Officine Panerai

I thought i will share with you all a Email reply received from Panerai :-

"
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 5:06 PM
To: [Email address suppressed for privacy]
Subject: RE: PAM 317

Dear Sir,
many thanks for your interest in our brand.
We inform you that we have removed the PAM00317 from our website becasue it was only produced in K series and is not in production anymore. It was producted in 500 pieces but you shouldn't worry about your waiting list.
We remain at your full disposal should you need any further information.
With kindest regards,

OFFICINE PANERAI
Marketing & Comunicazione
"

I know that number 480 from 500 is already delivered so any of you who have booked and still not got it, i woould not pin too much hope to get it.
But I really can't undertand why Panerai stops this after 500pcs, i know some say is bcs the difficulty they face with PVD coated movement, but :

1) As it is one of the more expensive Panerais in the collectiom, with so much hype / demand wont it make more commercial sense to continue this ?

2) Does Panerai recover the cost invested in R&D in devloping a new model such as this one specailly a new PVD movement with only producing 500pcs?

3) Some say that as Panerai is not able to make enough of these due to which they got negative publicty and many unsatisfied customers they want to discontinue this, is that true as i woudl think this adds to the hype for the brand....

4) If it is true that they stop this model due to difficulty in making PVD coated moevment then will Panerai never make a PVD coated movement watch again ? and if so am i correct to presume that in time the original 500pcs with PVD coated movement are sure to fetch a really high premium for it ?

5) I am told that new PAM 335 launched recently is a toned version of PAM 317 w/t chronograph and PVD coating and has instead black tined display is that true ? and is PAM 335 limited edition also or only limited prodcution ? and even though this has the cermaic and mono pusher does it not hold same uniquness ?

1) As it is one of the more expensive Panerais in the collectiom, with so much hype / demand wont it make more commercial sense to continue this ?

If I were Panerai, I'd continue making them if I could.  They must be experiencing some type of production problem IMO

2) Does Panerai recover the cost invested in R&D in devloping a new model such as this one specailly a new PVD movement with only producing 500pcs?

I don't know the R&D costs so can't answer this question.  But I don't think R&D cost is that much since they already use an existing P.200x monopusher chronograph movement.  All they do to it is PVD the movement, so I don't believe there should be much R&D cost.

3) Some say that as Panerai is not able to make enough of these due to which they got negative publicty and many unsatisfied customers they want to discontinue this, is that true as i woudl think this adds to the hype for the brand....

I don't think this is the case at all.

4) If it is true that they stop this model due to difficulty in making PVD coated moevment then will Panerai never make a PVD coated movement watch again ? and if so am i correct to presume that in time the original 500pcs with PVD coated movement are sure to fetch a really high premium for it ?

That's what I believe is why Panerai may stop production of the PAM317 - the PVD'ing of the movement is giving them problems - well at least that's what I've heard.  If Panerai does stop production of the PAM317, it will be more difficult to obtain so yes I would assume pricing should increase.  How much of a premium depends on how much demand there is for it.  At such a high price point already, it would be crazy to pay a huge premium for one.  I personally wouldn't do so.

5) I am told that new PAM 335 launched recently is a toned version of PAM 317 w/t chronograph and PVD coating and has instead black tined display is that true ? and is PAM 335 limited edition also or only limited prodcution ? and even though this has the cermaic and mono pusher does it not hold same uniquness ?

Yes correct.  Those words are my own opinion from my recent Panerai SIHH 2010 video report:  click here .  PAM317 is a monopusher chronograph w/ PVD'ed movement while the PAM335 is a regular chronograph w/ a black tinted sapphire back and non-PVD'ed movement.  And PAM335 is a regular production piece.  Both are ceramic Luminors.

Cheers,
Anthony

the fact that number 480 was delivered does not indicate that so many were made because they are not produced in consecutive order.

Asi

Panerai does not deliver watches in sequencial order worldwide.

