MichaelC
[AP Moderator]
18861
Nicolas summarizes it well. How the tide turned for this brand...
I bought my first PAM in 2001. It was difficult to get certain models. LEs announced in Spring would take 9-12 months or longer to come out. The brand was a fireball. Most everything sold near retail.
Then all the "re-editions", OOR series, saying a watch would never be made again to reappear a year later in a new color, etc.... these things killed the brand for guys like us.
Nowadays, there are some models that sporadically catch my eyes, but I don't plunge. Pricing, as you indicated, is so different... brand new models can be found at massive discounts.
I had many over the years, and settled on the 372 from the boutique when it launched years ago. Probably could not sell it for 1/2 of what I paid, but I love the watch, and it showcases all that was good about the brand for me.
More posts:
No flames , I used to be a fan
but then I sold and turned to other brands , however still interrested what has happened with the OP market , used to be it seemed to be they got the most loyal customer base , well performing secondary market and even better early and vintage prices . Bu...
Huuuuge topic. I am sure Sergio will chime in... To make it short...
1/ Panerai had a lot of fans in the early 2000's, the vintage and the pre vendome pieces were very hot, sought after, and people was fighting to get one, even the early Vendome pieces, since around 2005, let's say. 2/ From the mid 2000's to nowadays, two ...
Nicolas summarizes it well. How the tide turned for this brand...
I bought my first PAM in 2001. It was difficult to get certain models. LEs announced in Spring would take 9-12 months or longer to come out. The brand was a fireball. Most everything sold near retail. Then all the "re-editions", OOR series, saying a watch...
Another factor that didn’t help
Outside of OP’s internal shenanigans you also had a huge move towards large format dials which I believe OP and IWC benefitted from and a subsequent move back to 38-40 formats driven by the higher end independents. I think this also played a role for the ...
Thank you guys , I mean
feel pity for the brand , they are not the first and definetly not the least who became the victim of their own greediness
Interesting perspective. Hard for me to feel pity when a brand mendaciously abuses its customers, then suffers.
At the same time, and perhaps paradoxically, I do understand how love for a brand (perhaps more nostalgia than anything else) can be separated from the individuals who poorly manage the brand.
I feel zero pity for them
They had a good thing going and they manipulated and abused their customers as a means to an end.
An interesting discussion but is this strictly limited to Panerai? Somehow, I don’t think so.
Over the years, IWC, JLC, AP, etc. all have issued various versions of certain watch models that were thought to be somewhat unique.
If you are not familiar with the PAM 318 controversy you can google it
None of the other brands you mentioned did anything remotely like OP (imho). I don’t think there is a fair comparison to be made.
From a clueless and amateur point of view....
They all look the same or similar, lol, apologize in advance if I offended the diehard and big collectors. An expensive or rare model can have a cheaper version that looks the same so that is a no for me, although some may like this devilish level of deta...
Indeed ,they should limit their
Output in 3-4k ,double the retail price and outsource the mvmnt as before they did ,they d be still on the top.
It's a Pandora's box....
you've opened, by asking the question The short version: the bubble exploded BEFORE a new grass roots layer of Panerai lovers could be formed. In MY PERSONAL OPINION; the early days, hard core Panerai enthusiasts (the ones that used to go unearth the vint...
The boutiques are empty.
AD that lost the franchise has placed every watch on clearance. Yikes!
