Officine Panerai

Hi, As there has been lot of talk in the forum on teh PAM 317 Ceramic durablity. After getting my PAM 317 after a long wait, I recently also got a yellow strap for it and watch looked amzing, but my mistake I dropped my PAM 317 from 3ft on a hard floor an...  

Sorry to hear the news but it looks like the crown protector did the job intended. Looks like an easy fix for Panerai. You could probably get the part from your ad and replace it yourself. No down time. Bill

I wish it was as simple, if you look carefully the bezel is also chipped just above where the crown protector is attacehd to teh wtach, so seems due to the shock the crown protector chipped the bezel.

I did not mean to diminish your pain or the damage. It may be a good test case "case study" for Panerai so I am sure they will be happy to work on a solution to solve the problem. How about the actual functions of the watch was there a noticeable impact t... 

no probs ...i have not really checked the performance, i am waiting for my AD to contact PANERAI and know the next step and if it has to go in then better they will check everything and service it.

And thanks for info about the ceramic shock durability. Hope Panerai can fix it for you quickly. - Anthony

Hope so as well.....I have 2 panerais PAM 317 and PAM 26 and i very much like the brand. But now a real test of how PANERAI after sales service is! do they just sell these high end watches or will carry thru with the service/fixing.... FINGERS CROSSED....... 

So the Panerai Service Center should pull through fine. Just don't expect this repair to be free Cheers, Anthony

Your pam took a bounce and i also hope you get a quick repair... What i do not understand is why you portraying a material that is 5 times harder than Stainless Steel to be VERY..VERY..DELICATE...? Shit happens..we fix it and move on... imho

It may be 5 times harder but my Rolex S/S daytona which my wife now wears has been banged dropped by my kids many times and still withstand without a chip / crack, as my kids get hold of that easily it has taken bigger falls then the PAM 317 took. Ceramic... 

Although Ceramic is 5 times harder than steel, it does tend to crack when banged with a strong enough force. The best thing about a ceramic piece is that it is almost scratch proof... so under normal circumstance, it is almost impossible to damage a ceram... 

And I do sincerely hope you are able to receive a repair at a fair price.It would be nice to be a free repair but I doubt it as the damage is your fault (not on purpose). I am so glad that the asylum I reside in for watch lunatics has rubber floors and wa... 

though, i think dropping a watch from three feet to the floor is not something that i would expect to do. yes, ceramic is *relatively* more brittle than stainless steel, but my view is that its scratch resistance ability compared to steel makes it a much ... 

and this would be very interesting to see how it plays out... there is probably a chance that they charge you for the case replacement... looking forward to update...thanks for posting... again..so sorry...ouch...

Good to know that the Ceramic is hard but brittle as well. PAt

They should be able to fix the crown guard and replace the bezel. I think they will also check the movement and regulate it for you. Always the norm when a watch is dropped.

In fact, I was playing with my 317 when I saw those pics. Hope Panerai can get your watch fixed real soon. Regards, Blue

Got 292 and 317, I am very careful where wearing them. I wish yours a speedy recovery! Nien

I really hope Richemont can fix it and give it to you speedily!

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Please keep us update. Cheers

... I hope that Panerai shows some compassion and, after already charing you USD25,600 for the watch, repair this at a price which equals the cost of the materials only, and not add a hefty margin to it. Anyways, most important is that they fix is, and th... 

zomg, that is terrible!! i LOVE that 317 (and it looks brilliant on that yellow strap, btw.) hope you can get it fixed soon.

Hopefully, OP service centre has the spare crown guard...if not, you may have to wait patiently for it.. Regards,

So sorry that you had to experience something like that Gene

it cracks this easily...Very disturbing..I´d never buy a ceramic watch..3 feet is nothing and the watch is destroyed allready..What use does a crownprotector have when in fact it won´t be able to hold any beating at all....Very poor in my book..... 

It´s 5 times harder then steel but if I were to drop a steel panerai from the same height I would hardly have any damage..Makes you wonder if they should continue using this material on so called tool watches...Guillermo

I think my heart might have skipped a beat when I saw the picture. Indeed sorry to hear of the incident. May I be so blunt to ask of the material of your flooring? Was it marble? Wishing you best of luck in terms of fixing the piece.

sorry it happend to your Watch. .i'm SURE Panerai will fix it. . but Strange is that i always thought Ceramic is Tough. (it is in a way but looks Brittle too)..maybe next time try to strap it on over your Bed of some Soft Surface. Cheers Tony

you were Lucky that the Lugs didn't take the shock .!! otherwise it would've cost you an entire Case replacement Vs the Crown Guard & Bezel.! Cheers T

seem to be the appropriate material for a tool watch..For those who missed it from the pics the case needs to be replaced completaly. There is a big chunck missing between crownguard (wich is also destroyed) and case..A tool watch that cracks after a fall... 

... as even a steel/precious metal watch can be seriously damaged by a fall from the same height if it just hits the ground at the wrong angle. I have seen a friend's Patek (and a very expensive one it was...) fall from his wrist and there was a serious d... 

