Officine Panerai

Hello. My first post here. Enjoy many enthusiastic posts and feedbacks. Very informative.

I'm looking at 311 k in BNIB condition which will be my first Panerai. One thing I noticed is that it comes with a buffalo strap where I've seen it with alligator strap on most online retailers and official catalog. When I inquired about the strap, I was told that it's OEM. Seller is legit as I've already done my due diligence.

Should I question the authenticity?

One more question. I read up on "series". I noticed there's also L series of 311. What is that about?

Thanks in advance.

Sam

I'm guessing your seller may have misplaced the strap or for whatever reason, decided to sell the watch with another OEM strap from Panerai.  You can still get brown alligator strap back from a Panerai boutique store.  If you must have the alligator strap and you still want to buy from from this seller, I suggesting asking for a discount since watch is not equipped with the strap that came with it and you have to pay extra to get the brown alligator strap back.  Good luck.

Blue

 

 

Here's a picture for your reference:

As this piece is a k series which is limited to 500 and there's also an identical watch in L series, does it make it less attractive and loses limited value? Why does Panerai do this?

Every year is a different Letter - A was 1998, B 1999, C 2000, D 2001, etc.

Since the PAM311 is a regular production model, it makes no different in which series it was made from.  Each year, Panerai makes a certain # of them, so technically it's not a "limited edition" as you would normally thing it is.  It's more of a limited production.

So in K year which is year 2008 production, Panerai made 500 pieces of the PAM311.

So for L series for the following 2009 production, Panerai will probably make another 500 pieces or slightly more since they are always looking to slightly increase production #'s since Panerai is a business.

Which series a particular model is in may have a relevance in secondary pricing, but that only affects older models such as those from A and B series and a few other various Panerai models.

Cheers,
Anthony

 

 

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-11-27 09:56:10

Anthony, I really appreciate your feedback and value your opinion especially on this forum.  This will be my first Panerai!

I'm debating whether to go with 311 or 351. I really love how Panerai looks in brown dial. I understand they're different animals as far as the price, however, I want to find a good value also. 

THanks.  Sam

For your 1st Panerai, I would highly recommend getting either a Base model (no seconds, only minutes & hours) or a Base w/ seconds hand.  I'd hold off on a chronograph or anything more complicated till your 2nd Panerai.  This will let you appreciate the clean look of a basic Panerai and let you understand why so many people here are enamored with Panerai.

And so, I'd recommend the PAM351 over the PAM311 monopusher chrono.

Cheers,
Anthony

I 100% agree with you. 351 has all those classic characteristics of what Panerai is so loved for.

What should be my second Panerai be? 349 and 386 look really tempting...

Thanks bunch!

before deciding what your 2nd one will be

Get the PAM351 and wear it for a while.  You'll then know what you like and what you don't like.  And then that will help you make your decision on which Panerai should be your 2nd piece.

Cheers,
Anthony