UPDATEDMy apology, I neglected to add the value category to thsi review, and have updated accordingly.
The Review: Panerai 323 Radiomir 10 days Vs. IWC Big Pilot 7 days.
Vs.
The Watches; an Introduction: Similar to the watches in my first comparison review, these two watches are categorized differently, one is a Pilots watch while the other is a Divers watch. They are similar however in many ways, as they are both descendants of legendary war instruments, the Big Pilot was specifically designed to be used in air missions during the second World War, and the Radiomir was built to assist in underwater missions in the same World War. They both have excellent modern movements and are finished and marketed as luxury items with their clean dials, unique looks, and large crowns. I feel these watches could very well attract the same buyer due to their similarities and similar price point (street AD prices in the $11k-12k), hence this review.
Brand History and Legitimacy: Both brands have a long and prestigious history of making timekeeping instruments that where meant to be used in the harshest of conditions, IWC is the older brand and has expanded into the civilian market early on while Panerai has had very little change in their offering from an aesthetic standpoint, but has focused almost purely on the technical. Although IWC has had a large variation on some classic models, to the extent that adamant advocates of originality would call these modern versions blasphemous, unlike Panerai who have always catered to their hardcore fans and stuck to producing small quantities of the same basic 3 designs, the fact is IWC has had numerous achievements and showcased some very impressive ingenuity and technical prowesses.
Both brands are icons of the watch world, and I cant give the edge to one over the other in my view.
Winner: Tie!
Movement Features: The Panerai Radiomir 10 Days has a tremendous 10 days power reserve made possible by the unusual and innovative energy accumulator which consists of three spring barrels, two of which are located one of top of the other and the third connected through a gear train, and thus enabling the remaining power to be indicated on the, well, power indicator
Panerai watches have historicly been equipped with movements that contain an unusually high power reserve rating, such as the legendary Angulus 8 Day movements back in the day, this heritage is extended today with the frankly awesome 10 days movement. Some would say that an automatic movement with an unusual long power reserve is a useless complication as the movement would self replenish its power reserve and hence the extended reserve would not be useful and, the fact that the extended power reserve would eliminate wear from manual winding on a watch is also negated by its automatic nature. I disagree, most people today maintain a few nice watches, certainly those who would know what a Panerai 323 is in the first place, and having the option to rotate the watch in the collection one a week or longer without resetting the time is a very convenient feature. Also, many complications are there not simply for practical reasons, such as the pretty useless and visually amazing tourbillions.
The movement consists of 296 parts, 212 of them unique. One of my favorites aspects of this movement is that the four micro screws diametrically opposed to each other and enable balance rate adjustments. I also love the concept of the "magic click", coupled with the sawtooth wheel enables the watch to be constantly wound whether the oscillating weight is turned clockwise or anti-clockwise and thus is constantly storing energy. Honestly, this movement has got its power reserved covered!
As can be expected from a movement of this caliber, all other high end movement features and technologies are present. The KIF Parachoc device to protect against shock, Glucydur balance, etc
I had indicated my take on the IWC calibre in my earlier review, and will simply paste that here since the movements are identical:
The IWC has been outfitted with the spectacular (in theory and design) caliber 51111, a 42 jewel 8.5 day power reserve behemoth measuring in at and producing 21,600 vibrations per hour. Although the movement has a rating of over 8.5 days, an ingenious mechanism stops the watch when it has 36 hours remaining to prevent the unavoidable decrease in torque as the mainspring winds down and the resultant significant decrease in accuracy. Hence the 7 day power indicator on the dial.
The other main feature of the Calibre 51111 movement is the much touted Pellaton Winding System, originally created by the IWC Technical Director, Albert Pellaton in the 1940's. In contrast to standard watch design, the movement of the rotor is not transmitted to a wheel train via a gear system but through a cam which increases the durability of the rotor wheel.
Although both movements are impressive, the Panerai gets the nod both in terms of number of features and how impressive they are.
Winner: Panerai!
Case Finishing:This is a difficult one to compare, for one thing the Panerai has a polished finish while the IWC has a polished and mostly brushed case. I find that Panerai's polishing to be superior to that of the IWC, but the brushed work on most IWC watches to be superior. Weather I compare them one to one or as brands, the IWC has the lead here.
Winner: IWC!
Case Construction: Both watches are extremely well built and feel like they could take some punishment with no ill effects. That said, they do not feel as rugged as more functional sport watches such as the Deepsea, Ploprof, or even the Luminor or Ingeniure models. The Big Pilot caseback seems to the only weak point on the watch in terms of structure, and the Panerai seems like it is a bit better engineered in that regard. Not enough to win a point though.
Winner: Tie!
Watch Features: Both watches have the date and a circular power reserve indicator features, while the Panerai adds a second time zone, day/night indicator,and a seconds reset to allow for precise date setting. The power reserve on the Panerai is also 3 days longer. Very easy to choose the winner here.
Winner: Panerai!
