The Breitling Watch Blog

Before I bought the Panerai Black Seal PAM 183, I bought this RXW MM25 Poseidon. Its a Japanese company, but a Swiss Made watch made by Ken’s Trading. While it looks similar to the 183, its quite different in person and on the wrist. The watch came with two 26x26mm straps, quite different from the 26x22mm straps that come with the PAM183.

Here is the watch shown with the lizard pattern 26x26mm strap that came with it. The watch has fixed lugs so straps need to be screwed in with Rivets, making aftermarket straps very difficult to find in variety. Most will have to be custom made or have Rivets in them, which is not the best compromise because sometimes a guy just doesn’t want rivets in his strap! As you can see, it has a great sandwich dial and it glows like a torch.

Caseback is of the Solid Variety, hiding the Swiss Unitas 6497 movement inside. The caseback does proudly annouce the movement inside, as well as the 1000 Gauss Anti-Magnetic rating and 100m Water resistance. Also written on the back is “Luminova Plasmir Dial”, which means that it has a Luminova Sandwich dial.

Crown is a screw-down variety, just like the 183 but is a Brevet Swiss Crown. Its a great crown and feels good when winding. As you can see from the sideview shot, the Bezel protrudes out from the cushion shaped case a fair bit.

Here is the ever-important wrist-shot. When I got this I really really liked it… I thought it was a great looking watch and I couldn’t believe I didn’t like Radiomirs before. It wears quite a bit larger than my 183, but I have to say that after owning the 183, the RXW MM25 has lost a bit of its luster. I just did not want to wear it after getting the Black Seal, so I sold it! Bye bye MM25, but it was a great experience owning it, and I’m glad I did as it motivated me to buy the Panerai 183 Black Seal.

I never really liked the Radiomir style watches from Panerai, even though I tried them on many many times. It wasn’t until one day I picked up a Risti-Scorned RXW MM25 Radiomir watch from a local fellow that it grew on me and I just had to buy this Panerai 183 when a guy I knew was selling it. In addition to the OEM strap, it came with a Kaktus strap which is what its shown on.

The Panerai Black Seal 183 is the model one up from the Base 210 Radiomir and features a small seconds at 9 o’clock and has the words “Black Seal” printed on the dial. It features a curved Sapphire crystal and exhibition caseback as well as a great black sandwich dial that glows like a torch. The PAM183 is a current model that has been in production since 2004.

The movement is an OP XI, based on the Unitas 6497/2 which is heavily modified by Panerai with custom bridges and other fanciness. This one is Chronometer certified, unlike the 210, which does not since it doesn’t have a second hand. With the new 3000 series movements from Panerai, this may soon be the end of these models.

The signed Panerai crown is nicely made, and is a screwdown crown – uncommon for handwind watches. But then Panerai watches are anything but common. The Crown on the 183 is easy to wind, and looks great with the blasted background behind the polished Officine Panerai logo. The lugs are inserted into the case and held in by screws. There are tiny rubber o-rings in the screws and lugs to prevent water from getting into the lug hole and rusting it from the inside out. Smart.

While its not too difficult to change straps on the 183, its nowhere near as easy to do as it is on a Luminor case, especially with the quick release.

And finally, the wrist shot. The 45mm Radiomir case is perfect for a semi-casual vintage style watch, especially when mounted on an aftermarket strap like this Kaktus strap shown. When mounted on an OEM strap, the watch dressed up quite a bit. The smaller 42mm Radiomirs are much more dressy than the 45mm 183 here, and would likely be better candidates if that was what you were looking for. The Panerai PAM183 that I snagged is a good in-between watch that wears especially well with jeans and a t-shirt in my opinion – the only thing I sometimes miss is the date function

With SIHH 2011 coming, new Panerai models are starting to poke their heads out of the woodwork. While we can expect a few new watches to use the new P.3000 Caliber Movement from Panerai, the latest to be announced do not use the new series of movements from Panerai. There is speculation that the new P.3000 movements are designed to replace their unitas powered watches.

Panerai PAM 386
New Composite case Panerai 386, looks outstanding. This one is a Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic Composite, which means it is a 3 Day Automatic caliber P.9000, featuring date and small seconds. The Composite case is a synthetic ceramic that is created using an electro-chemical process that transforms aluminum into this material. Very Cool stuff.

There are also a huge multitude of individual boutique editions being released in various numbers of anywhere from 100 to 200 pieces from Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and some others I believe, with Reference numbers in the 400′s. Here are some photos:

Been rocking my PAM320 since I picked it up a month or two ago and it has been really hitting the spot! I have never been quite this satisfied with any Panerai I’ve owned. While I tend to feel like the manual winding models are more faithful to the heritage of the brand, I do find the automatic movement very convenient. The super-domed sapphire crystal models with the manual winding 7 day movements would be even better I think.

There’s my PAM320 shown mounted on a beautiful Dangerous9 strap, the first aftermarket strap I put on this watch. Beautiful 1950′s style case with the slightly curved crystal and sandwich dial. The case is so well made and the edges are finished perfectly. I am familiar with the difficulties of finishing cases, and the 1950′s case is not an easy case to manufacture and finish well.

The device protecting the crown has the “REG TM” marking on it, which is a feature I really like. This marking only appears on 1950 style cases. In the above shot you can see the crisp lines of the case, which are very impressive when you see it in person.

