In the newest installment of my continuing review series, I am now going to do a side by side (although sometimes top-bottom Hahaha) comparison of one of the latest PAMs to ever come out of the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève) 2017, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland last January.
When Panerai released the PAM382 "Bronzo" in 2011, it was a big deal, especially for Panerai enthusiasts. They were the ones who had a strong connection to the brand and felt just as strongly regarding Officine Panerai's connection to diving history. The release of the PAM382 delighted the fans of the brand with a vintage piece that looked like it received a bit of abuse because of the patina which developed on the watch over time. This was also a triumph for the brand, which successfully found the right mix of alloys to recreate the time weathered effect. Understandably, all 1000 pieces of the PAM382 were quickly snapped up as there was a statement made by Panerai (I presume this came from Angelo Bonati, Panerai CEO) that this would be the only bronze watch that the brand will produce. This of course was proven untrue two years later with the release of the PAM507 Pronzo, which certainly did not sit well with those who purchased the PAM382. Then 4 years later, unsurprisingly, Panerai announced a new bronze watch, more similar to the PAM382 than the PAM507, but with a new blue dial, the PAM671 (which I am calling the Bluezo
). In the rep world, it took a few years before the PAM382 replica was released and it was a great hit as well. It was also one of the reps which received a lot of updates from the factories that produced it, incrementally improving the quality of the watch. Fortunately, for the PAM671, it took barely a few months before two factories, ZF and XF, released their respective versions of the watch. And after two weeks, XF produced a V2 already. How's that for on the fly improvement? I will be reviewing and comparing head to head this time, the ZF PAM671 and the XF PAM671 V2.
XF on the left, ZF on the right
Although the picture above shows XF on the left and ZF on the right, henceforth, unless indicated, ZF is on the left and at the bottom, XF is on the right and on top. So let's get on shall we?
Dial - The dial on the Bluezo is...well...blue, with stick markers on the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions and circular hour markers for the others. Date window at the 3 o'clock position and the seconds subdial in the 9 o'clock position. Classic dial configuration for most submersibles (although on some there are Arabic numerals for the 6 and 12 hour markers). The blue hue of the dial is different for both reps with the XF being darker compared to the ZF.
As we don't have a gen to compare the watch with, the dial color is very subjective. However we do have some other points to compare on the dial. Next point of comparison is the circular hour markers (the stick markers look to be comparable); the ones on the ZF are smaller than gen, probably because they just re-used the PAM382 dial dots. The XF hour markers are larger and more gen like. The ZF dial dots (and lume pip) look flat, where the XF ones look rounded (like the gen).
Next point, the hands. The ZF PAM671 has the incorrect slimmer minute hand and more straight hour hand whereas the XF has the correct fatter minute hand and slightly tapering hour hand.
Winner in the dial category : XF
Crown and crown guard - Nicely executed crown guard, with the slight chamfers at the sides of the half-moon shape, same as gen for both factories. REG T.M. engraving is done well although for these particular samples, the ZF version looks more correct because the engraving on the XF looks like it was pressed instead of engraved. Font is a mixed bag; the E and M on the XF is wrong, the G on the ZF is wrong. I hope these are fixed soon. The lever looks better on the XF with a rounder tip compared to the ZF and the lever roller on the ZF looks a bit big compared to XF and the gen. The crown on the XF is also fatter compared to the ZF crown and is gen like.
Winner in crown and CG category : None
Bezel - Bezel is nicely brushed for both and the bezel markers are placed at the same level as well although the XF ones seem to be larger and more gen like compared to the ZF ones. Bezel pip is better on the XF as I mentioned earlier. The bezel minute markers from 0-15 and the text on the 15, 30 and 45 are sharp and legible on the XF, while those on the ZF look like they was some removal (might be because of the patina, please check with your TD). The 5 though looks to be more accurate on the ZF with the slant on the part connecting the horizontal part with the circular arc of the 5. On the XF it is completely vertical with no slant. There is a chamfer on both bezels but XF is more gen-like. Initially I thought the larger chamfer on the ZF was more gen like on the PAM382 but when I rechecked the gen PAM671, the chamfer is now smaller.
Winner on the bezel : XF
Case - Both should be made of bronze and the ZF looks to be developing some patina but as the XF V2 was just released, there may not have been enough time for patina to develop (I may post another picture of the watch further down the line). Here's a side view of the two watches side by side.
Next would be the lug shape. As this watch uses the P.9010 movement, the case is expected to be thinner and the lug shape to be longer and slimmer. In terms of length, both the ZF and XF have the same long lugs. However, the shape of the XF is closer to gen than the ZF release.
Also, not so apparent to everyone is that there is a line going from the top edge of the lug going to the top corner of the mid-case. The ZF has this line but does not meet at a point on the corner of the case. The XF does this same as gen. Like I said, it's a minor thing but we'll take as much accuracy as we can get for the money.
Winner : XF
Movement - It is the new P.9010 movement which in reality is just the A7750 with decorative plates glued on to make it look like the gen P.9010 that powers both watches. Fortunately, the placement of the balance wheel for the A7750 is at the same location for the gen movement, which is @11. Curious though is a difference in the movement ring being used to mount the movement inside the mid case. There may be an impact that I will mention later.
Winner : None
Caseback = The casebacks for both is nicely engraved with only the millesimation being different (ZF has the T, XF has the S, however, on TD websites these seem to have been replaced with T serials now because S = 2016 and T = 2017).
Because of the difference in the movement ring I mentioned above, the casebacks are different in how they are constructed inside. There looks to be more material on the inside of the ZF caseback to make contact with the movement ring. I am not sure what is the actual construction for the gen.
Winner : None
Weight - As we have no official weight on the PAM671, this is just for informational purposes only.
Winner : None
Lume - Unless there is any change posted on the Panerai website (like what they did for the PAM682), the lume for the PAM671 is all green. Now because of the difference in the hands and the dial dots on the ZF versus the XF, the lume would be different as well.
Winner on lume, clearly : XF
So apart from the strange engraving and wrong fonts on the CG, XF V2 version looks far and away the winner for this comparison. The ZF version is an okay watch, but the XF V2 revision (the original XF was only different from the ZF with the darker dial but incorrect A23J Seagull based movement) resulted in a much more superior replica. So for those who waited for the kinks to be worked out, the XF PAM671 V2 is a great addition to your collection.
OVERALL WINNER : XF PAM671 V2
Thanks for looking!
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Blue Bronzo "Bluezo"
When Panerai released the PAM382 "Bronzo" in 2011, it was a big deal, especially for Panerai enthusiasts. They were the ones who had a strong connection to the brand and felt just as strongly regarding Officine Panerai's connection to diving history. The release of the PAM382 delighted the fans of the brand with a vintage piece that looked like it received a bit of abuse because of the patina which developed on the watch over time. This was also a triumph for the brand, which successfully found the right mix of alloys to recreate the time weathered effect. Understandably, all 1000 pieces of the PAM382 were quickly snapped up as there was a statement made by Panerai (I presume this came from Angelo Bonati, Panerai CEO) that this would be the only bronze watch that the brand will produce. This of course was proven untrue two years later with the release of the PAM507 Pronzo, which certainly did not sit well with those who purchased the PAM382. Then 4 years later, unsurprisingly, Panerai announced a new bronze watch, more similar to the PAM382 than the PAM507, but with a new blue dial, the PAM671 (which I am calling the Bluezo
). In the rep world, it took a few years before the PAM382 replica was released and it was a great hit as well. It was also one of the reps which received a lot of updates from the factories that produced it, incrementally improving the quality of the watch. Fortunately, for the PAM671, it took barely a few months before two factories, ZF and XF, released their respective versions of the watch. And after two weeks, XF produced a V2 already. How's that for on the fly improvement? I will be reviewing and comparing head to head this time, the ZF PAM671 and the XF PAM671 V2.
XF on the left, ZF on the right
Although the picture above shows XF on the left and ZF on the right, henceforth, unless indicated, ZF is on the left and at the bottom, XF is on the right and on top. So let's get on shall we?
Dial - The dial on the Bluezo is...well...blue, with stick markers on the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions and circular hour markers for the others. Date window at the 3 o'clock position and the seconds subdial in the 9 o'clock position. Classic dial configuration for most submersibles (although on some there are Arabic numerals for the 6 and 12 hour markers). The blue hue of the dial is different for both reps with the XF being darker compared to the ZF.
