amanico
[JLC Moderator]
400012
Some thoughts on the new Panerai Luminor Marina Militare PAM 5218.
At the " reissue game", Panerai is very good. We can even say that when they revisit their past, they often do it in a very good way.
There are a lot of references which are revisiting the past. The 372, the 587, the 662, the 127, the 21, the Mare Nostrum 42 mm ( reissue of the Pre Vendome " 301/A " and the Mare Nostrum PAM 300, a faithful reproduction of the Prototype from 1943, the PAM 249, and now, the 5218, the reissue of a watch considered as a Grail for many Panerai lovers, the 5218-202/A, the famous Pre Vendome Marina Militare, in its non matching configuration.
The non matching dial was caused by a reaction of the lacquer used at that time, in 1993. A happy accident, which was quickly corrected by Panerai in their 201/A ( Logo Pre Vendome ) and 202/A ( Marina Militare ) dials. Non matching dials are characterized by the amber orange indices and the white lume of the hands.
Here is a Pre Vendome 5218-202/A Marina Militare Non Matching, one I had the pleasure to own:
And here, two with the more " common " matching dial:
The difference is visible. Both have non matching hands, but THE Non Matching is the one with amber orange indices.
Now, we'll see that the new 5218 Marina Militare is very close to the Pre Vendome, but with some noticeable differences.
1/ The case:
Here we have a case with the same size ( 44 mm ) in steel, but with a darker hue. And it is not PVD coated anymore. Indeed, the steel case is DLC coated, now. Not a big deal, and the DLC will probably be more resistant to scratches and dings than PVD.
44 mm: Good or bad?
47 mm is the natural size for a Panerai, but here, as it is a Pre Vendome evocation, I am happy with the 44 mm case.
I don't have information about the thickness, but it should be around 14 mm, as was the Pre Vendome Marina Militare.
The case back is solid and is a clear evocation of the Pre Vendome, too:
2/ The dial:
The dial is the heart, the soul of this watch, as it was already the case for the Pe Vendome Marina Militare. I love these white " magic " 4 lines, on this dial, its texture, the fact that it is said to be non matching, We are very close to the original, here, with a difference, the font of the Marina Militare, especially the A and the E.
The new one has these delicious closed 6 and 9, very sensuous, and these fat numbers. A feast for the eyes. But it has a lighter color than the Pre Vendome one which is more orange. I would have preferred a darker color on the new one... But from some real photos I've seen, it seems that the non matching look seems more pronounced than on the official photos... To be checked...
3/ The movement:
Exit the ETA 6497 housed in the Pre Vendome, welcome the much more modern Cal P6000, which is also manual winding, but which offers a longer autonomy, 72 hours versus circa 46...
CONCLUSION:
This new Marina Militare will not be as limited as the Pre Vendome was ( 140 pieces only for the 202/A versus annual production for the new one ). Which is a good thing! But a bad thing is that it is available from the Boutiques only...
The water resistance is the same: 300 meters, which will allow us to enjoy it in all conditions. They didn't make the same mistake as those " historical " references which were sometimes limited to... 30 meters! ( See the PAM 249, for example... )
Priced at 8500 Euros ( VAT included ) or 8800 USD ( VAT excluded ), I am pretty sure it will receive a warm welcome, even from those long term fans who were desperating to see something exciting coming from this brand.
I am convinced. Better, I am excited by this one, and I just want one!
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,
Best,
Nicolas
Some thoughts on the new Panerai Luminor Marina Militare PAM 5218.
At the " reissue game", Panerai is very good. We can even say that when they revisit their past, they often do it in a very good way. There are a lot of references which are revisiting the past. The 372, the 587, the 662, the 127, the 21, the Mare Nostrum...
You said Panerai is very good
...at the reissue game, but how hard can it be for them? Some feel all their watches look the same 🤣 On serious note, this one is quite attractive, only unsure how will owners of the originals feel with such reissues.
Excellent write up. Panerai executed this model very well.
Could have gotten more money had they made a retro-inspired wood case that doubles as a humidor.
That really is a stunning looking old school Panerai.
It really does have a very strong vintage vibe and look to it which I think is a good thing and thank you for your post that goes into all the small details about this watch. IMO the choice of DLC over PVD makes sense as the DLC is a newer and better tech...
Thank you for this comparative review.
I hadn’t noticed some of the differences between the original and this reissue, which is very close to. Still, the biggest difference which you point out (and which I have seen on other live wrist shots) is that the numbers are indeed not as dark [orange]...
Immidiately?
Not quite. The first batch consisting of 100 pieces featured exclusively the non-matching dial, except for two pieces which were later updated with matching dials. On the 202, the dial issue was only solved with the 2d batch from late 1994 (50 pieces) whi...
Gorgeous
Picked up mine last week here in Milan Here with a DLC cousin (PAM00594) Love it (love both actually) ...
Last time I bought a oa eraf from an AD was about 10 years ago.
And even worse I sold everything I had around the same year (2015?) During 10 years I had not 1 single panerai while I used to have a lot of them between 2000 and 2015 The last 12 months I have them once again a chance and bought 2 secondhand pieces. Main...
If only ….
If only they had taken the trouble to create a nice box instead of that hideous junk they’re using now. It looks exactly like a cheap plastic lunchbox you’d give to a 10-year-old to take to school. If even ChatGPT can create thieving a few seconds ...
Thank you for the review
I only have 1 Panerai so far, the PAM 390. I really enjoy it and would want to add to my collection. This review is informative in highlighting the historical significance of the original version, the similarities and differences of the reissue, and how w...
Firstly, I like it....
...I also think it will sell like hot cakes! The glamour will, however, not last as much as the 372. This because a DLC is a bit more "boring" than a s/s one, after a while. I don't see people, queueing around the block, for this one (like it happened for...
Nice pictures and review Nicolas -- thank you!
I like this reissue quite a lot. I actually really like the color of the indices and numbers -- not quite as orange as the original. I do, however, prefer the lighter case color of the original. The new one is very dark and lacks a bit of the in-between l...
Nice review and thank you.
Several commenters stated that many of the references look the same, but somehow and for some reason, I am currently intrigued by collecting some of the classic 47mm references, having acquired four of such references (368, 587, 662 and 687) in the past t...
It's not always about the competition
In this case, the 5218 is practically a base Luminor with a DLC coated case and a slightly fancier dial. Base Luminor with P6000 is $5900 5218 with P6000 is $8800 Is the 5218 worth an increase of $2900 over the base? I have a hard time answering yes.
Ah, the latest Richemont trend...
Started with IWC then Vacheron and now Panerai. Maybe other brands too...🤔
Wonderful post about the new 5218 dear Nicolas, and very interesting reading the comments in the thread from our friends here. I regret I didn`t read this post before but I had been ...
... a bit far from our dear Forum lately. I´m still waiting the call from my friends at the Boutique for mine which was promised for late September or October. Patience is a virtue we collectors need to cultivate! Thank you for sharing your view of this m...
