Panerai ................. WHAT A BRAND !!!!

[L-16610]

Panerai is probably the brand which made the best impression in the last 10 years.

15 years ago almost nobody knew them
10 years ago they became popular but still a lot of guys were thinking they were just a fad - Oh boy, they were so wrong -
Other knew them 10 years ago but with only ETA movements some of us didn't show much interest

Today they are a top brand and when they used only ETA 10 years ago they have several inhouse movements today. SEVERAL !
I don't think I know another brand which made such a turn around. Do you know a brand which made 8 completely new inhouse movements in less than 10 years ? I don't

So today we have a lot of Panerai watches with inhouse movements but the entry level watches still use ETA. When do you think we'll see the last Panerai watches with these ETA movements ?
At SIHH 2011 all the new watches had an inhouse movement
So when will the ETA based Panerai be completely discontinued ? Within 2 years ? 5 years ?

Panerai : from outsourced movements to inhouse manufacture and from a fad to a trendsetter ! CONGRATULATIONS !!!

[dddrees]

It took me awhile but I have embreaced the Darkside. I know mine uses an ETA movement but I still Luv my PAM000 anyway.

[nauticajoe]

IMO PAM's are definitely a very close #2 behind Rolexes. I love the in-house movement in my 233K.

[Wisconsin Proud]

In a word, it happened because of Richemont. When smaller brands are able to explode with new movements and gain market share, they need a strong financial backing.

Similar to Hublot (LVMH) and Cartier (strong backing from parent co). These huge conglomerates are buying up brands and making them stronger and allowing them to do what they need to to distinguish themselves and survive.

[chazha]

I dont think PAM 380 carries a In House movement... but year I should have bought some Pre V models before their prices skyrocketed

[L-16610]

Originally Posted by chazha

I dont think PAM 380 carries a In House movement... but year I should have bought some Pre V models before their prices skyrocketed

You're right
The 380 has the OP II movement
and so it is the only new model with an outsourced movement

[Cru Jones]

I dig the enthusiasm!

Just to say, I'm not a worshiper at the in-house temple. What counts for me is great design, impeccable construction and a robust movement that won't give me hassles. Whether it's in-house or ETA, I don't care, as long as it is quality and sings to me.

[peter2704]

it might be good for residuals if they got rid of the eta in there watches,the eta bases would become more collectable and increase in value?

[SaddleSC]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

Just to say, I'm not a worshiper at the in-house temple. What counts for me is great design, impeccable construction and a robust movement that won't give me hassles. Whether it's in-house or ETA, I don't care, as long as it is quality and sings to me.

+1 Well said Cru.

[chazha]

Im a risti browser and every now and then I hear people complain about Cal 9000 malfunctions. Its not that there are so many PAM 312/28/51/52/59 out there again.

Sometimes it just feels better when you have an old ETA movement that has a rock solid history record.

[karmatp]

I sure don't have any problems buying a watch with a ETA movement. They are reliable, rugged and will last forever. Another huge bonus is that any watchmaker can work on them, were the new in-house have to go back to Panerai.

Personally, I prefer my Pam's to have the ETA's. I can service them locally and they are rock solid.

[Wisconsin Proud]

Even Breitling has admitted the B01 has a higher failure rate than the 7750-based watches they sell. There are growing pains so it might be good to stay away until the bugs are worked out.

[sepcreek]

Hi Everyone,

Hope it is OK to piggy back on this thread. If not I apologise in anticipation.

Can someone explain what is meant by the ETA movement and how does it compare to an in house movement?

What is special or significant about an in house movement?

Many thanks,

Tony

[Cru Jones]

Originally Posted by sepcreek

Hi Everyone,

Hope it is OK to piggy back on this thread. If not I apologise in anticipation.

Can someone explain what is meant by the ETA movement and how does it compare to an in house movement?

What is special or significant about an in house movement?

Many thanks,

Tony

i'm by no means an expert in horlogy, but, to keep it simple, maybe that's a good thing.

ETA designs and manufacturers watch movements and has been around for a long time. today, it is wholly-owned by the SWATCH group. during and following the crisis in swiss high-end watches, ETA came to dominate the supply of high-quality automatic movements and even today many top brands use ETA or ETA-based movements. the popular movements are rugged, time-tested and accurate.

to me, the in-house movement is about bragging rights. as in, brand X that i wear on my wrist has the knowledge and expertise to build its own unique movements.

whether they are "better" or more reliable than ETA movements remains to be seen, but, one thing is for sure, in-house movements will be more expensive to service since brand X will have a monopoly on their movement and not all watch makers will gain sufficient expertise to service all movements....

anyway, when almost every company is producing turbillons and other complicated baubles, in-house production does not bring an extra sense of satisfaction in ownership to me. i focus much more on the design, history and craftsmanship of what i can easily see on the watch, and as long as the watch keeps good time and is easy to service, i am happy.

to each his own and if a unique and in-house movement is really important to the owner, then, stay away from base PAMs....

[leeye]

the new P3000 calibre does look promising

[canwatchco]

A few years back Swatch group notified all of their end users that they would not longer supply them with "unfinished" movements. The well capitalized brands took to building their own movements rather than carry a movement that they could not embelish to their own brand. The scare ended in late "09 when Swatch agreed to back off with certain brands. I think Breitling breathed a big sigh of relief as their road to "in-house" was more problematic. Panerai dug in with their new movemnets and will benefit greatly in the long run. But, BIG BUT, there have been many reliability issues with the early 9000 movements. I am sure those problems will all be addressed in time. In the meantime, there is nothing wrong with the ETAs that Panerai has been using these last 14 years!

[psv]

While I don't share your vigorous enthusiasm over the Panerai brand, I must say the marketing geniuses at Richemont does have an enormous success story on their hands. They've smartly used all their tobacco profits to acquire world famous jewelry and watch-brands like Vacheron Constantin, IWC etc and been the master-minds behind reviving once-dead brands like Panerai and Lange into world famous watches.

[chazha]

This whole thing is a one man show and all the credit goes to John Rambo!!! :D

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by psv

While I don't share your vigorous enthusiasm over the Panerai brand, I must say the marketing geniuses at Richemont does have an enormous success story on their hands. They've smartly used all their tobacco profits to acquire world famous jewelry and watch-brands like Vacheron Constantin, IWC etc and been the master-minds behind reviving once-dead brands like Panerai and Lange into world famous watches.

The once dead Panerai models get the highest bids.

[mastruck]

As stated above, almost any reputable watch guy can work on ETA...not necessarily the case with Panerai mvmts

[basel]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

I dig the enthusiasm!

Just to say, I'm not a worshiper at the in-house temple. What counts for me is great design, impeccable construction and a robust movement that won't give me hassles. Whether it's in-house or ETA, I don't care, as long as it is quality and sings to me.

Same here.

[Shade]

Yeah, I can be ETA or inhouse, as long as it's reliable and made in high quality standards, then I couldn't care much. However, of course, it would be very nice, to have an in house movement, if possible.

[B. Doggy]

I'm confident that the ETA's will become more valuable in the future with the new wave of collector's.

[mmancari]

Richemont has done a killing this year. As for the direction of Panerai and other Richemont brands.... Full steam ahead. I think Panerai has great growth potential and I like the new movements over the ETA's.

[kingblackbolt]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

I dig the enthusiasm!

Just to say, I'm not a worshiper at the in-house temple. What counts for me is great design, impeccable construction and a robust movement that won't give me hassles. Whether it's in-house or ETA, I don't care, as long as it is quality and sings to me.

I agree it's not the end all and be all but it certainly helps distinguish a brand...