The Breitling Watch Blog

A little video I shot on Aftermarket Panerai Straps. I do a quick review of several of these straps, and talk about the different kinds available on the market. Aftermarket Panerai straps are a world of fun, and can be purchased second-hand or new. They are easy to sell and a great way to get some variety without breaking the bank, especially in these times.

Sure Do. Well, compared to Breitlings at least. I’ve heard some people say that Breitlings wear small for their case size because their bezels are smaller than the cases. But the Panerai Luminor with the Device Protecting the Crown definately has a bit more presence to it. I would say it wears somewhere between a Chronomat Evo or Steelfish and the big Breitling for Bentley Motors. It probably has a 45-46mm size presence for a 44mm watch.

Here are some pics of a couple of Panny’s with a couple of Breitlings so you can get an idea for yourself!

For those of you that have not owned these watches, or purchased them without the boxes, or just plain wanna see what they look like on video instead of pics, I shot some short videos on the boxes, showing how they come together and stuff.. nothing special.

One Panerai watch box video:

And one Breitling Watch box video:

First a disclaimer: I do not recommend that you do this, but because I’ve received several emails regarding how this is done, and also several emails about where to buy the case back opener I used in the Panerai video, I decided to write a post on it. Opening a watch and servicing and regulation should be done by an experienced professional. However if you are so inclined, you can give it a shot.

Opening a Breitling Caseback

Breitling Casebacks have 15 sides, which make them a bit odd and seemingly at first difficult to open. However, they can be opened with a simple high quality Jaxa opener. This MAY slightly damage or put small dents in the case back sides as the Jaxa openers do not fit perfectly. Remember if you open the case, a proper case holder should be used as well to secure the case.

A Jaxa tool looks like this:

The more proper way to open a Breitling caseback is to use a Breitling 15-sided caseback die designed for use in Horotec or Bergeon openers. These are large devices with big wheels on the top that look something like this:

The Breitling Die (and Panerai Dies too for that matter) look like this:

They fit into the Opener and open the caseback without damaging it. The case openers are expensive, at around $600, and the caseback dies are about $80 each. You will need a different size depending on the size of your Breitling.

Opening a Panerai Caseback

Opening a Panerai Caseback is a bit easier (cheaper!) to do without damaging your watch. There are caseback dies just like the Breitling ones, but with 12 sides as Panerai casebacks have 12 sides. Panerai Casebacks also come in 3 different sizes, for which you can use any of the above mentioned methods of opening just as the Breitling cases can be opened, but there are aluminum hand held openers for panera casebacks that work very well.

These caseback openers are made from Aluminum, which is softer than the Steel used in your case so it is less likely to scratch it. Also they offer very good grip and cost from about $50-100, depending on where you purchase them from. Strap-works sell thems for $85 IIRC:

This is the opener I used in the fake Panerai video. I cranked that guy open since my friend did give me permissions and its a fake watch. I have also opened my PAM250 without problems, so it works with the real deal as well!

Anyway.. don’t blame me if you break something. I don’t recommend you do this unless you feel comfortable with it, and even then, I recommend finding a quality watchmaker to fix your watch is something is awry.

The Panerai fakes out there are getting better and better, and unlike most of the other fakes, the movements are very well decorated. They may not have the same level of precision, but they look pretty darn convincing unless you know what to look for. I’ve pointed out a few of the inconsistencies that I saw, so remember… stay educated and don’t get duped.

This PAM 111 belongs to a friend of mine, and though I don’t condone the buying of fakes, I do not shun my friends that do. I take the opportunity to borrow them and help educate!