Pam 88 over weekend

[blah114]

I'll post pics later, but for years I've been told not to like panerai. The Watch Snob columns and others around the net bemoan in-house movements vs eta... faked history, and so on. I visited a rolex AD intent on buying a blnr gmt rolex and the blnr just didn't do it for me. The salesguy said I should consider panerai, or asked if i would. I scoffed a bit but noticed a gmt panerai. I had been to this AD before and always walked past panerai without a glance, straight to the rolex cases. I spied the pam 88, but didn't know it was an 88, 111, 123, or 123456 model.. I held it, loved it, then looked at 5 other pams... i wasn't supposed to like, much less LOVE panerai. But i do, and did. I loved the strap, layout, dial, and cosc certification. . Furthermore, a watchmaker/customer happened by and commented how easy an eta or valjoux movement is to service. I adored the pam 88 and it wore far better on my wrist than the sub c or gmt. I bought the pam 88 and am now a lifelong pam fan. Funny how things turn out. I adore the luminescence, the legibility, the date window magnification, the heavy duty case... that the piece includes a supplemental rubber strap just sealed the deal. At 3000 usd less than the blnr gmt, discounted, I thought i was walking away with a theft. The pam 88 speaks to me. I adore this watch and am now a huge panerai fan, as well as a rolex lover. I don't quite understand the hostility aired towards panerai, but then again, I've heard the same aired towards rolex. I love both brands for different reasons... but you know how each watch has something you love, dislike, or can live with? The pam 88 has nothing I dislike, other than perhaps price, but I believe the quality is here. I wear a vacheron, jaeger, rolex, and likely favor the pam 88 over all of them. Time will tell.. the honeymoon may come to an end... but i doubt it, and hope not. I'm quite happy I decided to give panerai a good look. I've been told to avoid panerai by varioius writers, reviewers, and watch enthusiasts. .. some of whom despise rolex as well. What a great timepiece.. the pam 88. I'm loving its gmt legibility, which far surpasses the rolex gmt to me. Thanks for reading. Pics forthcoming.

[Urosfan]

Congrats let the strap changing madness begin

[jbsmith]

Congrats! Look fwd to the pics!

[nick c]

Well done

[incontrol]

Congrats! Looking forward to your pics!

[Cru Jones]

Congrats and welcome! The 88 was the first PAM that caught my eye, too. Next up: straps! Enjoy.

[1st amg]

COngrats, the 088 was also one of my first too, then it becomes an obsession, enjoy the GMT.

[Psmith]

Congrats, nice choice

[blah114]

I can't afford another Panerai or Rolex for that matter

[RollyFan98012]

Congrats and welcome!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[blah114]

Pics

[blah114]

Another

[blah114]

Last ... I'm tempted to buy a spare leather strap to preserve the original. I love this strap, below.

[Cru Jones]

looks great!

as for the strap, i would just wear and enjoy. you can always get a new one if need be from OP and the prices aren't prohibitive.

[blah114]

I would not know where to begin to get that same strap anyway. I think it's a Ferretti strap, but I am not entirely sure. The rubber strap looks amazing too.

Can I ask a question.. when changing the straps.. I love having a clasp. I don't particularly enjoy watches with buckles (unless they have clasps). are we meant to also change the clasp to the rubber strap as well? I Am very tempted to get two straps.. and two extra deployment clasps.. anyway, I can see how this will get out of control. I don't think I want to change the strap myself the first time, despite being shown how to do so.

[blah114]

FYI I think I Was wrong.. I think the PAm 88 has a Panerai movement. I had stated it was ETA, above.

[Cru Jones]

^ The 88 has the quick change buttons in the lugs, so, strap changes take about 20 seconds.

But, if you insist on deployant clasps, they are more time-consuming to switch and the little screw can be hard to find if it falls (best to change the deployant over a white surface). One option could me be to buy multiple deployant clasps and have one on each strap, but that will be pretty expensive, especially if you choose OEM.

Alternatively, to maximize the fun of switching straps and changing looks, you could go with non-OEM straps & buckles: most good makers will include sewn-in or screwed-in buckles for a marginally more expensive price.

