Officine Panerai

hamz
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My first Panerai, shall I or not? (PAM233 GMT)

Hi chaps,

On owning a Rolex 8 years now, i over heard some work people talking about Panerais. Not ever having heard of Panerai it raised my interest so i started looking into it. I soon realised that these watches are just so hard to get hold of, it has grown my desire to own one even more.

One thing that that really appeals to me about the Pams are that the average street guy wouldn't have a clue as to what they are. Because of its simple design, it can be passed as a normal watch to the passerby.

On making a decision to buy a Pam, the focus was on which one i should buy. Seeing that i have a DateJust, i needed a Pam that at least had the date on the face. So a majority of base models were not an option. So I started looking at Luminor Power Reserve PAM241. On reading some reviews and talking to some people, they advised that i opt for the 44mm version despite my thin wrist, so i focused on the PAM90. I gave myself some time to convince myself that this is a reasonable price to pay.

I then started calling dealers to ask if there were any available, but found it harder and harder to find. One dealer suggested that i pop in and have a look at similar models, so i did. This is where the problem arose, the assistant brought the Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT (PAM233). I put it on, and that was it, i was hooked.

The question i have to struggle with is, do i shell out twice the amount i originally thought about paying for a Panerai?

If i venture into a higher end watch like the GMT, then its natural for my mind to wander into what else i can purchase for the same value.

Can any of you offer some advice?