Post by Oisac on Feb 26, 2007 22:58:13 GMT -5
Panerai 112 (aka "Luminor Base")
I purchased this watch a few weeks ago from a grey market dealer in NYC. My original intent was to get it from one of the big guns (Tourneau, Wempe, etc) but nobody had it, so i wound up getting it from a non-authorized dealer. I got 10% off the old price and wound up paying a little over $3300. The watch came with box and papers, and is definitely the real thing.
There a lots of pics of this watch on the 'net and on various watch publications so there's no need for me to describe what it looks like. What I would like to do in this review is to talk about what eventually drew me to this watch.
To be perfectly honest, I was one of those people who scoffed at the whole "hockey puck on a wrist" watch phenomenon, and being cursed with a ridiculously small wrist for a guy didn't really help matters...I just wrote it off as a sly stallone /hollywood celeb fad that would soon be fad away...
After buying a whole bunch of watches including a TT Daytona, a Patek, Sinn EZM-1, Speedmaster, etc...I began to get a little burnt out with buying watches (just a teeny bit) since i couldn't find anything that spoke to me...
One day I read in a review of the Base in watchtime, which sparked an interest in panerai, but i still wasn't interested enough to spend over $3k on a unitas based watch.
Low and behold, after lurking around the Panerai forum here, and seeing all the enthusiasm behind this watch, and some great pics, i too started to get the fever...with the exception of chronos, i generally like time only watches so the Base fit the bill perfectly...something about the gleaming metal, and the crown guard coupled with the very simple face drew me to hit...so i had to have it...and as you now know, the rest is history...
the watch is surprising comfortable on my slightly under 6" wrist, and i find that i glance at the watch quite frequently...so clean and uncluttered. In spite of the fact that it's water resistant to almost 1000ft..i can't imagine anyone really diving with this...(maybe a rolex sub, or a seiko diver)...the Panerai (in spite of it's military heritage) is just too darn pretty to submerge in water...also the beautiful leather strap doesn't seem to home in the water...PAM 112 will always be a desk diver to me..
would i buy this watch again...YOU BET...it's absolutely gorgeous...having an exhibition back is really a big plus...if you get tired of looking at the front, just flip it over, and feast your eyes on the back....
PAM 112 is a joy to own and wear...another plus is that you really don't see it too often out in the public (unless your in Beverly hills or LA i suppose)...in the last 5 years I can only recall seeing 2 people with Pannys, (and i do like to see what's on everyone's wrist)
on a scale of 1 to 10...
beauty 10
usefullness as a diving watch 5
comfort 10
admiration from the ladies 10 (so i've heard)
accuracy 9-10 (difficult to say...no small seconds)
strap 10 (mine came with a beautiful matt black leather strap)...a real joy to wear
how it makes me feel 10...
panerai's are BIG watches and are not meant for the shy...it's really a watch that begs to be noticed....perfect to wear with a short sleeve shirt or tee shirt..i would consider this watch to be the watch of choice for a weekend of hanging out and having fun...
"is it overpriced?" just a tiny bit...if it starts to hit $4k then i think it will be a little too expensive
as reviewed by : ilovewatches
I purchased this watch a few weeks ago from a grey market dealer in NYC. My original intent was to get it from one of the big guns (Tourneau, Wempe, etc) but nobody had it, so i wound up getting it from a non-authorized dealer. I got 10% off the old price and wound up paying a little over $3300. The watch came with box and papers, and is definitely the real thing.
There a lots of pics of this watch on the 'net and on various watch publications so there's no need for me to describe what it looks like. What I would like to do in this review is to talk about what eventually drew me to this watch.
To be perfectly honest, I was one of those people who scoffed at the whole "hockey puck on a wrist" watch phenomenon, and being cursed with a ridiculously small wrist for a guy didn't really help matters...I just wrote it off as a sly stallone /hollywood celeb fad that would soon be fad away...
After buying a whole bunch of watches including a TT Daytona, a Patek, Sinn EZM-1, Speedmaster, etc...I began to get a little burnt out with buying watches (just a teeny bit) since i couldn't find anything that spoke to me...
One day I read in a review of the Base in watchtime, which sparked an interest in panerai, but i still wasn't interested enough to spend over $3k on a unitas based watch.
Low and behold, after lurking around the Panerai forum here, and seeing all the enthusiasm behind this watch, and some great pics, i too started to get the fever...with the exception of chronos, i generally like time only watches so the Base fit the bill perfectly...something about the gleaming metal, and the crown guard coupled with the very simple face drew me to hit...so i had to have it...and as you now know, the rest is history...
the watch is surprising comfortable on my slightly under 6" wrist, and i find that i glance at the watch quite frequently...so clean and uncluttered. In spite of the fact that it's water resistant to almost 1000ft..i can't imagine anyone really diving with this...(maybe a rolex sub, or a seiko diver)...the Panerai (in spite of it's military heritage) is just too darn pretty to submerge in water...also the beautiful leather strap doesn't seem to home in the water...PAM 112 will always be a desk diver to me..
would i buy this watch again...YOU BET...it's absolutely gorgeous...having an exhibition back is really a big plus...if you get tired of looking at the front, just flip it over, and feast your eyes on the back....
PAM 112 is a joy to own and wear...another plus is that you really don't see it too often out in the public (unless your in Beverly hills or LA i suppose)...in the last 5 years I can only recall seeing 2 people with Pannys, (and i do like to see what's on everyone's wrist)
on a scale of 1 to 10...
beauty 10
usefullness as a diving watch 5
comfort 10
admiration from the ladies 10 (so i've heard)
accuracy 9-10 (difficult to say...no small seconds)
strap 10 (mine came with a beautiful matt black leather strap)...a real joy to wear
how it makes me feel 10...
panerai's are BIG watches and are not meant for the shy...it's really a watch that begs to be noticed....perfect to wear with a short sleeve shirt or tee shirt..i would consider this watch to be the watch of choice for a weekend of hanging out and having fun...
"is it overpriced?" just a tiny bit...if it starts to hit $4k then i think it will be a little too expensive
as reviewed by : ilovewatches
