ifraher
431
Coming full circle on Panerai
When I first became properly drawn to watches around 15 years ago Panerai were what really caught my attention, their aesthetic really spoke to me at the time. Like many collectors, the further into watches you get the more you tend to reject or avoid popular brands in favour of more individual interpretations.
Over the past year or so i've been pulled back to Panerai when it seems for various reasons many are abandoning them, with their smaller sizing and subtly evolving design language I think my next acquisition could be a Panerai. They haven't made what I consider the sweet spot yet, but they are closing in...
My ideal is a Radiomir 1940 case as it feels to me like it has the best attributes of both main lines, 40-42mm, manually wound, time only, no date. If the were to employ some recent gradient dials, but not the case ageing it's a winner for me. I'm not sure they have the movement for this in their manufacture?
Something like this at 42mm is my ideal. I don't think they are far away from creating it. I'll be keeping an eye on their output.
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Coming full circle on Panerai
When I first became properly drawn to watches around 15 years ago Panerai were what really caught my attention, their aesthetic really spoke to me at the time. Like many collectors, the further into watches you get the more you tend to reject or avoid pop...
I am with you 100%!
I can't stop staring at the 587 and 662, but at 47mm, they just don't work for me. A 42mm version would be an immediate buy. Such a watch would have previously been unthinkable for them, but is now absolutely in the line of things they seem to be doing, s...
Keep the aesthetics but scale down to modern tastes
I simply cannot wear a 47mm watch, if it was a grand complication I can understand but with so little going on visually the more compact the better. 42mm is still an imposing form given the sparsity and case thickness. I feel they are already implementing...
Maybe they should set up a custom order division
Things could get really interesting then.
Hello Ifraher: I understand your point. Though Panerai is historical caracterized by the big 47 mm size and Paneristi don´t see with satisfaction any variant smaller than that, but truth is that...
... there exist a large market of possible buyers who love their classic designs but don´t buy 47mm watches due to their personal tastes or small wrists. To capture this segment of market Panerai has been launching their smaller sized lines some time ago,...
Agreed. I would be very interested in such a model, especially with a solid caseback.
My wrists are not small (7.25 inches), but 45mm or 47mm is just too big for my comfort and simply too unsubtle. Cheers, John
I have written this many times....
...during the 15 years plus, I've been frequenting this forum. Naomi Campbell is 5' 10" tall. That's the ONLY size she comes in. To fantasize about a 5' or 5' 2" Naomi Campbell doesn't make sense to me. Should I be dreaming of a beautiful woman 5' or 5' 2...
I feel they have exhausted the 47/45mm format
If they want to grow as a brand they need to consider alternatives. I was not a potential customer and now I am as a result of their diversification, there are no shortage of giant pam's out there to keep the traditionalists happy.
Maybe you're not aware of the fact...
the commercial re-birth of Panerai happened thru 40mm models. PAM45-46-47-48-49-50-51 which were produced from 1999 onward, were ALL...40mm and were produced and sold in tens of thousands of pieces. All were automatic with date, some with dial that were s...
compelling analogy!
Following that analogy, people like ifraher and myself should just admit to ourselves: that woman is not for me.
I appreciate and respect your POV
And I do know for a fact that size is a matter of perception. Amazing how I’ve perceived 47mm Rads and Luminors to be adequate for my small wrists back then…and how 40mm vintage subs were deemed “odd” and “too small”. But the last decade has shed light an...
You know what I always thought would work?
A 40mm Luminor with a domed bezel, 3-6-9-12 sandwich dial maybe gold hands, minimal text on the dial. Just a solid workhorse movement and solid case back. A streamlined bracelet so that we keep the overall look of it more svelt and in line with other clas...
Initially I was also drawn to the simplicity and large size of most Panerai models. When the 372 came out I sold my 176 to help pay for one (I miss that 176!). Eventually I realized that the 372
and many other watches I had acquired were too big for me. I still liked the idea of a "big" Panerai but 44mm IS big on MY wrist so I replaced the 372 with a 44mm 562 since it's close in design aesthetics. I still enjoy wearing it (along with a 44mm 590) ...
I’m joining this thread so late, but I completely empathize with you.
Panerai was all the rave (up until 2013-14), and for good reasons. I got in at the wrong time and at the wrong price point (both personal choices/reasons) and I swore never to get back to the brand again when they kept issuing LE after LE. But I’ve recent...
I am a fan of the 8 Day Luminor
And a couple of other pieces in their collection or recently launched, the PAM524 I think, the central seconds chrono is quite interesting along with its ceramic brother.
