The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Is it me or is anyone else confused with Panerai? I really like how simple they look however there are just too many damn pieces ,and all the model numbers confuse me. They for the most part all look alike , but I just cant grasp which one I am looking at when I see one, it not like a Breitling or Rolex, when you see one you know what it is. I have been looking at them ever since Altair posted his collection ,and cant seem to stop looking at them. Why are so many manual wind ,and not auto? I really like the base models 000 and 111 but they are all manual wind ,and I am too lazy for a manual, Anyone chime in ?

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One Watch At A Time.

Sure - pay the kid next door $5/day to come over and wind your watch.

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SHARKMAN

5$ would get your trash taken to the curb out here. Kids want 20$ to shovel a walk now a days. The kids today are all rotten apples..

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One Watch At A Time.

yeah, i know a couple models, but ita all greek for the most part

I was pretty confused at first, but if you can break it down into categories its a lot easier.
Radiomirs and Luminors.
Radiomirs have the little diamond crown. I dont like them, so I ignore that category altogether.
Luminors are the ones with the crown guard.

Then you break down to sandwich dials and painted dials.

Then there are the 1950's Luminor case and the regular Luminor case.

The manual wind aspect has something to do with the history of the brand. Doesnt work for me.

They all pretty much look the same; they just have different features. Just figure out which features you want and then look for a model that has them.
I wanted:

Luminor
1950 case
sandwich dial
date
no cyclops
automatic
display back

That narrowed it down to mostly a 312 or a 320.
Ended up with Sharkman's 320.

Although many love the 000, it doesnt have a sandwich dial which is an absolute must have for a PAM, imo.

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-RJ

Let's just hope one of them isn't taking care of you in your dotage.

I'm with you on the confusing nature of Panerais. I'm starting to understand them a little better, but only a little. RJ's breakdown is pretty helpful, though. Speaking of which, can anyone explain the difference between a sandwich dial and a painted dial? Thanks.

Sandwich is when two layers of dial are the bread, and they sandwich the layer of lume in between. Painted dials just have lume applied on top of the dial like most watches.

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-RJ

So the ones with recessed lettering and numbers are the sandwich dials. I had heard that, but I never knew why. Thanks.

That is a great breakdown!!! I too only like the Luminor ,the Rad has the small crown ,and just doesn't do it for me like the Luminor. I think I may end up getting the 104 in the near future, I saw the 312 and 320 ,359 all look fantastic , but I cant find heart to drop a min of 6k on a basic looking watch. The 104 sells for about 3800 used , while the 312,320,359 all command 6k and above ,and there isn't that much of a difference in my eyes to warrant the price difference, but then again I am not a Pan aficionado to tell the the difference .

I would of never thought in a million years I would like the Pan, but the more I visited this site ,and saw folks post theirs pics, they have turned me into a fan.

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One Watch At A Time.

You need to see them in person and compare them side by side then you will be able to see a difference. The 312, 320, 359 all have the 1950 style case which is my opinion is the nicest case that Panerai makes. The sides are brushed perfectly and the bezel is polished. These models also have Panerai's in house movement and sandwhich dials. That's why they command 6k+. There is no comparision between a 104 and the models you mentioned in my opinion. I personally feel that the Luminors in the base polished case are quite ugly while the polished Radiomir base cases are beautiful.

To answer the OP, yes Panerai's are very confusing at first, but the more you get 'into' them and start handling them in person and researching them you will become familiar with the different styles and model numbers and they will start looking much different. At first I thought they were all disguistingly ugly, they all looked the same, and I swore I'd never own one. Now I'm search of my second one...and I have it narrowed down to the one I want.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

What about this Radiomir? Except for the absurd size (60mm), it's easily the best looking Rad I've seen, and I think I actually like it better than most Luminors. (And it even has a sandwich dial, RJ. ) If it were in a 42-44mm size, that would be the PAM I'd want.


Pic borrowed from H2F's thread.

What is most confusing is why anyone buys these watches.

As always, to each his own. Factoring in price, yeah, I've got to wonder too. For the green, I'm not sure that's the way I'd go. But if price weren't an issue, I'd certainly be inclined to get one, maybe more; I think some of them are great. They're certainly distinctive.

Give it time...you will come around. There are a lot of members on this site that started out as strong "haters" of Panerai (me included). I have since grown to really like them, and am looking to get my first. The brand has a way of wearing people down, and Altair's posts don't help the situation any.

60MM! THATS INSANE!!! PERFECT FOR ME!