- AT

 

 

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-04-23 20:51:36

This remark still gives me hope that I might eventually get the one I ordered back in october of 2008 (but I can't really remember anymore its been so long).

I would be very disapointed if I did not get it after such a long wait.

I figure that the right thing for Panerai to do for people who have ordered a 317 and are not going to receive it (if that is ever becomes the case), is to propose to them the opportunity to buy a limited edition reserved only to such individuals Kind of a consolation prize.

Clearly Panerai has never had the intention to disapoint anyone, it's just that they must be experiencing real difficulties.

Anyways just an wild idea I thought I would share.

Regards,

George

K series should have 500 so if indeed 317 will no longer be available after the K batch, there will only then be 500 in the whole World with a blackened movement. However, I see no reason why the they couldn't simply produce 317 L series with a simple 311 movement on a smoked crystal like 335. Although they are not produced in order (this is illogical for sure, then how does PAM choose the order in which they are produced in ?), is there any way to find out how many have been produced and delivered? I guess not?

No message body

from Panerai at the beginning of the month with the US price list and it is still on the website...things that make you go hmmmm?

For next year and the following years, I have no idea, but they are producing 500 PAM317's this year.

Cheers,
Anthony

thats great news, so in that case will the new series be called I or J or still K?

I assume K was for pcs produced in 2008 or 2009 so as new pieces will be produced in 2010 they will prefix with next letter I or J and finish K series when they Have produced 500pcs, is that correct? Does the letter mean year of model or production ?

Sometimes on a limited edition piece that gets produced in low quantities but production is spreadout over several years, the case is usually still numbered with the original letter of when the model debutted even if the piece finally made its way to the retail channel a year or 2 after the first pieces made their way to the public.

So if Panerai didn't finish their original 500 pieces from the 1st year, the pieces produced in the 2nd year will still have same letter bearing from the original 1st year.

On regular edition pieces, if 500 were made in in Year A, then the next 500 (assuming watch is still produced in Year B w/ no increase in production amount) would have B series classifcation.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.  Thanks!

- AT

 

 

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-04-26 18:01:16

But the second part of your answer is not right.

Let's take the example of the Pam 192, which was the Chrono Tantalium.

Panerai didn't release the 300 pieces  in the same year, but  till 2006, if I remember correctly the situation.

Though, the Pam 192 always had the G letter, corresponding to 2004.

Same for Pam 203, which was " H "=2005.

Idem for a no Limited Edition.

Best,

Nicolas

 

 

I am delighted that you got the confirmation, but what I don't understand that on 6/4 with a official email from Panerai they confirmed that, They will not produce this model after K series of 500pcs, see my earlier post with full email.

So now after 21days did they change there mind? Or was it a marketing gimmick?

Who confirmed to you panerai or Ad? I would be really interested to know....

Cheers

Va/..

Ps updated on blackberry so may be spell errors :-(

.

and therefore will be available later after the initial 500 ex.

Good news for 317 lovers and bad news for all flippers which are posting crazy high prices.

Cheers,

Patrickh 

Yes, there are both good and bad news; good news is 317 will still in production after the existing K series <500 pc> ....but the bad news is from th 501 piece onward, the movement is not on PVD material anymore, but just the sapphire back that make it looks black, so again hard to get and rare . This is confirmed by boutiquie

Hopefully will get answer by tomorrow.

- AT

I start out with the impression that I'll never get the 317 I ordered a long, long time ago, to find out that it might yet be delivered one day.

I am not sure I can take all the suspence.

Anyone have stories of other models of watches that have had such kind of productions difficulties?

Regards,

 

George

Wow!

So did I understand your post correctly, Did u already get yours pam 317? Or they called that you will get itn if so when?

How much was it? What serial no?

Did u book it wirh panerai boutique or AD?

Sorry its a misunderstanding, I have not received it yet.  I only hope to receive it one day.

The thread of responses leads me to beleive that receiving this watch is still a true possibility.

That is all I meant to say.

Regards,

 

George