Panerai fanboys going crazy…

Here’s a first look at the new Panerai PAM 386 which will be officially unveiled in Geneva at SIHH 2011.   Much like the Panerai Radiomir Composite PAM 339 which was arguably the most popular Panerai of 2010, there is no doubt that the PAM00386 will be a huge hit with Panerai fans, probably even bigger than the PAM 339.  I’ll tell you why after the jump…but first, feast your eyes on the new PAM 386!

Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386

44mm brown composite case, brown dial with Arabic numerals and luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 300 meter water resistance, comes with an aged leather strap with matching large composite buckle (comes with 2 straps)

close up of the PAM 386 dial

Versus the PAM 339, I think this new PAM 386 is more practical and has more mainstream appeal because of its size (44mm vs. PAM 339 47mm), case shape (Luminor (w/crown guard) vs. PAM 339 Radiomir-style case), and the movement (automatic Panerai caliber P.9000 vs. PAM 339 manual wind 8-day P.2002) — and it also has a date window vs. the PAM 339′s “8-days” graphic at the 3 o’clock position.  Also, because of the automatic movement instead of the 8-day manual wind, the watch will probably be a fair amount less expensive.

Bottom line — damn does this watch look awesome, and props to Panerai for seizing upon a winner in the PAM 339 composite and advancing the theme in 2011!  Although it will be awhile before we see this watch in the marketplace, it is worth the wait, IMHO.  Look for price to push close to $10,000.

Movement is the automatic mechanical Panerai P.9000 caliber

close up of the PAM 386 caseback

looks like it will be a limited edition of 1000pieces / year

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