a good sign at all (no pun intended)

Ouch and sorry to hear this :( - AT

The official Richemont repair center in Shanghai quoted me 53,000 RBM (8,700.00 USD) and three months to repair. It seams extremely high given the movement is okay. The cost of ceramic case should be less then $1000 and that is being generous. As much as ... 

i was afraid they (OP) would charge you an almost new watch .... in that case i'd opted indeed for a new one but not in ceramic, as with your comment in mind you wouldn't even enjoy that watch any more, other possibility, repair and sell it but i'm afraid... 

they just have to tak a new case, they have plenty in stock for other watches, you not asking to make a one of a kind ceramic case. almost 9K is insane Great decission for customer satisfaction !

Considering it is a regular production piece, the cases should be readily available. The price is way too high

to go abuse their own...sphincter...with a fully charged triple speed vibrator :-) But then, I'm known to be extremely..latino..in my show of emotions. Send a mail to Panerai HongKong, Singapore, Tokyo and ask for a quotation. Maybe...inside...China, the ... 

rather than paying to get a brand new replacement case. - AT

I found one at 10,500 ... no way I would pay 9K for a new case On the other hand I would never buy a ceramic again, buy a steel 8 days ;-)

Use that money + 9k to buy something else. Other options... Did you buy the watch with Amex? or some other type of insurance you have.

At ba ridicluous price, with a big loss for the seller, BUT not only for the seller, most of all for the brand. The brand doesn't want to help, no problem, I would not help the brand. It would be an excellent marketting idea. Best, Nicolas

I WILL NEVER buy a panerai ceramic EVER This is not the first time this has happened to a panerai ceramic case Strange though that never heard of other brands experiencing same issue like IWC or Rado

... A watch hfrom the Laboratorio de ideas, which considers that ceramic cases are much more valuable than the so called in house movement, since I have been quoted 9000 USD for a new case. Which leads me to think that the movement is worth nothing, as it... 

To the owner ... consider this and do put it on that famous paneristi site. You never know they will reconsider their stupid 9K bill

I left before they ban me, in 2006, with a post of this kind... ;) Best, Nicolas

You may be asked to leave... Hopefully you will get to eat something before you are shown the exit

and ask,,,What happened here? And the person would have to answere: I've dropped it!!! And the Panerai chappie would be justified in pointing out that, if you drop a...ceramic...object (of any kind) the chances of chipping it or breaking it, are pretty hi... 

Maybe the case shape of a Panerai makes them easy to crack compared to other brands that make ceramic watches

I don't mind they can break but I hate the price they ask for a new case

Will not make sense if they sell the ceramic case replacement at a discount compared to steel.

it's not so much the impact, that determines the damage, as much as the angle of impact. I'm sure that some owners of models like the 292, 317, 335 have dropped their watches without damage at all. What I find..unacceptable..is demonizing the producer of ... 

and if i was a panerai rep and saw the damaged watch i would say to the person what happened here his reply i droped it i would say how sorry i was for building a case from this material and offer to replace the piece with one of his liking its called goo... 

My friends cousin paid usd8k for the same ceramic case that was cracked.

$8,700 is an outrageous amount to replace a case. I would, personally, buy a different watch with the money. The fear of dropping it again would be too much. Panerai should at least offer new cases at a reasonable price. Given ceramic is very difficult to... 

The cost of the steel case in the US for a Panerai 104 where the entire steel case had to be replaced due to a problem with the lug (couldn't get the strap out) was $3000 for the customer. $8000 for the ceramic case is high. Yes, a Ceramic case is 3x the ... 

Wes, I would have it repaired, just not in Shanghai. The quote you received is simply outrageous. Try sending it to a different location for another quote. My Panerai has been absolutely bulletproof. Sorry this has happened to your watch the good news is ... 

The company sells watches for heroes or based on heroic exploits according to the ads...they sell you a tool watch that is destroyed by a drop...not dented but let's be real here...it is destroyed...regardless of the warranty the thing is encased. In junk... 

