Panerai Watch (Help me Decide)

[shoes22]

I am looking to purchase a Panerai after the discussion that they will hold their value. I am not looking to sell it, but I am also not looking to make a stupid purchase. I am looking at 2. They are both Radiomir. One is about $2,000 more and limited edition. In your opinion is it worth it to buy the limited edition watch?

http://www.prestigetime.com/item.php?item_id=6686 (Limited Edition)

http://www.prestigetime.com/item.php?item_id=6482 (Regular)

Also is there a website to buy a used Panerai at a discount? Has anyone ever purchased and had good luck at Prestige Time? Thanks so much in advance for your thoughts. Everyone here has been most helpful.

 

[shoes22]

Does limited edition go up in value?

 

[SoCal2NYC]

Do Not Buy A Watch With The Intent That It Will Hopefuly Go Up In Value!!

 

[DM.ru]

I would buy pam232. I own a couple of Panerai watches and I love them! Don't really care about the value in the future...just enjoying them all the time on my wrist!
Life is too short!

Good luck with the purchase!

 

[raphael]

Buy whichever one you like the most. Of those, neither is especially likely to go up in value - they are both "base" models with no complications.

Check paneristi.com for sale forums. Sometimes there are deals to be had there.

Radomirs increase in value more slowly than the other line with the classic Panerai winding mechanism.

 

[sammy]

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

Do Not Buy A Watch With The Intent That It Will Hopefuly Go Up In Value!!

+1!

 

[zjpj83]

I wouldn't buy either, but I certainly wouldn't buy the one without a seconds hand. I like seeing that movement when I look at the watch.

 

[acidboy]

So are you buying a Panerai PRIMARILY because they hold their value?

IMHO, those prices are what? 3% lesser than what you can get from an AD with some discount? I'd stick with an AD.

 

[TheFoo]

The 232 is not a base model. It's to the Radiomir what the '1950' limited edition was to the Luminor, which has actually significantly risen in value given its desirability. If value retention is your primary interest, this is a better bet.

That being said, Panerai watches are not keeping their value as well as they used to a couple of years ago. They still retain value far better than most watches, but if you sell, you will still sell at a loss--say 15-20% off retail, unless it's an exceptional model. I would stockpile as many free extra straps as you can get when you purchase your watch as you can sell those to help make up the difference.

I suspect Panerai value retention will only worsen. Panerai appears to be producing more these days, and they are no longer quite the hot item they used to be.

 

[farfisa23]

I like timezone.com for watches. There are some good deals on the boards.

That said, the only watch that really holds its value and goes up all the time is the Rolex Daytona.

Pammy's, imho, are really overrated. They, until this year, didn't even use their own movements (this comment is not meant to provoke comments like, 'oh, neither does Rolex', I am just stating a point and yes, I know more about watches than you, so we can tussle).

That said, buy what you like and what you want to look at all the time. My watches make me really happy whenever I look down at my wrist - from my cheap beater to the ****, that's a used car I'm wearing.

Have you thought of a Glashutte Original IWC or Zenith?

 

[Philip1978]

I personally like the regular one. But you have to choose which one you like. Is it worth $2,000 more to you?

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by lee lin

i have been seeing Marina Militare watches on sale at TZ for as low as $300, which look exactly like panerais. i think those were the real thing issued to the marines and are now being sold online. i could be wrong though as i know nothing about panerais.

You are totally wrong. They're just fakes (or replicas or hommage or whatever term the counterfeit industry can come up with)

 

[globetrotter]

gd,

panarai watches are something that i don't understand, at all. I think that they look very cool, the aesthetics are great, no argument.

but, the whole brand, as far as I can figure, is sort of a copy of watches that were made 50 plus years ago. the company came up with the idea of buying the name of a small watchmaker, and copying watches made by that watchmaker 50 years ago, using standard mecanisms found on the open market. so, in a lot of ways, the "originals" are fakes, too.

I might be wrong, but isn't that the case, more or less?

 

[dave]

I love the 232 because of its gold hands, the sold caseback, and the fact that it's a base. i just prefer the more balanced dial with no sub-seconds. That being said, I don't like the fact that it's 47mm instead of 45 like the regular rads. That 2mm does make a HUGE difference in terms of perception.

If you can find an AD that has one of each I would certainly try them both on before hand. I think I would still go for the 232 though of those 2.

But for the price you're talking about, keep in mind that you could get a 210 base rad from last year and add the gold hands aftermarket. (though I am pretty certain that will void your warranty)

and if you keep your eyes peeled, you will see all of these models come up pretty regularly on the secondary market at places like timezone and paneristi.

 

[gdl203]

gt - I won't recount the whole history of Panerai here as you can google it and find all the info yourself but your perception is incorrect. The company itself (Panerai family) decided to revive its own design of 1930-1950's military watches. There are number of reasons the watches were not sold to the public (exclusivity with the military marine forces, "defense" secret...) before the Panerai family started producing them for civilians in the 1980-1990's.

By no means were the designs copied or the name of a small watchmaker bought out to create the modern Panerai watches. It was the Panerai family itself who revived and modernized the designs, and essentially spurred a new demand for large watches.

The watches were somewhat successful but the real catalyst to getting the watches known outside of Florence and Italy was Stallone buying a Panerai in Florence, loving it so much that he ordered several (including special orders) to give to his friends in Hollywood. That really created the buzz that made Panerai a phenomenon. As it often happens, Vendome saw a great opportunity in Panerai and bought the watch business of Panerai (which contnues to make professional instruments as an independent company) in 1997. To be fair, I think they kept a lot of the history and soul of Panerai alive and only very slowly expanded the offering into designs that were atypical of OP's tradition.

The historic models that were revived and designed by Officine Panerai are still part of the line-up and they are true to the origins of the brand.