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So torn on some Panerai watches and wouldn't mind some feedback.

watchbolt

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Hey fam,

I am fairly new to reps, but getting a pretty good grasp on the whole thing - lingo, factories, pitfalls. I feel like a helpless toddler trying to make a decision, so I will open it up to feedback. We all like giving opinions and LOVE giving opinions about watches. Well, I am here for it.

Here is where I am at - I am going to by my first Panerai (bought a Yacht-Master grey Rhodium M2M). Hated the Panerai at first. In fact, never heard of it before getting into all this. I just wanted a Rolex (basic dude). I have some candidates and would love to hear those (un)biased opinions. Panerai has really grown on me so much so, I now see the beauty in them. So, the candidates are, in no particular order:





If there is something outside of these 4 that you highly recommend looking at, please feel free to share. Thank you in advance for any and all help you are willing to invest in this mess I am in.

Rick
 

DJ16013

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Hey ciao and welcome to the wonderful but confusing Panerai world.

Nice watches you selected but consider the following:

- Mare Nostrum (beautiful!) and 375 I believe they are not available anymore. Trusty is know in the business for having a general catalog of all the replica every made, but he simply never move out a watch from it. Better check with him in advance.

- Luna rossa: i would rather look at the new offering from VSF. They released quite a bunch Luna Rossa models this year, check them out. You should be able to find the discussion in the forum in the first or second page

- 1616: only one I personally owned. Beautiful and well made replica. Very light for the size, strap monster. Sold because I have too many Panerai and I decided to focus on 44 manual wound models.

Happy choice!
 

mrsullivan

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^^^ this.
I don't think Mare Nostrums are available anymore (if they are I'm 1rst in line !).

I'd go for the 1391 from VSF, they use a "correct" blue crown. I had the TTF, gorgeous dial but the crown is plain steel.
All in all the 1391 is a great watch on the wrist.
Be careful with PAMs though, once you buy one you're lost 😅👌
 

p0pperini

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Am I alone in believing the only true PAM is a 47mm PAM?

I don't even have big wrists - I have quite skinny wrists. But I don't care, Panerai seem like they were invented to be oversize dive monsters, so the only models that really do it for me are the big uns.

So on that note, I have to shout out for the 382 or the 968. Both bronze, both big, both beautiful and my fave PAMs by a long way.
 

VintageCollector12

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Well Rick, welcome to the wonderful chaos of Panerai! 🍻
  1. Mare Nostrum & 375: Stunning but likely unavailable—Trusty's catalog is more nostalgia than stock.
  2. 1391: A fantastic gateway PAM, but make sure it has that proper blue crown.
  3. 1616: Lightweight, bold, and perfect if you’re ready to embrace the oversized PAM life.
If it’s your first, the 1391 is practical and versatile, but the 1616 screams classic Panerai. Choose wisely, one PAM always leads to another!
 

AVNPlayer

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Luna Rossa VSF, is the way to go. Really came along way this year and it's a solid piece.
 
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Geonor

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I just gifted an XF pam 111 to my dad but after having it in hand I'm tempted to get one myself. I feel like it's the quintessential Panerai. Sandwich dial, manual wound, beautiful 6497 movement, exhibition case back, 44mm, polished but looks event better with patina, strap monster etc. My vote goes to the 111 and the XF is beautifully built. Pressure tested to 6atm with no problems and regulated to a delta of 8.
 

Geonor

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h4BnaY.jpeg

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DJ16013

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I just gifted an XF pam 111 to my dad but after having it in hand I'm tempted to get one myself. I feel like it's the quintessential Panerai. Sandwich dial, manual wound, beautiful 6497 movement, exhibition case back, 44mm, polished but looks event better with patina, strap monster etc. My vote goes to the 111 and the XF is beautifully built. Pressure tested to 6atm with no problems and regulated to a delta of 8.
100% this, the 111 is the perfect starter kit to Panerai's world.
Not sure about the availability though, but if you can find it it's a solid choice.
 
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Hesekiel

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Mare Nostrum and 375 are no longer available.

I personally would advise you to stay clear from Panerais that have a Chinese 7750 movement and a Chinese clone of an in-house movement. Both are ticking time bombs and you can throw them into the junk drawer once something goes sideways. The aforementioned 382 is a super sexy PAM, and I owned one myself, but under the hood is a uniquely modified 7750 that nobody will touch when it needs servicing.

The best Panerais to have are those powered by a hand-wound 6497-1 ETA-based movement. I personally would advise you to splurge on a Belkin build Panerai, ideally a pre-V or pre-A, but alternatively an 111 or 112 is also a solid choice.
 

Kawhy

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Forget all of those modern junk pams and watch m2m, awesome and ultra rare old school pam reps are listed often enough and are far superior than the new models. Just my opinion.

Man I've been looking for one for ages, but somehow I always miss them by a day or so lol
 

ward1991

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Man I've been looking for one for ages, but somehow I always miss them by a day or so lol
You must have your email notifications turned on for rep sales section. In fact, I created an email account just for RWI notifications, then changed the notification sound for just that email, so when a new watch gets posted in m2m I know within seconds, a wolf howls, then I go on the hunt:ROFLMAO:

Also, repgeek and RWG notifications via tapatalk. That way you can have all 3 forums ready to go when that Uber rare piece you want gets listed.

All you have to do at this point is beat @Fusible to the punch. Good luck.
 

Reaps

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Second on the XF PAM 111. At $238 from Hont it is probably one of the best value watches for replicas out there. It's one of my favorite Panerais and is probably a permanent mainstay in my collection.
 

Fusible

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You must have your email notifications turned on for rep sales section. In fact, I created an email account just for RWI notifications, then changed the notification sound for just that email, so when a new watch gets posted in m2m I know within seconds, a wolf howls, then I go on the hunt:ROFLMAO:

Also, repgeek and RWG notifications via tapatalk. That way you can have all 3 forums ready to go when that Uber rare piece you want gets listed.

All you have to do at this point is beat @Fusible to the punch. Good luck.
Im outta the game, but depending on the reference I still might make moves.
Warning Sign GIF
 
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Slayter7

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Second on the XF PAM 111. At $238 from Hont it is probably one of the best value watches for replicas out there. It's one of my favorite Panerais and is probably a permanent mainstay in my collection.
So you mean Hont still has XF available? Or does he just ship HWF instead? ;)
 

Reaps

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So you mean Hont still has XF available? Or does he just ship HWF instead? ;)
I ordered mine a year ago so I wouldn't know about it now. But it's easy to distinguish the HWF vs XF. The cut out size is the easiest way to tell, then the color of the lume.
 

Slayter7

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I ordered mine a year ago so I wouldn't know about it now. But it's easy to distinguish the HWF vs XF. The cut out size is the easiest way to tell, then the color of the lume.
Thanks man!
I was wondering, because my PAM177 HWF which i got this summer from Andiot has pretty spot on cut outs (the lume is really strong but i was not comparing the color) only one weak point is AR on the crystal - probably HWF improved at least the 177 dial (there is a pretty long thread here for 177 HWF but nothing new within the 111 HWF thread).