Tony

Please let us know what's the deal with the watch... I think many people like to know!

All of you who wanted to know, No Panerai is not doing the repair for free or even giving a discount....... just received estimate for repair Aed 16k or US$ 4,500/ see attached estimate. Actually i am more glad that the watch will be fixed, but what i was...  

Hopefully Panerai will get things right after reading your post. I'm suprised you expected a discount on the servicing. Remember you were the one who dropped the watch on the floor, so I don't think any discount of service is warranted at all. If I bought... 

I was not even expecting a discount, I only mentioned about discount in my last post bcs many people Suggested that bcs such an expensive watch meantshould not shatter by 3ft drop and the crown protector attachment damage the case. But as you mentioned ab... 

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Yes, as Guillermo states, there is a chunk missing from the case, don't understand why people are missing this. The crown guard, case and bezel need to be replaced. If this happened to my $26K watch I would freak out! I am so curious as to how Panerai dea... 

do you mean this Crack ??! (outlined in Pink ) i think i missed that.! i just couldn't figure out what that thing was. so now it looks like a chunk of the Case broke off.!? they may have to learn the Secret from IWC on how to make a Tougher Ceramic Case l...  

Speaking of Top gun. It is a really good watch. I have the double chrono version now in the service. I had a similar situation that I dropped my top gun around 4-5 high. I quickly picked it up after the incident, inspecting the whole case. NOTHING, not ev... 

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C'mon..I´d go to the AD and ask for a replacement at their costs to be honest....I didn´t read in the instructions manual that this particular panerai model can´t be considered a tool watch...If you promote a watch material being 5 times st... 

This message has been edited by edwardwchang on 2011-11-12 09:55:25

Sorry about that. I wouldn't have guessed that that could happen from simply dropping it on the floor. Hope you can get it fixed soon. Cheers, Martin

hope it will be fixed asap, and it doesnt affect the maincase.made me more careful with my own ceramic watches.

And their dislike for thermal and mechanical schocks. I also did ruin some ceramic brakes so i am really careful with my ceramic watches. Feel sorry and i hope that Panerai does professionally manage the problem. Cheers.Luc

First let me offer my sincerest sympathies. Seriously. Please return the sympathy for my smashed Submersible crystal (fell face down off a restaurant washroom sink onto a terrazzo floor a few years ago), and my dented/popped off Rolex GMT II bezel (hooked... 

Wow ! i really sympathise with you, not 1 but 2 watches.... i guess if a watch is dropped on crystal glass face it is bound to get damaged. My watch fell flat on itis back from chair height so 2-3ft and landed on its back, i saw it falling and followed wi... 

When you have the crown-guard/lever replaced, do you think you could take some photos of the cracked parts? It will provide some information as to the nature to the nature of the material and whether the response was reasonable. Thanks! And I hope all the... 

Though no one want to see it happen, it sets a good stage for Panerai to show us their customer service. Hope you will soon receive a brand new case! joseph

when it comes back from repair it will be looking like new again. I hope Panerai takes care of you.

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hi VA its sad to hear this, im very certain that PANERAI will live up to its expectation and sincerely would try finding solution. GOOD LUCK.....

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I'm also waiting to see how good/bad Panerai's after-sale service is on my 317. Here's what happened: bought my 317 last month...my first Pam...and then attempted to change its strap the day after I bought it...unscrewed one of the screws of the strap...w... 

. . . to the point of failure is not covered by warranty. No way. Service technicians use only light torque combined with a tiny droplet of Loctite. It's also really rare to encounter a defective screw bar of any kind. Has to happen sometime though, so ma... 

I really hope it will get fixed as soon as possible. Sam

Very sorry to hear about your Pam cracking it just goes to show the ceramic has great hardness but poor toughness making it brittle. If it makes you feel better I've known sapphire and even acrylic watch glasses crack when dropped on a hard tiled floor. A... 

First of all, Awesome watch! really great timepiece Second, I'm sorry bout the damage Third, Thats the risk we take when buying a Ceramic watch, Its surface is very hard but at the same time very brittle Keep us updated on how the story continues

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the case cost some pretty pennies ... best of luck with the fix. i still don't fully buy in the idea of ceramic case in watches. i personally had a bad experience with one of them (small brand, not panerai nor IWC). but i rather live with a few scratches ... 

Just to update all of you who are intrested :- BAD NEWS Is that Pannerai called to say that they are having problem with prodcution with crown protector so the repair will take longer then expected new date is Feb 2011. GOOD NEWS is that i was pleasently ... 

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a small gesture or token from the company can be very rewarding to the brand, don't understand why some brand manager and marketers never get that!

I found this extremely valuable post while researching my next panerai purchase. and I am very curious as to how it all turned out.

I'm so sorry that happened. Apparently, it isn't as durable as you would have expected. I always thought the ceramic PAMs were made in ceramic-coated steel.