Panerai
Available Now: Panerai PAM 390 Steel Base Luminor Marina
This Luminor Marina was discovered by Sylvester Stallone who selected it to wear in his film Daylight. He showed the watch to his friend Richemont Group owner Johann Rupert who bought the company. With the first series of watches it launched in 1997 Richemont Group recouped its investment and from that point onward Panerai became a rampaging success.
At this point Panerai collectability was at its height. In the last decade there has been a trend toward smaller sized vintage styled watches and Panerai momentarily lost some traction due to its larger case sizes and the over production of too many references.
But the good news is that Panerai as a brand is back stronger than ever with a powerful assertion of material innovation with cases in carbotech and 3D printed titanium, great designs and a renewed link to the Italian Navy.
Collectors also realized that the classic Panerai size of 44 millimeters was perfect as it expressed the true original military identity of the brand and secondary prices are once again beginning to rise.
But of all the base watches that have ever been created there is a strong argument that the PAM 390, created in a 2000 example limited edition in 2011 for sale in the brand’s boutiques only is the best looking. It is basically the greatest hits list of the brand’s coolest elements.
It’s the perfect 44 mm size for a Luminor Marina. It’s the perfect material in simple pure polished steel. And it features the most beautiful strap created by Panerai the Assolutamente a stunning patinaed calf strap. There are two schools of thought regarding the Luminova material that has been colored replicate the look of aged tritium but in the context of the 390 it works perfectly. All of these elements combined with the watch’s accessible price thanks to the use of an Unitas manual wind movement just like the watches from 1993, make it the perfect Panerai for a one watch collection, the starting point of someone just getting into Panerai or the ultimate very day wearer.