So today, A watch (or brand) I assumed I would never own arrived at my door courtesy of Sead of Supermirrors (from his UK stock) and I thought I would share my initial thoughts.
Admittedly, I was almost repulsed by Panerai when I first become interested in watches, due to its bulky size and unusual colourways (on some models), however, that attitude has changed drastically since joining RWI nearly a year ago. The more PAMs I seen the more they grew on me, as I felt they offered something very different to the types of watches I was originally interested in. However, I always assumed I would admire them from afar as my slim wrists often make watches over 41mm a little unrealistic for me to wear comfortably and without looking like I'd strapped a wall clock to my arm.
After some research however and some excellent advice from a few members here, I decided recently to take the plunge and give one a go anyway. I ultimately decided that a 42mm case variant was the best "starter" PAM for me, with the logic that if this was too large then the likelihood is that PAMs just aren't for me. The short (relative to the case size) lug length however makes these watches feel smaller than they are, It is clearly still a 42mm watch and it's noticeable on the wrist, however I feel the balance of the design and wearability are far superior to other 41mm + watches I have tried from brands such as Omega and Breitling.
The watch itself is absolutely beautiful in person, the rhodium sunburst dial in combination with the high polish case and tan strap give this a robust yet also classy look. Whilst I am going off of first impressions my opinion may change, so I am going to wear this watch for a week or so and update my thoughts here. I think for people like me who were concerned by the size, this could potentially be the perfect introductory PAM.
Now my thoughts on how the watch looks are of course just that, my opinion. Therefor for those of you who would like to see and decide for yourself, here are some wrist shots to better visualize how it wears on a smaller than average wrist:
Admittedly, I was almost repulsed by Panerai when I first become interested in watches, due to its bulky size and unusual colourways (on some models), however, that attitude has changed drastically since joining RWI nearly a year ago. The more PAMs I seen the more they grew on me, as I felt they offered something very different to the types of watches I was originally interested in. However, I always assumed I would admire them from afar as my slim wrists often make watches over 41mm a little unrealistic for me to wear comfortably and without looking like I'd strapped a wall clock to my arm.
After some research however and some excellent advice from a few members here, I decided recently to take the plunge and give one a go anyway. I ultimately decided that a 42mm case variant was the best "starter" PAM for me, with the logic that if this was too large then the likelihood is that PAMs just aren't for me. The short (relative to the case size) lug length however makes these watches feel smaller than they are, It is clearly still a 42mm watch and it's noticeable on the wrist, however I feel the balance of the design and wearability are far superior to other 41mm + watches I have tried from brands such as Omega and Breitling.
The watch itself is absolutely beautiful in person, the rhodium sunburst dial in combination with the high polish case and tan strap give this a robust yet also classy look. Whilst I am going off of first impressions my opinion may change, so I am going to wear this watch for a week or so and update my thoughts here. I think for people like me who were concerned by the size, this could potentially be the perfect introductory PAM.
Now my thoughts on how the watch looks are of course just that, my opinion. Therefor for those of you who would like to see and decide for yourself, here are some wrist shots to better visualize how it wears on a smaller than average wrist:
