Panerai

The truth is that there are few of us who continue to love Panerai, it has certainly made mistakes such as marking ETA base calibers as in-house and other things, but in short for me it is a grail brand and one of my favorites.

It is a complicated discussion. The watches are large, generally quite expensive closely connected with Rocky, Arnold and their macho cinema cohort. They were extremely popular for a period, was not but appear to be making a minor comeback at least at the multi brand boutique that I purchase some of my watches from. Pams do lose value but also appeal to a lot of confident fellas who spent time at small espresso bars chatting with good looking baristas. I own a few only because I think the case shapes are iconic and reminds me of an excellent friend who was born in Firenze.

Too damn big.

Trust you’ve done a search #panerai topic etc there’s over 8000 followers. Personally I like the brand and quite amazed how many variations they have based on 2 models. For me the Radiomir California dial and a Luminor minimalist sandwich dial are the pick with preferably 8 days power.

There are some cool watches in the Panerai collection. I love the Bronzos, and now they make a 42mm that I can wear (so finally bought one). Also think that some of the California dials are worth a look. I appreciate that Panerai watches are their own thing and not taking design questions from anyone else.

They're awesome. IYKYK.

I've tried a couple of the carbotech watches on. They are big even for my 7.5 inch wrist but wear comfortably. They are a statement watch and not for everyone.

I have one and love it. They are big….. But they have an iconic look and tons of cool history. One thing I’ve noticed is they have a slight identity problem. Are they Swiss? Are they Italian? I’ve seen sources that say one and not the other and vice versa. It’s safe to say they are both. That’s fine by me. Quite a few Swiss made watches have roots in other countries. Rolex started in England, Hamilton and Ball started in the states. I think Fortis started in Russia? Either way it doesn’t make a difference to me so long as it is a quality product and looks nice on the wrist. Which in my opinion Panerai checks both of those boxes. Just my opinion.

Only one I have but I do love it!

I would also love to get the matching radiomir

I wonder if you've really been paying attention. I see a couple of Panerai on this site every day. They are definitely a little more niche because of the size and case shape. They are clearly not for everyone. They may not get the attention for hype that some watch is get, but in my observations they get tons of respect here on WC. I don't own one so I can't speak from experience, but to some degree I imagine that the lack of mass appeal may even be what attracted some pan owners.

Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s one of those things If you know you know… I will say that from the outside looking in you can find more reason not to buy, however, once you get it on your wrist, spend some time and meet the people it’s a whole Nother perspective.

Just having owned 1 for about a month now, I am really surprised how well it wears. Despite the 44mm case, it sits flat on the wrist with minimal movement which I prefer. I have average wrist size at 17cm or about 6.7 inches. I guess I have some affinity to large case watches so I love rocking the Pam.

I guess a lot more enthusiasts prefer the smaller cased watches that though they love the brand, they cannot see themselves wearing one.

I think their reputation took a hit because of a lot of minor issues (movement, finishing downgrade, fakes). There is also the smaller watch trend that makes people not even consider panerai because of their size without having any experience trying them on. Plus the surge of new enthusiasts during covid (me included) dismissed the brand. Now I own one and i understand the paneristi. They are a tad overpriced but I think their iconic design makes them worth getting pre-owned.