Officine Panerai

 seem to be the appropriate material for a tool watch..For those who missed it from the pics the case needs to be replaced completaly. There is a big chunck missing between crownguard (wich is also destroyed) and case..A tool watch that cracks after a fall from 3 feet??? C'mon..I´d go to the AD and ask for a replacement at their costs to be honest....I didn´t read in the instructions manual that this particular panerai model can´t be considered a tool watch...If you promote a watch material being 5 times stronger then steel it better not break after a small fall...I´ll never buy a ceramic watch for sure.........DLC all the way for me.....This is giving me nightmares....Guillermo

... as even a steel/precious metal watch can be seriously damaged by a fall from the same height if it just hits the ground at the wrong angle. I have seen a friend's Patek (and a very expensive one it was...) fall from his wrist and there was a serious dent in the case and because of the shock the entire movement needed to be disassembled and then re-assembled. Total cost... well could easily buy you a 317.

There is a serious plus for the ceramics, which is that (unless you drop it) the material will continue to look like new for a very long time and withstands normal wear much better than metal. Besides that it just looks so much better than DLC in my opinion, but that is a personal opinion. On the downside: yes the material is brittle and can crack.

So I know what the risk is with this material and still did not need to think for a second when the boutique called me that they had one for me. Hey, in the hypothetical case that they call me for a second one I will take that one as well as I strongly think this is one of the all time great Panerai's (at least the version with the black movement)!

Like any precious item, it should be treated carefully and even then there will always be accidents as above. Just need to bite the bullet in that case and have remedial work done. Unfortunately that is what happened to the originator of this post and can only imagine his reaction after picking up the watch and seeing the damage... 

 Tony

Please let us know what's the deal with the watch... I think many people like to know!

All of you who wanted to know,

 

No Panerai is not doing the repair for free or even giving a discount....... just received estimate for repair Aed 16k or US$ 4,500/ see attached estimate.

 

Actually i am more glad that the watch will be fixed, but what i was disappointed with is the handling by PANERAI brand office here in Dubai.

 

I had met the Panerai Dubai brand manager few month back in a private show and subsequently invited him for lunch and during lunch he showed me catalogue of

some of the exclusive watches Panerai was to bring out, and assured me if i have any problem with any of my Panerai watches i should contact him and he even gave me his BBM pin so i was very happy with this after sales attitude and relationship developed by Panerai (that actually made me buy PAM 26).

So naturally when PAM 317 cracked i sent him email with pics and link to this post, but 1 month passed he did not reply , so then i sent him text message again no response !

Then eventually as i was getting anxious waiting for the repair estimate, last week i BBM and he said he shall call me in few hrs., but again few days passed NO CALL,

All i wanted to know from him is if we could push to get cost estimate fast and if his people think that watch is repairable no major movement damage, and may be help to get

repair done fast....but here Panerai failed miserably.....i got better follow up and call back from panerai LA when they were arranging PAM straps for me then from Dubai brand manager...sad...

 

For me this was more disappointing then the high cost estimate that a brand such as Panerai treats its customer like this specially at time of need, then in my eyes that is not a top brand and frankly in that  case I would not waste my money any more on Panerai and buy other brand watches where after sales and customer service is a tradition and given not demanded.

 

Having said this Panerai Authorized dealer was great here and got estimate fairly quickly and had to chase him few times but he always followed it up with Panerai and updated me...

 

So ALL IN ALL A VERY SDA STORY FOR ME AND PNAERAI.........BUT NO GUYS NO DISCOUNT :-(

 

This message has been edited by VA on 2010-09-30 07:04:43

Hopefully Panerai will get things right after reading your post.

I'm suprised you expected a discount on the servicing.  Remember you were the one who dropped the watch on the floor, so I don't think any discount of service is warranted at all.

If I bought an expensive car such as a Ferrari and then crashed it into a tree, do you think the Ferrari dealership would give me a discount on the repair just because I bought an expensive car from them?  Why should the dealership give me a discount?

Either way, glad to know your PAM317 will finally be fixed, and thanks for sharing your situation with all of us here.  I hope your passion for Panerai doesn't wane too much as a result of this entire PAM317 incident.

Cheers,
Anthony

I was not even expecting a discount, I only mentioned about discount in my last post bcs many people
Suggested that bcs such an expensive watch meantshould not shatter by 3ft drop and the crown protector attachment damage the case.

But as you mentioned about ferrari....... I can tell you I own a porsche and after 1 year it got a scratch and my daughter
Broke the cup holder, when car went for service without me even asking for fixing of it, porsche fixed the scratch and replaced full cup holder and I was pleasently surprised that they did not charge me for it......now that's service......I later found that cup holder replacement Cost is usd 700 as full thing needs to be changed.....but I guess panerai is not porsche, I can tell you like this many incidents when a brand has gone that extra bit.

