Officine Panerai

priscilla
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wait a minute ...

I think every Panerai collector has a rather good reason to state his opinion about Guille's plan to create one or more fake Vintage Panerais. Let's please call it what it is!

First and foremost, "Keller 3646" happens to be Ralf Ehlers, the co-author of the recent book "Vintage Panerai - The References". He certainly has as much of a right to state his opinion here as you attribute to Volker or Asi.

I happen to be a Panerai and Vintage Panerai collector and I was (together with Asi, Volker, Ralf, ...) at the Club Panerai Viareggio Meeting a few weeks ago. You can have a look at some of my watches at the German Panerai Forum (my handle there is "t.bone", check the thread "Fotos" -- afaik T. Mao does not allow links). I hope you won't forbid me to chime in. It's a rare event anyhow. I usually avoid postings at ThePurists for reasons going back a long time ago.

Guille's "project" bothers me, but the fact that he posts his ideas as well as proceedings with pictures in several Panerai fora bothers me even more.

These kind of posts in a collectors forum do nothing but condone, encourage or even invite the production of fakes. It matters little if we have an actual, yet non-Panerai Angelus movement or even an authentic dial. A Lemania Chrono movement does not make a Patek 3970 or 5070 either, nor does the dial of a Rolex Daytona make the whole watch! Tempering with items like these to create a authentic or semi-authentic looking watch is forgery!

Guille might as well be a great mate and without any plans to make any material gain from his creation(s), but he lowers the threshold and opens the door into the realm of fake productions. Why, Guille, are you trying to create these "hommages"? To pass them off as a real vintage pieces? To show that you made the pieces all by yourself, yet with original, or close-to-original parts? Is that not an invitation for others to do the same and to then go ahead and sell these -- excuse me -- obvious and undeniable fakes? Prior to that they can now even advertise their wonderful creations in a collector's forum! That's a new one!

There's another problem. One of the biggest headaches for vintage collectors is the cotinuous search for original replacement parts, either for an actual repair of for future replacements. Now if more people follow Guille's example, trying to locate one or more original vintage parts, to then build some kind of "project" around them, the market for these parts will soon dry up, leaving owners of REAL vintage pieces without badly needed resources.

One of the big enigmas behind collecting Vintage Panerai watches is the story that goes with each watch. Many of the Kampfschwimmer 3646s have engravings on the back that state the original owner. Ralf Ehlers is but one example for a collector who tried to learn the whole story behind his vintage watches. He published several in his first book co-authored with Volker, "Vintage Panerai - Watches with History". Two of my Kampfschwimmer watches have back engravings and I am willing to also do my homework and dig up the story behind the watches and their owners. There is certainly a story behind my 6152/1 Angelus as well as my 6154. Maybe I will be able to learn more about their individual histories. It's what really fascinates me the most about these watches.

Now, Guille, how far will you go? Will you get an old electric shaver, temper with it and create authentic looking back engravings on your upcoming 3646 "hommage"? Is that kewl?

There is no place for fakes or their production process in a collectors forum.

Sorry, should I have stepped on anyone's toes - I mean well!

Thomas