Here’s a shot of the dial mounted on a black Strapluxe strap. The 320 features 12-hr GMT hand, small seconds, date, power reserve indicator on the back, and seconds reset. Whenever the crown is pulled out all the way, the second hand resets to 0, which is a pretty cool feature. The sandwich dial glows like a torch.. I love how it glows when I get to the underground parking on my way to work in the morning.

And here’s the requisite exhibition back shot of the Panerai P.9001 Movement. The fantastic in-house movements from Panerai wouldn’t be the same without a display back. While they are not necessarily the prettiest movements, I love the large bridge plates, as they remind me of the 3/4 plate style watches popular with German manufacture. The way Panerai finishes their movements has a functional and simplistic beauty to them.

And the last shot here, with my PAM90 before I sold it. I have to admit that since selling the 90, I have not missed it because the 320 more than fills any void left by the 90. It has everything the PAM90 had and more. I much prefer the rear power reserve indicator as the cleaner dial is better looking to me. Combine the nearly perfect movement (in terms or features) and the amazing case work on this model and the perfect size, this is definately the perfect Panerai for me in this price range.

I recently purchased a Panerai Luminor GMT PAM 320, with the 12hr GMT hand, Seconds Reset and 3 Days in-house Caliber P.9001 movement. This watch is pretty much exactly what I was looking for, so my PAM 90 is now on the block. I realized I never really reviewed my PAM90, or talked about it on here. Now that its going to be sold, I should probably snap some photos and put them up here before its gone.

The PAM 90 has the standard modern 44mm Luminor case, with the straight sides, a bit less complicated than the 1950′s style cases that most of Panerai’s newer models have. I was really wanting one of the 1950′s cases, so I picked up the PAM320. The PAM90 is still a fantastic watch, and one of my favourite PAMs.

Most of these photos are taken with the watch in the box, since I took these photos to sell the watch! While I want to sell it, I don’t think I’d be heartbroken if I ended up keeping it either! The watch comes with the usual Screwdriver and Strap change tool. This one is a J series, from 2008. It does have the quick change strap bars, not the screw-in kind, which are much less desireable in my opinion. These spring loaded lugs are the best.

As with most polished PAM’s, the crown protector is polished, but the lever is brushed. I’m not sure why they do it this way, but that’s the way they do it. As this is a newer model, the lever has the little wheel on it as well. All nice little refinements that Panerai has worked into the models.

Funny that I’ve had this watch for two years and still never got around to writing up about it. I really enjoyed my two years with the PAM90, but I am even more happy with my 320, and expect to enjoy the 320 for another couple of years when I’m sure another Panerai will probably draw my attention. If you are not hung up about getting an in-house caliber from Panerai, the PAM90 is a fantastic choice with the offset power reserve indicator and sub-seconds.

The new Panerai Luminor Marina PAM366 appeals to their Chinese market with the Chinese Character “Fu” printed on the dial at 6 o’clock. The watch features the tried and true Panerai OP II Movement, and will be limited to 1500 pieces. The watch will retail for $4400US.

Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see how well received this watch is by the Chinese buying public. With such a small run of 1500 pieces, it shouldn’t be difficult to sell, however.

While I can appreciate the watch, I think they should have made it with a sandwich dial instead. Kudos to Panerai for taking this step, however.

First was the obscure and rare Panerai PAM195, which was made for Paneristi members in a limited edition of 200 pieces, each with the name of the member engraved on the back of the watch.

Now we have the new Panerai PAM360, produced in a limited edition of 300 pieces, sold at the discretion of the Paneristi Moderators. With such a limited production, these are sure to be gone in no time.

Interesting that this one ‘appears’ to have what looks like an aftermarket style strap on it, as opposed to the usual dressier Panerai straps. Not sure if its just the prototype photograph or if its the final production strap. They’ve also used a antiqued yellowish lume to give it that aged tritium look.

Here is a photo of the back. $6700 is the price, which is fairly steep for a basic PVD Base Logo.

While most automobile brands that associate themselves with watch brands tend to be exclusive in their partnerships, Mercedes seems to suprise with every new watch venture they embark on. Some of the brands that Mercedes has associated themselves with: IWC, Graham, Tag Heuer, Fabien Cacheux, Ulysse Nardin, and their own Brand created with Tourneau. There are very possibly others that I have missed too!

Most recently is the addition of Graham to the mix to celebrate the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team. The Mercedes watch they introduced is kind of ugly in my opinion. Designed more in the style of Graham than Mercedes, and features lots of discord with the mix of design elements making a watch that is overall not too tasteful.

While Mercedes has chosen to associate themselves with so many brands, they have for the most part made tasteful watches. However, unlike Ferrari by Panerai and Breitling for Bentley, the watches have very little association with each other.

Personally, I think the most successful and tasteful Automobile and Watch team-ups would be Breitling for Bentley and Jaeger LeCoultre and Aston Martin. The most Epic Fail Automobile Watch brand would be Tonino Lamborghini. Why would you license your brand out to a company that cannot market your product properly? Didn’t the 80′s and 90′s teach companies anything about licensing your brand – now we see Tonino Lamborghini products fill the shelves in discount stores and ebay.

Here is a gallery of some of the Mercedes collaboration watches out there: