The Panerai Source Forums

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and thinking of buying a PAM287. It just has all the things I want.

What I was wondering is if I would buy this watch in 3 years, would it still be sold?

And is there a list of which letter belongs to which year?

I think (and this is strictly personal) that 'ikonic' watches like the Radiomir Black Seal will be there for a while to come - but obviously my name isn't Angelo Bonati so I'm not the one to decide!

I'm not sure I understand the "3 years" - are you going to have to wait 3 years before buying it, or are you simply hoping it'll still be popular in 3 years? It all rather largely hinges on what you expect when you buy a watch - in terms of 'investment'. Sadly, aside from a few SE or Limited Editions (I'm thinking of the 203) I don't think I'd buy a Panerai as an 'investment' per se. (At least in monetary terms)

The 203 is fairly unique as the production run is 150, the watch first appeared in 2005 and is still in the current price list (At 18000€) but you'll have to be friends with Angelo to get one.

As to the millesime letter, 'A' corresponds to 1998, 'B' to 1999 etc. and so this year (2009) will be 'L'.

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Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Thanks for all your answers! The 3 years was just an example. I don't really need a collector's item and don't have the funds for it anyway haha.

The 287 actually just fits in my budget and has the looks and functions I want.

Thanks again!

Like the 210, the 287 is, for me at least, a classic design. Simplicity wins and the fact that it's an automatic movement is, in my view, a +. I'm not personally keen on the cyclops over the date, but it's possibly 'slightly' more discrete on the Radiomirs than the Luminors - but that's so subjective isn't it.

The current list in Europe is 4100€ which, for a Panerai, isn't excessive...(What am I saying!)

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Yes, I also think that a automatic is better. Otherwise I would have to handwind it every 52 hours, which would make me crazy.

EUR 4100,- isn't bad. I first thought of the IWC Big Pilot, but that one is at least double the price!

Not very clued up on IWC myself - I should be...! But a Panerai is an excellent choice, in my view!

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

IWC Big Pilot has a 7 day movement - that's 168 hours. Its also an automatic, and an in house movement. Should be compared with the Panerai Manifattura series more than the base stuff. I had one briefly.. it was too big to be comfortable though for me

Sometimes I see OP on the side of the watch, what does this stands for?

OP = Officine Panerai

Do you mean your eyes don't work all the time and you only see it sometimes? Drink more, in my opinion - personally I find Talisker gives fantastic colours...

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

ok ha ha. I mean sometimes on the internet in some pictures. I still don't know what it stands for.

OP simply means Officine Panerai which is the full name of the company.

'Officine' can be translated as 'Atelier' or 'Workshop'

Often seen on the winding crown of the Radiomirs, and as the 'Logo' on the dial of the Luminor base (000 and 005)

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Ah, ofcourse! You really know alot about Panerai. Do you also have alot of knowledge about other watches?

Erm...not really - sort of got a bit 'consumed' by the Panerai virus....

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Oh yeah, I also "sometimes" see T Swiss T and on the newer versions L Swiss Made L on the dail.

Why is that?

The 'T' dials were produced up until fairly recently - the 'T' denotes the use of Tritium as the luminous material used.

Tritium, being mildy radioactive, has been replaced by the compound Super-Luminova, hence the demonination 'L' considered less dangerous - at least, not radioactive!

Tritium is naturally light-emitting, whereas Super-Luminova has to be 'charged' by exposure to a light source.

One of the problems with the paste containing the tritium is that, with age, it tends to crack and minute pieces can fall off the watch dial. To this end, Panerai, much to the dismay of the 'purists', will automatically change the 'T' dial for an 'L' dial equivalent when a 'T' dial watch is sent in for service (If this crackling is evident)...thus the 'originality' of the watch is compromised.

It seems that Panerai won't take no for an answer, and in consequence, people wanting to preserve the 'uniqueness' of their watches have been known simply not to send them in for servicing.

There are collectors who prefer to hunt down a 'T' dial watch in preference to an 'L' equivalent.

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Thanks for your answers again!

Do you know if the 287 has the same buckle as the below 104?

Do they call this an adjustable buckle? At least this is what I read in the brochure.

This picture shows the Luminor deployant buckle. Yes, it's adjustable (and is known as an 'adjustable' buckle)

The 287 uses the Radiomir version of this deployant, which you can seen here

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Oh, strange, the above picture is from someone who wants to sell his 287.

Thanks for the link.

The photo you show is obviously NOT a Radiomir...not only is the deployant a Luminor one, so is the watch! (The crown protector on the Luminor is somewhat distinctive...)

The rear view of a 287 would look more like this...

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

oops, you're right. I've mistaken with 2 pictures, this picture is not from the seller, but from another forum.

Hi Sportback & everyone!

I picked up the 287 today at the dealer! It's beauuuuuutiful!

The only thing I'm a little bit concernced about is that, when I shake the watch on my wrist, I hear the watch moving! Sometimes I almost feel it go round and round.

Is this normal? Because I have a rolex which is automatic too, but it doesn't make that much noise.

What you can hear and feel is the automatic winding system. Perfectly normal. Enjoy

Congratulations - and when will we get the photos?

As to the noises, Baz has already explained - Rolex use a fantastically complex mechanism that works by osmosis and takes the power for the watch straight from your wrist...which is why there is no noise.

Panerai, old fashioned etc. use a rotor which turns on a central pivot to wind the main spring - rotor 'wobble' is a common sensation and perfectly normal - in fact it's more of a problem when it stops as the watch will run down...

If you have other watches you wear regularly, you could buy yourself a watch winder which simply turns the watch back and forth a set number of times per day, turning the rotor which in turn winds up the watch. Alternatively, based on the fact that you've bought a Panerai and are therefore very rich, use one of your slaves to do the same thing.

One inherent advantage of an automatic mechanism is that there is a clutch which prevents overwinding the watch - leaving it for prolonged periods on a winder won't create any problems, and the watch is always wound up and ready to go.

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

Thanks, I already told one of my slaves to do so.

Here are some pictures I made this morning from beginning till end. Another strange thing is that I've got a piece of crocodile on my wrist! They kill crocodile for watches!

that's very nice. I must hit a Rad soon

The alligators that provide the straps material, are only really the equivelant of farm cows, sheep and pigs. Nothing to get stressed about unless you're the alligator i suppose. That said, most of us wear leather shoes etc without drama

lol, that's true. On the other hand, it's actually pretty cool to have a aligator on your wrist

Part of a dead one anyway, not a whole live one

Well the way I look at it is, at least it should be waterproof...

Congrats - it really is a VERY nice piece (praise indeed from a committed Luminor lover)

_________________
Own: 219, 253, 270, 308
On order: 28 Selling: 164 OOR
Past loves: 000,176,199,240,250,251,252,288

congrats pan pan. i'm still undecided whether i like the cyclop on a panerai, so i went with the safe 183... but the date feature and the automatic movement is a big bonus! soon you'll be like me and start looking for a power reserve like a 268/190 or a 233. give in to the dark side