More 288 photos, anyone?

[LHOOQ]

Hello there. I'm not a frequent poster on the Panerai subforum, but do bear in mind that this is only my second Panerai. Ever. Having tiny 6.5" wrists tends to make one scurry for the safety of tiny old Rolexes.

Ever since I met up with sssurfer in Rome, I've had Panerai on the brain. And right around the time I wrapped up my Tudor Monte Carlo project, this beauty showed up. After reading a few reviews, I was convinced that I had to have a Radiomir chrono.

I ordered this one from Mary at Watch International, and it only took one day for the package to arrive. OK, so I was in Hong Kong on business, but it's still a thrill not having to wait. (Apologies to anyone still trapped in EMS purgatory.) Here it is in my luxurious hotel room, minutes after I'd ripped the package apart with a Pilot pen (I always forget to pack my box cutters when I travel):

Big, heavy, wobbly on my small wrist, immaculately finished (though the movement needed a good cleaning), and an absolute stunner. I guess that sentence makes this a review, then! So, on with the rest of the pretty pictures:

It's right on the limit of watch sizes I can pull off, but inconspicuous it ain't.

Really nice caseback, really good deployant. Ignore the crooked 'Panerai' engraving; it just means it's hand-made!

Dig those sharp edges, and the swell crown. This is why I could never buy a DSN Radiomir.

The dial is a revelation, and a future benchmark.

Lume may not be torch-like, but it's useful enough.

The strap, incidentally, is calfskin. I've heard great things about the croc option, but that's hand-made, custom strap money we're talking about.

This is the first out-of-the-box rep I've bought in a year (last purchase: IWC GST Titanium chrono). It feels great buying a watch that looks this good right off the bat. It might get a fancy-shmancy strap down the road, so keep posting your 288 photos so I can steal an idea or two.

Thanks for looking.

 

[karesz501]

Thanks for sharing, this watch seems so perfect to me for the price being under 300$!

 

[Dr.Verylong]

damn. and I thought I did not want a 288. Great pics, thanks.

 

[alucard666]

Great skills with the camera!

 

[acharria]

Stunning!!!

 

[Mambo]

Such fantastic pictures ... great watch !! :thumbsup:

 

[Kutio]

Mate you are always spot on with your shots. I was wandering among the regular weekly wrist checks when you are going to strap on a pam and take a few of your amazing shot. I have a 6-6.2inch wrist so totally understand your size concern. A lumi base will fit our size wrists better than the rad, but I love the thinner styled rad design. If only smaller rads are replicated well.

 

[tommy_boy]

Damn, I was going to take a breather until I saw this thread. Spectacular!

With your attention to detail, I suspect you could make this thing ooze with sex appeal:

 

[PecMan]

nice watch ! i wonder what other straps would look good with that sexy watch

 

[LHOOQ]

Thanks for the kind words, guys! I say again: this is one hell of a rep and a seriously impressive hunk of metal on the wrist. If you are still thinking about getting one, stop. You're just wasting time that could be better spent waiting for the package to arrive!

Kutio: I was on the fence between getting the 288 or a PloProf V2. But as much as I love Omega and its history, the odds of me actually wearing it on a regular basis seemed remote. With all due respect to the Omega Plongeur fans out there, the SM1200 can be called "unconventional" if you're kind, or "spectacularly ugly" if you're cruelly accurate. But don't get me wrong: I still want a PloProf, but more as a display model than an actual wrist-rider.

Something like a Big Egiziano, on the other hand, will only work on me as a Texas-size belt buckle.

 

[angkikee]

Very good pics LHOOQ! Thanks for the pic set.

Actually I got mine with the Gen-like Croc Skin leather, and I was really puzzled for a while because I couldnt see any difference part from the underside of the strap. The Gen one doesn't have the text colored. The words are all just stamped but has no ink. I actually thought there was a mstake in my order and I asked Lay about it. Props to Lay for having the patience to sort it out with me.

From the outside, it really looks more or less the same, and yeah I do wonder if I should have gone with normal Calfskin. Anyhow, the watch itself is gorgeous and I love it so much! I'm actually wearing it now and it's my default dress watch for work.