I have been so busy with my real job that I haven’t had a chance to post my comments and thoughts on the new watches released this week at SIHH. There have been quite a few that have gotten my attention, and I’m just trying to find the time to talk about them. I’ll start with the whole Panerai Lineup, since I’m passionate about Panerai, and I really like their watches.

First, lets take a look at the new base model watches:

PAM560 Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio

PAM561 Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio Replacing PAM114

PAM562 Luminor Base 8 Days Titanio Replacing PAM176

PAM563 Luminor Marina 8 Days Acciaio Replacing PAM113

PAM564 Luminor Marina 8 Days Titanio Replacing PAM177

The new P.5000 In-House caliber line of base model Panerai are very nice, and a nice upgrade to the entry level PAMs. This will make them more expensive, but also more exclusive and give them a longer 8 Day power reserve, which is a welcome feature for many. I think this is a fantastic upgrade to the line, but will also make the price of admission much less achievable for the common buyer.

Most of these models are replacing older models that have been around for around 10 years or more, but the interesting thing is the PAM112 does not appear to be discontinued even though the PAM560 looks to be its predecessor. Overall, I’m quite excited to see what these new pieces bring to the brand.

PAM518 Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Platino

PAM519 Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Oro Rosso

PAM520 Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Oro Bianco

The other interesting pieces I found in the line-up are the Radiomir 1940 Chronographs. If these were available in steel, I would be all over them, but Panerai has followed in the footsteps of Rolex, only offering certain movement and dial configurations with precious metal cases in order to increase exclusivity and rarity. I really like these dials, and I like that they only made them on the Radiomir 1940’s style, as the detailed dials do not suit ant of the other case types. The vintage style chapter ring really gives the watch an interesting feel.

Overall a nice release from Panerai, without too much deviation. Just some solid bolstering of the existing line-up with a little bit of pizzazz with the pocket watches and the Radiomir Chronographs. Nice work. Also, several pieces were discontinued.. see below.

Discontinued Models for 2014
Panerai also announced that they would be discontinuing the following models:
PAM 114
PAM 176
PAM 219
PAM 113
PAM 177
PAM 439
PAM 504
PAM 505
PAM 299
PAM 25
PAM 297
PAM 241
PAM 244
PAM 270
PAM 275
PAM 289