Officine Panerai

[PAM249] [PAM448] In my opinion, these are the consummate Panerai Cali dials -- 47mm SS Radiomir case with plexiglas and blue hands. I know some prefer the gold hands of the 376 (Oro Bianco) or 424, but blue hands, in my books, are more traditionally rela...  

Stainless steel case, and robust movement, which is all I need when ti comes to a Cali. Agreed on the blue hands. They are more " historical " even I wonder if they didn't also exist in gold... Best, and bravo for this nice write up. Nicolas

You mean the P3000 in the 448 is not as robust a movement as the OP X? How so?

So I won't say it is not reliable, I just don't know. No, in a certain way, I much prefer a rugged movement in a rugged watch, and that is what I meant. Sorry for not having been clear. Best, Nicolas

Just not sure if the 249 is supposed to be 'rugged' anymore! ;)

I enjoyed your study fo all things Cali. I still favour the 249/262 though. Maybe because I don't agree with the (too) many rivisitations of this splendid dial. Ciao - Sergio

I do share your sentiment about the multiple Cali rehash, something that I had originally thought was irreverent to such a classic. But then, this is Panerai, which, assumably, can do no wrong. ;)

my taste and Panerai's business needs and choices, do not necessarily...coincide. I have no qualms, nor any beef against Richemont for producing whatever they feel they'll be able to sell and which will bring more attention to their products. In their sho... 

I would go with the 448, because of the superior in-house movement and ecru markers. I think it is a richer, more desirable piece of the two.

Hi Stefan, thanks for your feedback, may I ask what makes you think the P.3000 is superior?

I don;t always prefer, but increasingly lean towards in-house movements, especially when we have an increasing number of unique movement choices out there nowadays. We're living during a great time of in-house movement innovation and production which to m... 

My, I am finding it a little hard to follow the sequence of posts, with the latest not necessarily at the bottom! Anyway, like Jester and Nic also said, time will tell if the P.3000 is a 'better' movement. In a way, it already is, if you consider such sma... 

A case of technicality?

If you ask me, my preference, in this case, for Panerai, will always be the original one... Same thought as Nicolas... The ETA Movement is I'm sure a more robust one, and to add, closer in design to the vintage Rolex movement used in the vintage pieces...... 

Know what you mean about the dirty dials. It's more subtle on a sandwich dial, like the 372, otherwise, I too find it a bit overwhelming.

They keep producing the same model but different metal and all limited edition. Just my opinion. Cheers Adi

448 without a doubt. I was never really a big fan of the ETA movement so I was actually kicking around the idea of replacing the 249 with 376. But the lack of blue hands was deterring me a wee bit then a little bird told me that something better was comin... 

because it doesn't house an ETA movement. - AT

Hi there Anthony and Jester, from a historical perspective, the OP X (an ETA gut) is closer to the Cortebert/Rolex 618, used in the Cali 3646 -- 249's great-grandfather -- than the P.3000. I'm still unsure about why some people are saying that the ETA is ...  

Just because the ETA is closer to the Cortebert/Rolex 618 doesn't mean it has historic connections in my book. It's not the same movement so there's no "sort of" connection for me. It's either you have the Rolex movement or you don't. That's how I view hi... 

http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/xx92/_efftee/249.jpg For what it's worth, I've decided to go back to the 249. Partially because it has just that bit more history (read 'age') and mostly because I don't want to wait for the 448! And since I found out th...  

Must admit this is the first time I've heard that one can buy only ONE SE...

If I was on multiple wait lists and managed to get a watch from one of the lists, I would then lose my place on those other lists. Anyone else been told the same thing?

I had the 249 and love it! But after a while, the movement bothered me a bit and I sold it. Now I am awaiting the release of the 448. However, as I journey down my path in Panerai/watch collecting, I am beginning to covet the 249 again. Yes, I am a confli... 

I think I am experiencing the same conflict. If it's any consolation, the 249 is freely available in the market these days. Not sure if the 448 will be snapped up and hoarded, or worse, flipped! Eeek.