Officine Panerai

I feel Panerai is coming close to the fine line of saturation and overkill with the current lineup.  I feel maybe 1 or 2 more years, that will be the tipping point. 

Adding this here or changing this and making it a new watch.  I feel I need something totally brand new to reinvigorate my passion and excitement for Panerai.  And therefore, I'm hoping Panerai releases a totally brand new case - something that hasn't been made in the past so a 100% brand new case.

Anyone else feel the same?

Will SIHH 2013 be the year where Panerai releases brand new case?  I highly doubt it but I really hope we see a new case in the next upcoming years.

Cheers,
Anthony

...and mentioned this months ago on another site, but no one seemed to comment further. It's no slight against Panerai to say that something representing a new point of history for them would be a great thing.  Much like the 233 updated their line, your suggestion of a new case could also do so. Then again, the 372 is technically different from typical Radiomirs and Luminors, but looks identical to a Luminor to most people. 

I totally share your feeling, here.

If Panerai wants to explore new territories without needing to use a military case for a high horology development, they should do so.

They should also create a simple case, thin, civilian, nicely shaped, with fine dimensions and volumes to widen their offer, and to get a second breathe.

Let's see what they'll do!

Best,

Nicolas

However, I'm not sure bringing out a new case will solve the problem. I think they have enough case types, especially if you include the Mare, Egiziano and 399 case types. I think their problem is they haven't made these new case types as regular production models.

As you mention, the thing that has done the most damage are all of these micro/boutique editions which have slight variations. All it does is dilute the strong aesthetic of the brand. In this regard, I think Panerai could learn a lot from Rolex. It seems to me Panerai are too busy trying to create hype by releasing must have special editions (the 372 being the exception) rather than building a solid core of regular and desirable regular production pieces. I recognise that producing "hot pieces" is important for a brand, however, it also has its limits.

Let's see what 2013 brings.

Would be nice to see something completely original. I may be a bit on my own but I would like them to also make maybe a perpetual calendar in a Radiomir case. Would love to see it!

Panerai made a Ferrari perpetual  calendar so that is a high probability someday.

Cheers,
Anthony

I hope they'll do a more legible one preferably w/ the weekday.

That would be my guess.

- AT

That's not based on any of the manufacture movement so there's no real reason to stick with that.   As I said earlier, I do hope that they'll something better this time around, but that is ONLY if they'll do a perpetual calendar within Panerai....

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to be honnest I was hoping for a new case alleady years ago !

it's true that the 'milking the cow' of the 2 main cases (luminor and rad) they have now is starting to be bored, changing the material or a different dial color

is not exciting any more at least not for me, one of the main reasons why i'm slowly turning away from the brand ....

 

But on the other side i think it must be very difficult to find a succesfull succesor for these 2,  it has to be something different but also recognisable as a Panerai,

any ideas ???? 

PPro edition can be just that?

Best
D

.

this is a very interesting post!

they stopped making...everything. Given the fact that the...attractivity...of Panerai has always been found in its minimalism, I feel that they are churning out too many models that...diverge...from their heritage. I am experiencing somewhat of an overkill and perceive most of the model's "revisitations" in a negative way. Point in case the PAM 503..bleah; IMO an absolutely horrible, USELESS model...

 

a few hundred 'different' references with only a few cases  (rad, luminor and variations like the 1950 case, 372 case and divers)

Again another complication or dial is getting boring, unless you're a dial collector

I still like the brand and like the watches I have but I have a feeling I've seen/had it all. I want something new, something  different.

you are talking about something 100% new, not based on vintage models, I would already be happy with a Egiziano or Mare Nostrum case but than with normal Panerai movements and not way to expensive Minervas. So not at euro 20K per piece !

 

great discussion by the way AT!

i love the brand and I love the people that I met thru the brand...

but fatigue is setting in and Panerai should realize that their pieces will sell if you keep overall production small..

they are maturing as a brand and should move in that direction..

the constant release of SEs and BEs just drums up the hype machine...

a new case would get my juices flowing...

