Panerai Entry Cost
The ever growing popularity of Panerai watches needs no detailed explanation. Panerai has enjoyed a lasting and growing expansion that lots of other luxury watch manufacturers can only dream of. Chances are, if you are reading this, that you already know a bit about Panerai watches or you are planning on getting yourself one. But where should you start? We have already covered an article on Buying first Panerai watch, but that blog doesn’t include any costs. Read on to find out more about Panerai entry cost.
Panerai PAM000
Panerai entry cost PAM000
We have covered some of the history of Panerai brand in previous blog Panerai history, but we need to remind ourselves in order to understand Panerai Luminor base PAM000. Panerai used the “Luminor” term only to refer to a luminous substance it debuted in 1949 — the same goes for the brand’s other major collection called Radiomir. Having the unique bridge over the crown of the 44mm wide 316L steel case, as well as its integrated lug design, the Luminor collection, for many, is the quintessential Panerai.
Panerai entry cost Crown Guard patent 1956
You have probably guessed it, the Panerai Luminor PAM000 proudly features this steel bridge over it’s crown protecting it flawlessly. This is the essence of the Panerai Luminor models and something most of the fans are really passionate about. There is small bunch of fans that only respect “REG T.M” on some upper scale models, but the core is to be found in PAM000 model as well.
Panerai entry cost PAM000
Furthermore, any real Panerai Luminor should have their distinctive black dial with excellent lume that appears off-white (with a slight greenish hue) during the day and bright green during the night. This model is also important cause of OP logo at 6 which stands for Officine Panerai (officine in Italian means workshops) with up and down arrows. These arrows are representing Panerai involvement in diving and landing aid system. You can find out more about this in Panerai history article.
Next on the list of true Panerai features is so called sausage dial. This is very important part of every Panerai watch and it means that there are two dial plates. The bottom one is solid and has fluorescent lume applied to it. The upper dial has to hour markers cut out revealing the lume beneath. This method gives more depth to the dial, while giving Panerai PAM000 a bit more historically authentic and simple looking elements to stand out.
While we are on the subject, Panerai also makes another type of the dial: flat black dial with the Arabic numerals and baton hour markers painted on the surface. Because of this, the lume appears slightly more domed or elevated from the plane of the dial.
The movement inside Panerai PAM000 is the Panerai OP I which is the standard/base movement in all Panerai watches. This is basically ETA 6497 manual wind movement which has been used in the company since 1997. It is relatively large, rugged and reliable caliber that was originally designed to be a pocket watch movement. It fits nicely in this big case and runs at 3 Hertz with a power reserve of 56 hours.
It is hidden under a solid steel case back that bears the Officine Panerai logos and designations, and also carries the case number and serial number. For that added sense of exclusivity, the Panerai Luminor PAM000 is limited to production runs of 2500, with each run being marked by a letter from the alphabet — so you have M series, N series, etc.
Panerai entry cost PAM000
By now we have discussed most of the technicalities of the Panerai Luminor PAM000, but that only partially helps us determine the answer to the original question — just how much of the Panerai experience it manages to deliver. Well, as we can see, the Panerai Luminor PAM000 Base Logo is packed with design elements that are highly relevant to Panerai’s history, and both the case size and shape, as well as the crown guard and dial design work together in a way that they help you enjoy not one or two, but a large number of unique Panerai treats.
While there is no one definitive reason why so many have become (nearly) addicted to this wearing experience, the way the Panerai Luminor case looks on the wrist certainly is one of them. And with this, we have arrived at an interesting point and one that you may not realise until you have either seen hundreds of Panerai watch images, or you yourself already own one: the remarkable versatility of the design.
With a lug width of 24 millimeters and a hassle-free strap changing system, the round dial and cushion shaped case of the Panerai Luminor can change its appearance entirely by the addition of a different strap — and worry not, there is a smaller industry worth of larger companies and one-man workshops around the world who have specialised in crafting fantastic straps. Using various kinds of leather and rubber, they have been granting the Paneristi (the fans and collectors of the brand) virtually endless options to change the looks of their watches. From a full-on military look through fun colourful options, to an elegant and restrained aesthetic, this simple combination of a curved case and round dial can be renewed over and over again in a way few other watches can be.
This ease of maintaining versatility is what many consider to be one of the key defining factors that made Panerai so popular — and because the Panerai Luminor PAM000 is as basic as they get (apart from the addition of the OP logo at 6), it will wear different kinds of straps beautifully. Speaking of the addition of the logo, we arrive at discussing the alternatives to the Panerai Luminor PAM000 Base Logo.
Panerai entry cost
Panerai Luminor PAM000 is priced at $4,500 and it’s highly recommendable option for those who are looking into Buying first Panerai watch and want to get as much of the Panerai experience for as little as possible. This is probably the model every collector wants to have in their collection.
Panerai Luminor PAM112
If you still have your doubts, we can explore another Base Panerai model: Panerai PAM112.
At first look, it looks remarkably similar — same case size, material, and colour scheme — but, as always with Panerai, it all comes down to subtle differences. All Panerai models come with very subtle differences and you need really trained eye to spot them. The PAM112 replaces the sausage dial of the Panerai Luminor PAM000 Base Logo with a sandwich version, loses the Base Logo from 6, and features the OP X movement which adds a swan neck regulator to the OP I and, more importantly, is on display thanks to a sapphire case back. The Panerai Luminor PAM112 is priced at $5,900, so you are paying quite a bit of a premium for those small upgrades.
