The cat's out of the bag, thanks to muckymark: Incoming!
May 22, 2018 20:41:15 GMT -6
aerome, rigsby, and 1 more like this
Post by carl on May 22, 2018 20:41:15 GMT -6
Muckymark spoiled my secret. He saw my thread over on WUS in the Panerai forum. Well, I would have spilled the beans soon anyway, being a tad embarrassed for having a second Panerai in less than a week. And, I didn't even listen to Roger, I went innocently in to the Boutique today to look at another strap for my 562! Actually, that is also a lie, I did want to look at another model or two, one which I saw last week.
Today I am the proud owner of a brand new Radiomir California 3 Days Acciaio - 47mm - PAM00424. I first saw this last week, the day I got my 562. I actually tried it on my wrist, just thought it was too big. After I got used to the 562 (which took all of 5 min), I realized that these watches are really not that big at all. And I am fortunate to be able to pull off just about any size of watch anyway.
The Vancouver Panerai Boutique is quite new, not even a year old I think. The lovely and charming Manager, Alnaz Farhadi, has done a wonderful job of amassing an excellent collection, including some very special Limited and Special Edition models. Today, I went in to look specifically at the Luminor Marina Militare 3 Days PAM00678, the Radiomir PAM720 3 Days with simple dial and plexiglass, the Radiomir Breviettato 3 days PAM00687, and the Radiomir California. If I could afford it, I would have them all! But I was very thankful just to see all of these models in real life.
For me, the Radiomir California simply stood out from the rest as being the most different from my 562, mainly because of the unique California dial, and the Radiomir case. I first learned a bit about California dials years ago, when I saw photos of vintage Rolex and Radiomir pieces and learned that Panerai had commissioned Rolex to make a robust watch for a team of combat divers back in 1936. It had such a dial, half Romans and half Arabics, but nobody really seems to know why it got the name California, although there are lots of plausible theories.
Like a number of watches, and designs in my life, I really never cared for them until I started to learn more about them and their history. For example, I never cared to the Omega Speedmaster until years after I first saw it, that I recalled watching the moon landing with my Dad in 1969. And i first thought the California dial, when I saw pictures of it, was quite ugly. Now, I find it a thing of beauty! Just never dreamed I would own a watch with such a dial. Another huge reason for choosing this model over the others.
And, it has the Panerai logo on the very simple dial. Another thing I kind of craved was a logo dial. Now I have even better! I also learned something new about the 3 Day Power Reserve movement, the P.3000 in house caliber, you can actually adjust the hour hand without disturbing the rest of the movement, sort of a modified GMT. Quoting the Panerai website: "The P.3000 calibre is also fitted with a device for the rapid adjustment of the time: a star wheel with 12 points and a small spring clutch to enable the hour hand to be moved one hour at a time, without interfering with the movement of the minute hand or the operation of the watch." I know this feature is not unique to Panerai movements, but I have always admired it in any of the watches I knew had it. Cool!
So, what else can I say. This simple looking watch just has a multitude of amazing features. And it looks spectacular. I feel it has a wonderful wrist presence without being too flashy but interesting enough to draw some attention. It is rare, but interesting, when someone occasionally asks about the watch you are wearing. Without showing off, I hope that this great piece will evoke some conversation. If not, I will totally enjoy and appreciate it all by myself.
A few photos, not in any particular order:
Serial and model numbers (at least, I think serial no. please correct me if wrong) are between the lugs at either end of the case:
Water resistance rating and LE number at corners of case (this California is LE of 1000):
Thanks for reading my introduction to this amazing watch, and looking at my photos.
And, just so you know: This is really it!!! The last one!!!
Cheers,
Carl
Today I am the proud owner of a brand new Radiomir California 3 Days Acciaio - 47mm - PAM00424. I first saw this last week, the day I got my 562. I actually tried it on my wrist, just thought it was too big. After I got used to the 562 (which took all of 5 min), I realized that these watches are really not that big at all. And I am fortunate to be able to pull off just about any size of watch anyway.
The Vancouver Panerai Boutique is quite new, not even a year old I think. The lovely and charming Manager, Alnaz Farhadi, has done a wonderful job of amassing an excellent collection, including some very special Limited and Special Edition models. Today, I went in to look specifically at the Luminor Marina Militare 3 Days PAM00678, the Radiomir PAM720 3 Days with simple dial and plexiglass, the Radiomir Breviettato 3 days PAM00687, and the Radiomir California. If I could afford it, I would have them all! But I was very thankful just to see all of these models in real life.
For me, the Radiomir California simply stood out from the rest as being the most different from my 562, mainly because of the unique California dial, and the Radiomir case. I first learned a bit about California dials years ago, when I saw photos of vintage Rolex and Radiomir pieces and learned that Panerai had commissioned Rolex to make a robust watch for a team of combat divers back in 1936. It had such a dial, half Romans and half Arabics, but nobody really seems to know why it got the name California, although there are lots of plausible theories.
Like a number of watches, and designs in my life, I really never cared for them until I started to learn more about them and their history. For example, I never cared to the Omega Speedmaster until years after I first saw it, that I recalled watching the moon landing with my Dad in 1969. And i first thought the California dial, when I saw pictures of it, was quite ugly. Now, I find it a thing of beauty! Just never dreamed I would own a watch with such a dial. Another huge reason for choosing this model over the others.
And, it has the Panerai logo on the very simple dial. Another thing I kind of craved was a logo dial. Now I have even better! I also learned something new about the 3 Day Power Reserve movement, the P.3000 in house caliber, you can actually adjust the hour hand without disturbing the rest of the movement, sort of a modified GMT. Quoting the Panerai website: "The P.3000 calibre is also fitted with a device for the rapid adjustment of the time: a star wheel with 12 points and a small spring clutch to enable the hour hand to be moved one hour at a time, without interfering with the movement of the minute hand or the operation of the watch." I know this feature is not unique to Panerai movements, but I have always admired it in any of the watches I knew had it. Cool!
So, what else can I say. This simple looking watch just has a multitude of amazing features. And it looks spectacular. I feel it has a wonderful wrist presence without being too flashy but interesting enough to draw some attention. It is rare, but interesting, when someone occasionally asks about the watch you are wearing. Without showing off, I hope that this great piece will evoke some conversation. If not, I will totally enjoy and appreciate it all by myself.
A few photos, not in any particular order:
Serial and model numbers (at least, I think serial no. please correct me if wrong) are between the lugs at either end of the case:
Water resistance rating and LE number at corners of case (this California is LE of 1000):
Thanks for reading my introduction to this amazing watch, and looking at my photos.
And, just so you know: This is really it!!! The last one!!!
Cheers,
Carl
. I am finally starting to learn the quirks of the Panerai watches.
