Officine Panerai

AnthonyTsai
[PuristS]
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PART II - watches

Below is the Panerai PAM28 Luminor Power Reserve which is a limited to 1000 pieces.  This is a re-edition of the PAM28 and the main difference is a slightly different looking power reserve display.  I personally like the original power reserve display; but other than that, the Soprod movement w/ central seconds hand in this new PAM28 is the same as in the original.  This watch is the 2nd of the re-editions as Panerai re-released the PAM26 last year.

Below is the new 47mm Panerai PAM319 Luminor 1950 8 Days Rattrapante in pink gold w/ brown dial.  For some reason, the watch seems to wear slightly larger than a PAM127, and maybe it does because of the extra chrono pushers at the left side of the case.  Either way, the PAM319 is a beast with wrist presence and heft.

Here's a pic of the P.2006/3 movement with the # of the watch inscribed into the movement plate.  With a watch like this and with a price tag of $40k+, I wish the base plates of the movement were skeletonized a bit more so we can see what's underneath.  You currently can see the column wheels but my eyes are begging to see more.

One unique feature of the PAM319 Rattrapante is the polished crown lever.  I believe this is Panerai's first ever watch where the case and crown protector are both brush finished while the crown level is polished.

Here's another picture of the crown lever at another angle.  I like this subtle change, and my personal guess would be the polished crown lever will only be found in the precious metal models.  Who knows if Panerai will incorporate a polished crown lever in the stainless steel brushed models but I would bet they wouldn't.

Looks great on the wrist IMO!

Below is a comparison shot of a 44mm Luminor with the monster 60mm PAM341 Radiomir Egiziano.  The 44mm watch on the left looks like a kid's watch!

Here's a profile shot of the Egyptian.  Notice the sapphire ball in the bezel at 12 o'clock.  There's superluminova underneath the ball, so the ball should light up at night.  I haven't seen the lume of the Egpytian at night, so I can't comment on if the lume of the ball is bright or not.

This is Panerai's first thick strap (27mm width and non-tapering), and Chad says Panerai hopefully will be making them in shorter lengths in the near future.  I would love to get one of these straps in 24mm for my PAM195, if available in the future.

A lot of the old time Panerai collectors pay great attention to buckles, so here are some close-ups of the flat thick buckle.  Also notice that the buckle is a sewn into the strap.

There's a GPF-Mod Dep engraving on the underside of the buckle to keep in line with the original Egiziano buckle.  Buckle edges are also slightly beveled.

For those with small wrists and who can't pull off a 60mm watch, I'd only get this Panerai for use as a desk clock.  Other than that, the Egyptian really is too large and impractical unless your wrist is at least 8".

Below is a great wrist shot, but notice how the lugs protude over Art's wrist (around 6.75"-7.00").

Below is the Panerai PAM321 Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Power Reserve Automatic.  The power reserve display is on the dial side of the watch with the P.9002 movement.  In the PAM320, the watch is exactly the same but houses the P.9001 movement where the power reserve display is on the back side on the movement visible through the sapphire back.

Here's a wrist shot of the 500 piece limited edition 44mm Panerai PAM322 Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante.  Case is black DLC'ed, and the movement is a Valjoux chrono.  I love the look and feel of this watch but wished it housed a P.900x or P.200x movement.  If it did, this watch would be on my wrist as I type.

Here's the new titanium Panerai PAM327 Luminor Chronograph Daylight w/ blue dial.  The PAM327 uses the newly redesigned Panerai bracelet which is more subtle and discreet looking on the wrist.

As you can see from the below picture, the bracelet link is now a 1-piece construction as opposed to the 2-piece construction found on the prior bracelet.

Next is the 47mm Panerai PAM305 Luminor 1950 Submersible 3 Days Automatic.  I liked this piece when I handled it at SIHH; but after having seen it again and strapping it to my wrist, I don't like it anymore but absolutely LOVE IT!  The baton markers at 12 and 6 o'clock gives this Submersible its unique look.  The dial is ultra clean with no minute hash markers, and the best part of this watch for me is that it's a regular edition watch w/ the in-house P.9000 movement.

Many PuristS during the dinner commented that they love the PAM305, and I predict the PAM305 will be the best selling regular edition watch from the SIHH 2009 collection.  For the Panerai collector who doesn't have a Submersible or a PAM w/ an in-house movement, this PAM305 will fill those 2 categories.  And what makes this PAM even more attractive is you won't have to sell your kidney to buy one since the retail price is just a tad under $10k.  The PAM305 is one of Panerai's best bang for the buck IMO.

Below are a couple wrist shots of the PAM305 at different angles.  Another slight detail of the P.900x watches is the date window at 3 o'clock is a rectangular cut out instead of the usual square cut out window found on watches from other brands.

And lastly, the final watch I will highlight will be the 48mm pink gold Panerai PAM330 Radiomir Tourbillon GMT w/ brown dial.  Despite the watch's thick case, I found this Radiomir to sit comfortable on my wrist.  The butterfly deployant is superb and keeps the watch sitting flat and centered on your wrist.

If you're interested in seeing a video of the tourbillon in action (tourbillon is visible from the back), please be sure to visit Part IV of my report.