The Panerai PAM 1...
For Paneristi (lovers of things Panerai), this is it.
For folks that know me, this particular watch has been something that has been with me since before I first came on here. Numerous Gasholes were at first sick to death about hearing about the inherent goodness of this piece (Turk threatened to kill me several times on our road trips...my only way of annoying him as much as he annoyed me playing Connie Francis tapes), and yet now several of them sport Panerais (originals and excellent reproductions) on their wrists, including a few of our brethren in England.
In 1996, I noticed the ads in the Robb Report and was drawn to its heft (44mm when nobody was making anything that big) and absolute clean design. Panerai were purpose built for the Italian military demolition divers before WWII...the predecessors to our SEALS. Don't laugh about the words "Italian" and "military" in the same sentence...more than a few British ships were taken out at anchor from Gibraltar to Alexandria during WWII due to their escapades. They were designed and built in Florence originally, and one of the great strap makers (Paci) still has its factory next to the original Panerai factory in Florence, akin to knowing that the Montana eatery is still visited by Ferrari drivers now as it used to be when Enzo would buy them all lunch during the 60s and 70s (Andretti's top wine label is Montana in tribute).
Stallone came across Panerai about the same time I was wearing mine and took the brand to skyrocketing heights, giving one to each of his Planet Hollywood partners. True story...Awnold heard that Stallone was going to be prominently wearing his in his new (at the time) movie, Daylight. Awnold's own movie, Eraser, was finishing production ahead of it, so he went back and added a snipit to the opening scenes which included a close up of him setting his Panerai just to be first and screw with his buddy. Panerai and the movies and the folks that wear them have become inseparable and continue to this day. Stallone gave them out to his friends in Expendibles, and he and Stathom always show them off when they give the wrist bumps in the cockpit at the beginning and end of each of the Expendibles films.
That being said, I got mine before the hoopla started because it was big enough to look right on my wrist...just like a big block just looks right in a 427 S/C (just having some fun).
As with most of my collection, it is first and foremost a tool watch...built to take hard knocks and get dirty (whether it's working on the car or fixing a damn broken sprinkler pipe in the mud). Not a bad investment either...in less than 20 years, my $2,000 watch (in 96) surprised me when Shrive & Co. offered to buy it off my wrist for $16,000 last year or trade it straight across for a new "Bronzo" (Expendibles 2 watch...made out of naval brass) scratches and all. I don't think any modern CSX has gone up in value that much, even Evan's. Hehehe...
Still wearing it most days (on my wrist now) and banging it around...switching numerous leather (some made from WWI leather ammo pouches) straps 2-3 times a week. Getting a Panerai and buying straps is like getting an ink jet printer and then buying the damn ink...it never stops.
The more I hear about who designed the Cobra and which replicas are the bestest, the more I am drawn to talking about watches here...so see how much pain you can take. If I run out of watches, there's always the pen collection to turn to...including long painful discussions about nibs.
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