Anyhow for me that's it with Panerair as don't want to own a brand where they treat customer infact collectors like this, I. Own 4 panerai......any takers

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Yes, as Guillermo states, there is a chunk missing from the case, don't understand why people are missing this.  The crown guard, case and bezel need to be replaced.  If this happened to my $26K watch I would freak out!

I am so curious as to how Panerai deals with this and what it will cost to fix the watch.  Scratch resistance is a wonderful thing, but so much money for a watch that explodes on impact needs to be reconsidered.

do you mean this Crack  ??! (outlined in Pink ) i think i missed that.!

 

   i just couldn't figure out what that thing was. so now it looks like a chunk of the Case broke off.!?

they may have to learn the Secret from IWC on how to make a Tougher Ceramic Case like in the TopGun.!

Speaking of Top gun. It is a really good watch. I have the double chrono version now in the service.

I had a similar situation that I dropped my top gun around 4-5 high.   I quickly picked it up after the incident, inspecting the whole case. NOTHING, not even a single scratch. but the watch is completely stopped. I swung it hoping it would be fine and tick and click again , still not moving.

The very next day I brought it to the boutique.  The staff kindly wrote down my info and I explained the situation. A few days later they emailed me back with a quote with a complete service without any charge. I did not expect it would be free so.

At the end they even gave me a portable watch  case and a 2010 catalog (<< looks really fancy and hard covered) to carry home.   I love IWC because of its service.    nice staff, nice service and nice watches from IWC.     oh by the way it happened in Hong Kong. I brought that to the flagship boutique in HK.


thanks for sharing

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C'mon..I´d go to the AD and ask for a replacement at their costs to be honest....I didn´t read in the instructions manual that this particular panerai model can´t be considered a tool watch...If you promote a watch material being 5 times stronger then steel it better not break after a small fall...I´ll never buy a ceramic watch for sure.........DLC all the way for me.....This is giving me nightmares.

Meh! The instruction manual also doesn't state that the watch specifically is a tool watch. So which instruction manuals for which watches from any manufacturer state such a thing? That sort of designation is conferred by users, ADs, marketers and merchandisers. Still, even if some makers do specifically give some of their models official "Tool Watch" status, where is it in the as-yet-unwritten tool watch qualification standard that a drop onto a hard floor from 3' is part of the deal?

I tell you what then, let's line up a whole bunch of so-called tool watches from Panerai, Rolex, Omega, Breguet, Kobold, GP, Oris, etc., etc., and drop 'em all from 3' onto a ceramic tile floor. First of all, it'll never happen because nobody in his right mind is going to deliberately drop a timepiece from 3' onto a hard ceramic tile floor. Everybody knows that it's just not a sensible thing to do, and also that the only time it happens is when someone does something inadvertent or careless.

Second, wristwatch movements, cases, crowns, lugs, guards, pushers and other external features have evolved in design to take advantage of the cushioning effect of muscle and other tissue while a watch is being worn. One of the reasons that movements don't go haywire and that parts aren't snapped off every time someones bangs their wrist on a door frame or table top is that the velocity of the impact is partially absorbed by the wrist. As usual then, it's not the fall or drop that kills, but rather the sudden stop at the end. If a sudden stop is unrelieved by some cushioning by a wrist, bad things happen to either crowns, guards, bezels, cases, pushers, crystals or several of those things at once. 

I love the new materials being used to build fine business and dressier timepieces, tool watches and some of the more exotic/art/designer watches. I'd hate to see manufacturers pull back from various ceramic, silicon and unique alloy materials just because we're all clumsy from time to time.

A few Rolex owners are complaining roundly about another couple of dropped new Subs and GMT IIs, both new models with ceramic bezels. The response in those forums is just as sympathic to the unfortunate owners, but the conclusion is the same - these mechanical wrist marvels were never meant to be dropped. I own both Rolex models and continue to bang my watch wrist into all manner of different things during investigative research work, alternately plunging my watch wrist into freezing cold and warm water, climbing, photography in some rather tense situations and you name. I as active as a lot of other enthusiasts on PuristSPro. The ceramic is holding up perfectly - not a scratch or abrasion anywhere, unlike my older Sea Dweller and 44mm Panerai Submersible (steel/aluminum and steel bezels resepectively. My 40mm Marina chronometer is a slightly more accurate timekeeper than either of the Rolexes. I dropped my old Rolex Sub years ago onto a broken piece of concrete, and the resulting damage popped off the bezel and dented the insert. Once again, I blamed myself, not the watch. It was (and still is) meant to be worn and banged around, not dropped.

I have noticed too, that when any watch has been dropped it is then usually too far away to tell the time. Useless! Keep it on your wrist and then bang it around to your heart's content.

Last but not least, why should any AD have to be burdened by my clumsiness? Frankly, if I managed to drop and damage a watch of my own I'd be visiting my AD for sure, but only to beg him to go easy on the repair bill. Current warranties for our fine timepieces cover a lot of ground, but coverage against my clumsiness is just not reasonable. What if the OP's Pam had been a steel version with the crown lock-lever open and the fall had dented or snapped the lever? Should that be covered? I say no because, if the watch is not on the wrist then all bets are off. There are a million variations and scenarios, obviously, but few wristwatch warranties actually cover impact damage of any kind - that's what private insurance coverage is for in almost all cases.

