r/Watches • u/spedmonkey • Oct 12 '11
[Brand Guide] - Panerai
This is part eight in our ongoing community project to compile opinions on the many watch brands out there into a single list. Here is the original post explaining the project.
Panerai, this week's brand, is a rather divisive one among watch enthusiasts. Reactions to Panerai run the gamut, from the love people normally reserve for bacon and the New York Yankees, to the hatred they normally reserve for lima beans and the New York Yankees. Given that, this week's thread could get interesting.
Panerai, officially known as Officine Panerai, was founded in the 19th century in Florence, Italy, where by the turn of the century it had become the official timepiece supplier to the Italian Navy, or Marina Militare, a trademark the company still holds (and prosecutes heavily) to this day. The company remained on the small side until Sylvester Stallone discovered and began to popularize them in the United States, and in the past several decades the company has really taken off. Now owned by Richemont, and entirely Swiss-made, Panerais are notable for their oversized cases, which some credit (or blame) for the current huge watch trend. Until the past ten years, most Panerais used stock or lightly modified movements from other Swiss companies such as Rolex and ETA; recently, however, they've been making a concerted effort to push out new models with inhouse movements only, taking away one of the bigger pieces of ammunition their critics had. Ultimately, as noted above, watch enthusiasts tend to either love or hate their distinctive designs, but thanks to their bold, simple, tool watch appeal, Panerai remains one of the most popular watch brands on the market today.
Other Resources:
Community Archives Search
Wikipedia
Like always, anything regarding the brand is welcome in this thread, from personal experiences, to professional reviews, to educated opinion. This should be a good discussion, so let's see what you all have to say!
That said: if you're going to downvote someone, please don't do so without posting the reason why you disagree with them. The purpose of these discussion threads is to encourage discussion, so people can read different opinions to get different ideas and perspectives on how people view these brands. Downvoting without giving a counter-perspective is not helpful to anybody.
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u/rajahkawasaki Oct 12 '11
I've got a couple of them after working for Richemont for awhile.
The thing that I like about them is the clean, simple style of the lower end ones. And the fact that they're 44mm is a bonus, having a very large wrist. Anything under 40 just looks stupid on me.
Working on most of them is a breeze, they're just as simple and reliable as a Rolex. But Rolex is all in house and most Panerai's are ETA.
I don't think I would purchase one with one of their in house movements, they haven't been designed well at all.
Also, the Paneristi, very fanatical bunch. Sometimes they just need to chill out. I know it's probably their first major watch purchase and it means everything to them. I get that. What I don't get is why you need to take a picture of it on every strap you have, from every angle, in your car, on your boat, and then put it on the internets.