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Old 18 October 2019, 09:16 AM   #1
wayne93117
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Journey to my first Panerai - Pam683

This all started with me wanting the 38mm Due as my first Panerai. I had gotten past the water resistance and the fact that it was the "girl" model, but I wasn't sure which size Due was for me. I was flip flopping between the 38mm the 42mm. My preferred size of watch is 36-38 in all other brands.

I did my best to research online, which was very hard for the 38mm. Not alot out there except a Hodinkee article and while I had tried one one back in January I thought it was way too much to leave to chance. I got lucky and found one 45 minutes away so I hopped in the car.

This time around the 38 just looked a little out of place. I was having to put the band on the last hole (coming from a guy with a 6.75" wrist this was something new) and while it looked good on the wrist it felt a bit too much like all my other watches of that size. Kinda lost the uniqueness of the Panerai design.

Enter the 42 Due. I really like the hand wound version for the dial configuration from several years back, but the gray sunburst is pretty nice too. My problem was that it felt like a 42mm dress watch and for me that was way too big. I have two 36mm DJs for that purpose (one pictured below).

Hence my surprise with this 42mm submersible. I tried the 682 first and thought it's presence was just a bit too much on the wrist. I think its that fact that it's so much stainless steel without much disruption from the design to break it up a bit. Fortunately this AD had a wide selection of Panerai (Shreve in Palo Alto, CA). Out came the 683. I went back and forth with the 38 due and the 683 in store for a solid 20 minutes.

One thing that I think is so underrated about the 42mm submersible is the curve of the case and the comfort of the rubber strap. I will go out there and say that this is more comfortable than my SubC as well as my Tuder Fastrider on rubber was. I don't know what it is, but it feels great on the wrist.

I have to say there is less out there on any other watch I have looked into, including the 38mm Due. There were 110 pictures on IG which I peppered with wrist size questions as best I could. I hope this post can help someone.

___________

Case, Dial, Strap - The black ceramic insert makes the watch look a bit smaller in my opinion as does the matte black dial. The clicks of the bezel are B+. Not sub worthy, not the worst. Lume is A+. Rubber strap is A+, what a surprise, buckle looks sharp too. Extra black and blue nylon strap in the box looks ok (A-). Dial writing and markers look great.

Retail Kit - A+ for coming with all the tools in typical Panerai fashion (come on Rolex!). I give them a B for the box...cool material just not sure it is indicative of a $9.8k watch.

Pricing - $9,800?! C- Panerai! Jeez I fell back when I saw the sticker. For a touched up production movement this thing better not have a hiccup. I have to say this watch at msrp feels about $2k overpriced. I contacted a few people in the industry and was able to secure pricing that made this much more reasonable (20% off, no tax, from AD). I'm sure used ones will appear sometime, but demand seems pretty strong for now on this one. Resale even at that discount will be tough, but hey wear what you like, I'm not in it to invest.

Even with that she's still an A in my book. I'm just nit picking.

___________
She arrived yesterday afternoon and it's been a joy to wear. She's a welcome addition to the stable and for me my turnover of my collection is complete for now.

Enjoy the pics, feel free to ask me any questions....thanks for reading!
Attached Images
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Old 18 October 2019, 10:38 AM   #2
yachty 1
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Looks amazing, Congratulations!!!
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Old 18 October 2019, 12:51 PM   #3
YoureTerrific
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Well done! I’m itching to get one. And I’m eager to see what this might look like on leather. If you swap straps, please post some photos.
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Old 18 October 2019, 09:12 PM   #4
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Congratulations.
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Old 18 October 2019, 10:03 PM   #5
Joearch
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Great review. Enjoy your 683.great looking watch.
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Old 18 October 2019, 11:41 PM   #6
brandrea
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Congratulations, and I love the Bi-colored lume
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Old 19 October 2019, 12:19 AM   #7
Trailboss516
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Congratulations! Looks great on you and hope you enjoy it for the years to come.
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Old 19 October 2019, 12:37 AM   #8
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Well done congratulations
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Old 19 October 2019, 04:17 AM   #9
smalleq
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I saw the 959 in person for the first time on Wednesday. I think these are the perfect size PAM for me. Couldn't believe how well it wore on me. The price is a hard bit to swallow even though I'm sure I can manage a similar discount.

I've always thought the 389/1389 was my favorite looking Panerai, but the 47mm was always a no go for me. The 683 looks like everything I've always wanted as Panerai, but between the price and the movement change, I'm going to need a bit more time to talk myself into it. I think eventually I will though.
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Old 19 October 2019, 04:17 AM   #10
smalleq
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I saw the 959 in person for the first time on Wednesday. I think these are the perfect size PAM for me. Couldn't believe how well it wore on me. The price is a hard bit to swallow even though I'm sure I can manage a similar discount.

I've always thought the 389/1389 was my favorite looking Panerai, but the 47mm was always a no go for me. The 683 looks like everything I've always wanted as Panerai, but between the price and the movement change, I'm going to need a bit more time to talk myself into it. I think eventually I will though.
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Old 19 October 2019, 06:28 AM   #11
rootbeer7
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Great watch. Wear in great health.
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Old 19 October 2019, 07:37 PM   #12
matt009au
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Any chance of some side on shots Wayne?
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Old 20 October 2019, 09:04 AM   #13
wayne93117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matt009au View Post
Any chance of some side on shots Wayne?
1950 case FTW.
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Old 20 October 2019, 01:04 AM   #14
Rolex Essex
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Congratulations!
It looks perfect on your wrist.
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Old 20 October 2019, 01:55 AM   #15
SeikoBake
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The panerai army green strap on this model looks sweet
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Old 20 October 2019, 04:24 AM   #16
wayne93117
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Originally Posted by SeikoBake View Post
The panerai army green strap on this model looks sweet
The rubber?
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Old 20 October 2019, 09:01 AM   #17
eonflux
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Congrats on a great looking watch!!!
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Old 20 October 2019, 09:50 AM   #18
FirstPrinciples
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That is a great watch! Really like the new submersibles
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Old 20 October 2019, 10:15 AM   #19
matt009au
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Ty sir,
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Old 20 October 2019, 02:08 PM   #20
ajas
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Congratulations

Sent from my SM-N935F using Tapatalk
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Old 20 October 2019, 04:08 PM   #21
Cru Jones
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Congrats and thanks for the mini-review. Looks great.
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Old 21 October 2019, 02:14 AM   #22
sokoloka
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Congratulations! Looks fantastic on you. Any chance someone on here has one they can take a shot with side by side with an SD43?
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