PAM Radiomir 1940 (512/514)

[rainmaker81]

Any brother here owns this beauty? I recently traded my 111 because it's too chunky to wear under a long sleeve and am tempted to get the 512, which appears to be the perfect Panerai (size and thickness) for office wear. The price though is on the high side imo. Since it is not very dissimilar to PAM 183, do you think it's worth paying the extra couple of thousands for it? Any thoughts will be much appreciated!

[kenji1903]

how much is it selling in Malaysia by the way?

[rainmaker81]

Saw one in the grey market asking around RM22,600. A brand new 183 is going for approx. RM18,700. Question, is the price difference justified?

[kenji1903]

that's actually cheaper than the GBP price listed on paneristi

[TheHobbit]

There are a number of differences between the 183 and the 512/514. Even between the 512 and 514. The 512/514 is based on the 1940 case. It is different from the cushion case of the 183. Lets talk about the 512 and 514. These are basic differences and not complete. The 512 comes in at 42mm and is without date. The 514 comes in at 47mm. The 512 is powered by the in-house P.999/1 movement while the 514 by the P.3000 caliber. Power reserve is greater on the 514.

The 183 comes in at 45mm. It is powered by an ETA64XX based movement. Power reserve is the same as the 512. The 183 is cushion shape and wire lugs. Removal of the wire lugs can be a tad trickier compared to the 512/514 which uses spring bars. The 183 wears smaller.

Is the price difference worth it? Do you place much value on in-house movement vs standard ETA movement (although modified)? Do you like the 1940 case compared to the cushion case of the 183? Basically only you can answer the question. Buy the one that sings to you as it is you that the watch has to satisfy at the end of the day.

[rainmaker81]

Thanks for the insightful information! I guess I should go down to a boutique and try it on myself then to see if 512 or 183 wears smaller. For now, I'm slightly biased towards 512! Oh one more question; is there a difference between the colour of 512 and 183 dials? 512 dial seems to have a patina-esque feel to it.

Thanks again Hobbit for taking the time to explain!

[TheHobbit]

Thanks for the insightful information! I guess I should go down to a boutique and try it on myself then to see if 512 or 183 wears smaller. For now, I'm slightly biased towards 512! Oh one more question; is there a difference between the colour of 512 and 183 dials? 512 dial seems to have a patina-esque feel to it.

Thanks again Hobbit for taking the time to explain!

It is just the colour of the ecru lume vs the white/green lume that makes the dial look different.