I like a diverse collection and don't like seeing the same case over and over in my collection.  This is one of the reasons why I've refrained from purchasing some of the Panerai's I extremely like such as the PAM372.  I feel if I get the PAM372, it would still be a little redundant in my collection even though the case is slightly different than the Historic and 1950 Luminor cases.

This is why I want something totally brand new, so I feel I'm not getting a "repeat" watch with different dial, hands, case finishing, etc.

Cheers,
Anthony

Although I share your concern, and agree to a certain point (bless Panerai for sticking to its DNA; Breitling have sunk so low in that regard), I think Panerai needs to do more with colour first. We now have a rather bland (in my opinion) white dial, a few dark brown ones, and a few blue ones (many years ago), but I would like to see more variety there. Much more. Dials are more important than cases.

In fact, I think it would hurt the brand if Panerai came out with red, green, yellow, etc dials.  I feel that would commoditize the brand and devalue it. 

Adding more color dials to a lower end brand will work, but at Panerai's positioning, it would be a detriment IMO.

Cheers,
Anthony

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As for hands, subdials, bezels..not my cup of tea. I prefer orthodox, sober models.

What kind of case would YOU like to see Panerai making?

Before we get our creative juice flowing, let's take a look at a few lessons that OP has learned:  

1. In terms of brand new case, OP has tried that on the Ferrari by OP range.    For various reasons, it was hardly a success.

2. Most of the hot sellers are essentially remake or close variants of historical pieces.

So now how out-of-the-box do you think the designer at OP will go?

 

The Ferrari case was too bulky and not that attractive IMO.  That's why that project failed.

See what Roger Dubuis has done.  They've released a lot of new case designs.  Stick with the ones that sell well and slowly phase out ones that don't do well such as the King Square.

Now the question is - what kind of case?  A sports case?  Or a dress case?  Or a mix?

I don't know the answer to this question but I would prefer another sports case over a dress case. 

Cheers,
Anthony

"The Ferrari case was too bulky and not that attractive IMO. That's why that project failed."

 

Imo the case was beautifull enough the sell very well the only problem was the 'Ferrari' crap on the dial. People who are interested in watches buy specific WATCH brands and don't need a stupid horse on the dial. If that watch would have been sold as a Panerai it would have been a succes. I dare to go a step further. The 372 / 422 is a succes but I'm pretty sure if they would have named it 'Mercedes'  or 'Dom Perignon'  or 'John Lobb' they would NOT sell. No matter how big the name is, if it is not a watch company it will be a flop

I think the Ferrari project failed due to many more reasons than just the aesthetic on the case but that's a different topic.

Agree it would be kool if OP are willing to take bold steps like Roger Dubuis.   Having said that, looking at the track record of the brand, I'm just not that sure if Bonati would be ready to go that route.

As to your second question, I can't quite imagine Panerai w/ a dress watch case.   In fact, I found the Radiomir to be reasonably dressy depending on the occassions.    But if I have to guess, there're still some case designs from the vintage range which could potentially broaden their current offerings:  

I for one would love to see a double crown guard submersible.   Fits the DNA perfectly and the double crown config could be a platform for various added complication!

or maybe this prototipo?

Hey Jester, 

Honestly, the Ferrari-watches "engineered by Panerai" weren't that bad after all. What made them such a flop was the prancing horse and Ferrari logo on the dials. I mean: who really wants that? 

I know this is not a popular thing to say, but I would love it if Panerai made watches based on the Ferrari case. It is actually very nice; a lot nicer (!!!) than the Luminor case, except for the 1950s one (which I love). I have liked several Scuderia models in the Ferrari line-up, and I still do. Came close to buying one, even though the Panerai purists think you should not mess with Panerai's DNA and ruin it with the Ferrari logo... I can see why it is silly to have Ferrari-branded Panerai watches, because it is a bit, but they don't all look bad, and some look quite wonderful. I also liked the fact that after a few hundred diving-based models, they made watches that were aimed at driving for a change.