Technical Movement Finishing: Panerai has always shown great attention to detail when it comes to technical movement finishing, and have very high standards in that regard. The parts of the movement exhibit excellent polishing techniques and chambered edges.
The IWC however is known for having higher standards and their personnel are much more experienced than that of Panerais, even though the techniques are fairly similar in that regard. And I feel comfortable giving the Big Pilot the nod in this category
Winner: IWC!
Decorative Movement Finishing: Panerai has usually applied what they call "tool watch" finishing to their movements, which is their own standard of visually upgrading their movements without any flamboyance or overly decorative details. The theory behind this is that their watches have always been instruments with an elegant and discreet look and as such, the movements should mirror that character. That leaves only some level of work to be done visually, but what is doen to the movements shows fantastic attention to detail! The brushed grain on the structural parts looks fantastic and is nicely accented by the chambered edges and beautiful polished screws! The polished heads of the screws sparkle against the fine finish of the bridges in a way that has to be seen!
The oscillating weight is also finely brushed and the engravings in blue are a very nice touch as they match the blued screws found on the sides. All in all, I would say the movement looks vert refined, elegant, and purposeful. Not unlike the watch itself.
The IWC on the other hand shows similar attention to detail, but a more involved decorative technique. The different brushing techniques offer a stunning contract and tons of visual appeal as the eye moves from one part to the other, brushed, circular brushed, polished, its all there! The use of a solid gold oscillating weight and the blue screws offer a striking medley of colors seen only in the most involved of watch movements, and is almost never present at a watch in this price point. As fantastic as the Panerai finishing is, the IWC remains unmatched in this category.
Winner: IWC!
Overall Reliability: The Radiomir 323 has offered me the same experience as every other Panerai I have owned, consistent accuracy and reliability! Their quality control must be excellent as I rarely hear of anyone complaining in that regard, and I have owned over 12 different Panerai watches, spanning their entire movement range, and none with any issues whatsoever.
The IWC Big Pilot however, shares the same unfortunate flaw as the BI, and is a hopelessly inaccurate watch. I have handed both in to IWC several times, and it seems they just want me to go away at this point. The Big Pilot gains about 20 seconds a day.
Winner: Panerai!
Bracelet/Strap: Panerai watches seem to have a strange, and infinitely enjoyable, strap culture attached to them for some reason! Panerai offers an unusually large array of options for their watches, and this particular model comes with their very best option, the "JV" Nubuck strap in tan. Their deployant clasps are horrendous little things that seemed to be designed by torture fetishist as they are curved at such an angle that you would have to have a wrist the size of a pencil to enjoy wearing them. Thankfully this watch comes on the excellent Panerai buckle, which is shaped as the original buckles but is nicely polished and reduced in size to match the watches elegant character.
The IWC does come on a deployant buckle, and a comfortable one at that. Unfortunately the deployant does not have a safety mechanism which I always find odd and dangerous as the watch can relatively easily be unsecured. The strap itself is very high quality indeed and matches the spirit of the Big Pilot, though I do not like the fake alligator design so much. I do however, find the brushed metal buttons on the strap to be very attractive and their construction and finishing show great attention to detail.
Not easy to find a clear winner here, none seem to be significantly better than the other in this regard.
Winner: Tie!
Readability: The IWC has a large, relatively clean dial with an excellent crystal and AR coating, the hands are large and well defined, while the Panerai Radiomir hands are smaller and have a silver outline that decreases legibility a bit. On the other hand, the Panerai crystal is also excellent and has a far cleaner dial, the circular power reserve indicator is a simpler design and clutters the dial far less as well. Additionally, the large numerals and sandwhich dial turns the Radiomir into a torch in the dark that can be read a mile away and seals the win for the Radiomir.
Winner: Radiomir.
Value: Both watches are on the higher end price point and are a considerable investment. The Panerai has superior resale and tends to be an easier sell due to its limited production as opposed to the Big Pilot's relatively mass produced status. The Big Pilot does offer a more involved movement in tearms of technology and movement decoration that is unrivaled in this price point and can be viewed as very good value in that regard, especially when compared to the Panerais lack of elaborate decoration.
Still, the Panerai offers far more feautures for the money and a significantely longer power reserve, and is ultimately a far more exlusive offering. This is one area where bias is almost unavoidable, but I am leaning towards the Panerai here.
Winner: Panerai
The Panerai wins over the Big Pilot with a 5:3 finish and a number of ties, I honestly start these reviews with no idea how they will turn out. I try to measure the watches on each category separately and tally the final count when I am done. Unlike my previous review, I did however have a strong feeling that the Panerai would win as it truly is a fantastic watch but could be further improved with a brushed and polished finish as opposed to the all polished finish, and although I respect that Panerai have a theory to their tool finishing I would like to see some more involved work done in that area. The IWC could use some improvements, most importantly in the reliability section and the other area it loses in, Readability, might be a subjective point as some people prefer complicated dials with tons of interest over legibility. Over all both are fantastic watches and I would highly recommend them both if not for the IWC's history of poor timekeeping.
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