 

This message has been edited by edwardwchang on 2011-11-12 09:55:25

Sorry about that. I wouldn't have guessed that that could happen from simply dropping it on the floor. Hope you can get it fixed soon.
Cheers,
Martin

hope it will be fixed asap, and it doesnt affect the maincase.made me more careful with my own ceramic watches.

And their dislike for thermal and mechanical schocks.
I also did ruin some ceramic brakes so i am really careful with my ceramic watches.
Feel sorry and i hope that Panerai does professionally manage the problem.
Cheers.Luc

First let me offer my sincerest sympathies. Seriously.

Please return the sympathy for my smashed Submersible crystal (fell face down off a restaurant washroom sink onto a terrazzo floor a few years ago), and my dented/popped off Rolex GMT II bezel (hooked the bracelet, partially unclasped, on a piece of protruding rebar at a property of mine and watched it fall 3-4' and hit a rough piece of broken concrete edge-first). In 1999 I was showing off a Zenith Port Royal chrono (El Primero version) and dropped it from about 4.5' onto some commercial carpet laid over concrete. Messed up that movement real good.

I'm saying that expecting these timepieces, as good as they are, to withstand my carelessness is a bit of a pipe dream. Maybe one of the great watch companies will come out with a watch that won't noticeably mark or suffer movement damage from 3'+ drops onto hard floors, but I won't be buying that Kevlar/polycarbonate/carbon-fiber/quartz military thing.

Wow ! i really sympathise with you, not 1 but 2 watches.... i guess if a watch is dropped on crystal glass face it is bound to get damaged.

My watch fell flat on itis back from chair height so 2-3ft and landed on its back, i saw it falling and followed with hy eyes HELPLESS.....so first thing i checked was crystal back and as did not see any damage on glass or base thanked my starts and wore it, then  noticed the crown protector cracked and side case chipped off.

What amazed me that a shock at back of the watch damage the crown protector, and hwo did the case chip off wheer crown protector is attached,      something to think about that may be crown protector attachment to case not adequate.

Any how as they say shit happens and now i just hope PANERAI will fix it, i am waiting to hear from AD and Panerai loacl office lets see.

 

When you have the crown-guard/lever replaced, do you think you could take some photos of the cracked parts?

It will provide some information as to the nature to the nature of the material and whether the response was reasonable.

Thanks!  And I hope all the repairs go smoothly.

Though no one want to see it happen, it sets a good stage for Panerai to show us their customer service.
Hope you will soon receive a brand new case!
joseph

when it comes back from repair it will be looking like new again.  I hope Panerai takes care of you.

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hi VA its sad to hear this, im very certain that PANERAI will live up to its expectation and sincerely would try finding solution. GOOD LUCK.....

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I'm also waiting to see how good/bad Panerai's after-sale service is on my 317.  Here's what happened: bought my 317 last month...my first Pam...and then attempted to change its strap the day after I bought it...unscrewed one of the screws of the strap...when I was rescrewing its screw back, the screw broke...and the broken part was left inside the screw hole.

Took the watch back to the Panerai's service centre...left there for 2 weeks and then was told that they need to send the watch back to its head office in Switzerland for a "quotation" and it may take about 2-3 months before it returns.  I asked the guy at the service center why they need to get a "quoation"...they said they need it because it may not be covered under warranty...I was like "WHAT?"...the screw was broken and I thought it's obvious that the broken screw is a defective part which should be covered under warranty...they said they need to check and get back to me...

If they say it's not covered under warranty...I'll definitely take the legal/non-legal route to resolve this...guess will take the wait-and-see approach at this point.  If it's not under warranty, I think they may have to replace the whole case and it'll surely be pricey...will update you guys if I hear anything from them...

David

. . . to the point of failure is not covered by warranty. No way. Service technicians use only light torque combined with a tiny droplet of Loctite. It's also really rare to encounter a defective screw bar of any kind. Has to happen sometime though, so maybe you just had the bad luck of that draw. Then again, an experienced watchmaker can use a very small carbide bit with a modified tip (with the watch case protected/padded and mounted in a stand) from the outside of the lug to bite into the broken piece and screw it out. Note that to effectively clamp a case in position for such a procedure, everything has to be removed - stem, crown guard, movement and crystal. However, note that if your service technician already tried that and it didn't work, it's most likely that you torqued it into position so hard that the threads locked. If your service technician looked at it and immediately suspected locked threads, he may not even have bothered to try because there's a danger of doing further damage to the case and lug during the procedure. If there are locked threads in a steel or ceramic lug, the lug (and often the case too) is ruined.

 

I really hope it will get fixed as soon as possible.

Sam