Another case, if I may say, where Officine Panerai turned into Officine Monerai. :) Best, and yes, you got it all right. Nicolas

For not extending my condolence to you in my last post...what has happened to you is awful...I am a lawyer and I don't care what the warranty said or when it expired...or what the "legal arguments are"...there is only one right thing to do...some would ca... 

If you drive a brand new car off the dealer lot and them immediately crash into a pole afterwards, do you think the right thing to do for the car dealership is to give you a new car? When it is your own fault, it\'s time to man up and say it was my fault ... 

However I don't agree with your analogy these are marketed as tool watches which should be able to withstand a drop...their CEO talks of them as military tools and quite frankly I believe that if such a tool cannot withstand a drop it is not dependable as... 

or fair one. However, if you are going to use the car analogy a fairer comparison would be a person hitting a bollard while parking their car. The person may expect their car bumper to be damaged. They would not reasonably expect their car to be written o... 

That is in terms of getting scratched. Dropping it is another story. Still the price quoted is way too high to have the case replace. My PAM dropped a sizable distance further 8ft. SS Case ok, springbar screwed and the movement stuffed. I havent got it ba... 

I agree that if you crash your new car into a pole at 100 miles an hour, it's your problem. But what if you bought a new car and got into a minor fender bender at 10 miles an hour and your car was completely totaled? That's a more accurate analogy to the ... 

I feel for the OP. Rough time. Cannot believe it cost that much. But, I guess as in your analogy with the car, it is good to have insurance for expensive watches, so if something like this happens it will be covered.

Thank you and that brings up the question, what is their responsibly to warn us? they market the watch to be wear resistant, but the don't say much about the risk or a complete loss. If warned correctly, i would choose the risk of a scratch that is easily... 

I called HK and said the cost of just the case is 51,000 HKD. I'll try Singapore later today. This is unbelievable and should be a warning to all. Watches should be made of durable material. Save the ceramics for the china cabinets.

What if you refused to have the watch encased in ceramic once again, and asked if they could case your watch in steel instead? It might be somewhat difficult to understand by the people of the service center, but you have a valid point (and choice) when s... 

Perhaps should be if you want a rugged tool watch buy a rolex or omega...my subs and speed matter have survived far worse and keep going strong

Thanks. I have a few rolexes already. You're right they are made from suitable watch materials.

8700USD is around the price of a brand new 292!!

I'd get a DLC case replacement. Before that, I'd put it on eBay at a ridiculous price for a while so that others will become educated as to the risk involved. Will reach more people than this forum for sure. :)

I read from numerous reports that ceramic, while indeed has much stronger scratch-proof property than steel, is actually a lot more brittle as well. Unfortunately, this downside is not something usually discussed when it comes to this material. I do recal... 

I mean, they have manufactured thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of ceramic pieces, by now. How many of these have YOU seen damaged, one...two??? Come on, let's get real.... Cheers

After all the despair over the watch damage and the disbelief of price , i did however, leave the watch to be repaired at the Shanghai Richemount service. When i took the watch in to be repaired, i put an older GMT in for service. Today I picked up the GM... 

Hey Edward, I feel you. I have learnt after 5 years in Shanghai sometimes you just gotta say "TIC" (This Is China). I have had similar experiences with service centers here (not just Richemont's). Next time talk to Ruben Weber, the Technical Manager at th... 

Dean, Thats good to know. I picked up the repaired watch yesterday and i will post the update with pictures in a few days. I stopped by the GO boutique at XTD on Sunday and a black watch caught my eye. Once learning it was ceramic, i asked them to put it ... 

as they say: if you can't take the heat, get out of the...kitchen, right? :-) Ciaoooo

plane load of Italians from O&P Forum will invade Paris on Nov 8th to..chew the fat...and..gorge on french food...with the French counterparts. :-)

> "the over priced repair and the rough customer service" That price is about right for an OP AD's watchmaker to charge for "full service". At least, I have been quoted nearly that before here in the States. Don't you know, you should pay more for roug...