For any watch lover, there is always that “one watch” that either started their journey, or cemented their love of them. As a lifelong watch lover, Panerai was that brand, and the PAM 312 was that watch!
Panerai is one of those polarizing brands. They have a great history, but over the past 10 years of so, they’ve lost their lustre and have been the centre of some controversy in the watch world. However, say what you want, the one thing that people can’t deny is how iconic the Luminor Marina and Submersible are. You see those curved edges on the case and THAT crown protector and you know it’s a PAM – you can spot them a mile off!
Others have tried to emulate it, but none have really succeeded in achieving the look and feel that a Panerai has on the wrist. Couple this with its rise in the late 90’s and early 2000’s due to its popularity among action heroes such as Sly Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnie and the like, and it’s easy to see why they became so popular. For me, it was less the action star association, and more that many of the successful people I was working with back in the early to mid 2000’s owned one.
Seeing Panerai’s on successful people’s wrist, in hindsight, probably swayed my subconscious mind to want one – being a junior and aspiring professional myself, why not aspire to that? But more than this, I thought they looked great, were big (as was the trend then) and were very unique. Big bold numbers and indices, simple dials, big crown guard and on a solid rubber strap, what wasn’t to like? Plus the quick change bolts allowing you to easily swap out the straps was to my knowledge a first for a major luxury watch brand. Even now, quick change straps are only becoming more common and Panerai really set this in motion for many.
Fast forward 10 years to 2014, and whilst on my honeymoon in Italy, I was lucky enough to be able to finally purchase a Panerai, something I had wanted to do for almost 10 years. To make this occasion even a little more special, I was able to visit the Officine Panarai Orologeria – Panerai’s flagship store in the brand’s birthplace itself; Florence.
For any watch lover, it should be on your must visit list. It has been the historical home to Panerai dating back to 1860, and when you go there (and I highly recommend it) you won’t be disappointed. It sits in the Piazza San Giovanni, facing Florence’s impressive Duomo, only a few minutes walk from the museum where they display the works of Michelangelo. And if you walk straight down the road towards the river, you will hit the Ponte Vecchio, another must see.
Interestingly, I didn’t have a specific reference in mind to buy, just a Luminor Marina. The PAM312 was the model I ended up purchasing. It had the beautiful 1950 style cushion case in brushed steel, setting it apart from the non-1950 line at the time with the full polished case. It also had the newer style sandwich dial, with the full disk of lume under the dial, as opposed to the traditional or original painted dial, and to add to it, the 312 has the small seconds had at 9 O’clock, and the date at 3. At 44 mm, it was big, but given I had a 48 mm Breitling Super Avenger at the time, it felt on the smaller side. I even got them to throw in an additional leather strap to sweeten the deal, meaning I had the choice of dark grey calf, tan alligator and the traditional rubber.
The PAM312 also has a 3 day power reserve, which almost 10 years ago was a rarity when most other watches were 42-48 hours and those that didn’t were the higher horology brands with price points at least 2-3X that of Panerai. It’s not so much of a stand out these days given most of the mainstream luxury brands have model lines with 70hrs as standard, but the fact that I have a watch that is almost 10 years old and has more power reserve than many of my newer ones, that’s still cool in my mind. Oh, and the see through case back means you can admire the somewhat industrial or utilitarian P9000 movement whenever you want.
Whilst the honeymoon should have been enough, this really made it even that more special, and a moment I’ll always remember. The 312 has been with me through a lot, and even had to be sent back to Switzerland about 4 years ago after a major run in with some cement flooring. Thankfully, it was returned to me like brand new (and thank goodness for insurance!).
It’s the one watch that I will not sell – 1) because it has sentimental value being bought with my wife on my honeymoon, and 2), as it represents the real love affair for me with watches. I had wanted one for so long, and for me, was a combination of hard work, saving, and the most expensive watch purchase I had made at that time.
Today, it doesn’t get as much wear as it used to. Tastes change and so does my collection, but it’s always there ready to be worn, which is still at least once a week or so. It is the perfect watch to wear casually, to the beach, on holidays, and when I travel overseas, it’s the one watch I take with me as I know it can handle anything. Its solid and sturdy, has brilliant legibility at night with a lume that lasts all night, and with a quick change hour hand, great when travelling between time zones.
And this is what watches are really about. The stories that they can tell, or representing a time in your life that you can literally take with you wherever you are. For a travel lover like me, they also represent the places I’ve been, and strangely enough, I do choose what watches I take with me depending on where and how long I’m travelling. The PAM312 usually makes the cut, unless I’m doing a quick 1-2 day interstate business trip, but then again, on the dark brown leather strap, it does look great with less formal business attire.
And when looking back over all my photo’s I’ve taken, half of them watch shots admittedly, I’m instantly taken back to the exact time I took it, and the feeling of being in that moment. Plus there is just something cool and comforting about seeing the Panerai on my wrist, the domed sapphire crystal catching the light reflection, and knowing that it is something special. And this, dear watch lovers, makes me smile.
Reference: PAM0312
Specification
- Case: 44 mm Brushed steel, fixed polished steel bezel
- Dial: Matte black sandwich dial with SuperLuminova and small seconds
- Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water Resistance: 300m (30BAR)
- Movement: Panerai Calibre P9000.
- Power Reserve: 72 hours
- Strap: Black rubber and choice of leather included. Integrated quick change system