I chose the latter approach and am quite happy with my growing strap collection. YMMV.

[jhcam8]

Originally Posted by Urosfan

Congrats let the strap changing madness begin

Congrats - get some straps!

And don't worry about changing - you'll pick it up in no time.

[blah114]

from where are you all getting your straps? I guess I can deal with no deployment clasp. I Don't even know how much they are.

[Watch This]

Originally Posted by blah114

FYI I think I Was wrong.. I think the PAm 88 has a Panerai movement. I had stated it was ETA, above.

Modified ETA. Not in house. Great piece. Miss mine alot.

[Hairdude1]

Congrats!

[Mastergreenhand]

Congrats! Sent you a PM regarding strapmakers.

[blah114]

a week later, the honeymoon is not yet over. I think this watch is functional, nice looking, and wears well. I might one day grab the BLNR just to have it (but I am not passionate about it as a watch).. who knows, but until that day, the PAM 88 will be my most worn watch next to a blue dial 2-tone C Submariner. for legibility besides functionality, I love the PAM 88. what I prefer regarding the PAM vs Rolex is the crown guard. I don't like having to unscrew the crown to wind the watch or set it. I love that the PAM is as simple as a push or pull.. and I am done. With the Sub, unscrewing and screwing the crown worries me, particularly because of wear and tear.. besides if one fails to screw the crown in all the way, the Rolex isn't waterproof. That's happened to me a few times with the Explorer 1.. where I screwed the crown in , only to later find it wasn't in all the way. with the PAM 88, I never have that worry. it's amazingly legible.. the date's even more legible than the sub.. I love the magnification that is flush with the saphire.

[sea-dweller]

Very nice!

[djemmtee]

88 was my first pam and still one of my favorites! Love the look of the dial. Try a GSD strap, he is a great strap maker!

[Preeble]

Congrats one the 88 - as far as I know, it still has the ETA movement. FYI - if your watch came with a credit card as the warranty card, it is not an in-house movement. All in-house movement watches no longer have the credit card.

The 88 was my first PAM too! It started a long journey into the PAM world, but it still gets a lot of wrist time! Here is a recent pic w/ a canvas strap.

[WJGESQ]

Originally Posted by blah114

Last ... I'm tempted to buy a spare leather strap to preserve the original. I love this strap, below.

Is this one of the most desirable PAMs? Where does it fall in the line up?

[Preeble]

I would say that the 88 has a very broad appeal to the luxury watch buyer - it is an automatic, has a quick strap change mechanism, is COSC certified and has a useful complication (GMT). It is also at a reasonable price point. However, it is not a collector's piece - a ton of these have been made (at least in the Panerai world) and it is not really historically significant like some of the other models.

IMO, one can't go wrong with an 88.

[blah114]

Originally Posted by Preeble

I would say that the 88 has a very broad appeal to the luxury watch buyer - it is an automatic, has a quick strap change mechanism, is COSC certified and has a useful complication (GMT). It is also at a reasonable price point. However, it is not a collector's piece - a ton of these have been made (at least in the Panerai world) and it is not really historically significant like some of the other models.

IMO, one can't go wrong with an 88.

Yes, I was really "told" by the dealer to get a "limited to 500 pieces" Radiomir, limited release, which was 1K higher.. but it was HUGE on my wrist.. it would have been like wearing a grandfather clock on my wrist.. so I chose the PAM 88. It will be interesting to see what happens, but I have been wearing this PAM 88 mostly in "casual" situations or when driving a Jeep Wrangler on gravel roads.. that type of thing. It's versatile enough to wear to a business meeting, but for those, I opt for a Vacheron, SubC, or more often a JLC Reverso. The PAM88 is really legible, stays wound for days, and the strap is unbelievable. My thinking is one can't claim to wear any Rolex, Panerai, etc in a "limited" fashion.. to me, truly limited would be a Grand Complication Patek, where they make maybe 2-3 per year. That's just me.

[blah114]

Originally Posted by WJGESQ

Is this one of the most desirable PAMs? Where does it fall in the line up?

I was told that no it's not too sought after by "Paneristi" people.