Indoor shot of the dials
Outdoor shot of the dials
As we don't have a gen to compare the watch with, the dial color is very subjective. However we do have some other points to compare on the dial. Next point of comparison is the circular hour markers (the stick markers look to be comparable); the ones on the ZF are smaller than gen, probably because they just re-used the PAM382 dial dots. The XF hour markers are larger and more gen like. The ZF dial dots (and lume pip) look flat, where the XF ones look rounded (like the gen).
XF
ZF
ZF
Next point, the hands. The ZF PAM671 has the incorrect slimmer minute hand and more straight hour hand whereas the XF has the correct fatter minute hand and slightly tapering hour hand.
Winner in the dial category : XF
Crown and crown guard - Nicely executed crown guard, with the slight chamfers at the sides of the half-moon shape, same as gen for both factories. REG T.M. engraving is done well although for these particular samples, the ZF version looks more correct because the engraving on the XF looks like it was pressed instead of engraved. Font is a mixed bag; the E and M on the XF is wrong, the G on the ZF is wrong. I hope these are fixed soon. The lever looks better on the XF with a rounder tip compared to the ZF and the lever roller on the ZF looks a bit big compared to XF and the gen. The crown on the XF is also fatter compared to the ZF crown and is gen like.
XF
ZF
ZF
Winner in crown and CG category : None
Bezel - Bezel is nicely brushed for both and the bezel markers are placed at the same level as well although the XF ones seem to be larger and more gen like compared to the ZF ones. Bezel pip is better on the XF as I mentioned earlier. The bezel minute markers from 0-15 and the text on the 15, 30 and 45 are sharp and legible on the XF, while those on the ZF look like they was some removal (might be because of the patina, please check with your TD). The 5 though looks to be more accurate on the ZF with the slant on the part connecting the horizontal part with the circular arc of the 5. On the XF it is completely vertical with no slant. There is a chamfer on both bezels but XF is more gen-like. Initially I thought the larger chamfer on the ZF was more gen like on the PAM382 but when I rechecked the gen PAM671, the chamfer is now smaller.
XF
ZF
ZF
Winner on the bezel : XF
Case - Both should be made of bronze and the ZF looks to be developing some patina but as the XF V2 was just released, there may not have been enough time for patina to develop (I may post another picture of the watch further down the line). Here's a side view of the two watches side by side.
Next would be the lug shape. As this watch uses the P.9010 movement, the case is expected to be thinner and the lug shape to be longer and slimmer. In terms of length, both the ZF and XF have the same long lugs. However, the shape of the XF is closer to gen than the ZF release.
Also, not so apparent to everyone is that there is a line going from the top edge of the lug going to the top corner of the mid-case. The ZF has this line but does not meet at a point on the corner of the case. The XF does this same as gen. Like I said, it's a minor thing but we'll take as much accuracy as we can get for the money.
Winner : XF
Movement - It is the new P.9010 movement which in reality is just the A7750 with decorative plates glued on to make it look like the gen P.9010 that powers both watches. Fortunately, the placement of the balance wheel for the A7750 is at the same location for the gen movement, which is @11. Curious though is a difference in the movement ring being used to mount the movement inside the mid case. There may be an impact that I will mention later.
Winner : None
Caseback = The casebacks for both is nicely engraved with only the millesimation being different (ZF has the T, XF has the S, however, on TD websites these seem to have been replaced with T serials now because S = 2016 and T = 2017).
Because of the difference in the movement ring I mentioned above, the casebacks are different in how they are constructed inside. There looks to be more material on the inside of the ZF caseback to make contact with the movement ring. I am not sure what is the actual construction for the gen.
Winner : None
Weight - As we have no official weight on the PAM671, this is just for informational purposes only.
XF
ZF
ZF
Winner : None
Lume - Unless there is any change posted on the Panerai website (like what they did for the PAM682), the lume for the PAM671 is all green. Now because of the difference in the hands and the dial dots on the ZF versus the XF, the lume would be different as well.
Lume in the shade
Lume in the dark
Lume in the dark
Winner on lume, clearly : XF
So apart from the strange engraving and wrong fonts on the CG, XF V2 version looks far and away the winner for this comparison. The ZF version is an okay watch, but the XF V2 revision (the original XF was only different from the ZF with the darker dial but incorrect A23J Seagull based movement) resulted in a much more superior replica. So for those who waited for the kinks to be worked out, the XF PAM671 V2 is a great addition to your collection.
OVERALL WINNER : XF PAM671 V2
Thanks for looking!
