Hi All,
Zameen :Hi Eric! Small world eh? good to "bump" into you here..havent seen you seen UNiM days!! See my reply below please.....
I am a newbie here although been lurking around for a year already. Been collecting watches for around 4 yrs now and in my modest collection I have an IWC Pilot Chrono, Omega Seamaster, Tag Professional, Tissot T-Touch Expert and Stowa MO.
I am getting a little itch and am thinking of adding a new watch. Was initially looking at Rolex Explorer II but felt it was quite small and too pricey. That is when Panerai caught attention.
I like the simplicity of the historic models but undecided which one would be the "one" and since it will be my 1st PAM if I do get it, I don't want to spend too much just in case I lose interest in PAM (which I doubt I will!!!). Thus I narrowed it down to PAM 0000, 00112, 0005 or 00111. Actually what is the difference between 0000 and 00112 other that the logo?
Zameen : Apart from the Logo (which I absolutely love!), there are a few differences between the Zero and the 1112. First of all, the 112 is a sandwich dial while the Zero has a painted dial. This refers to the process that Panerai uses on some of their dials. The luminous material is pasted onto a bottom disk, and then the dial, with numerals already cut into it, is pressed on top of the luminous material (sandwich dial). Painted dials like the name refers to the luminous material being painted onto the dial (baton markers/numerals). Next would be the caseback. Like the historical panerai, the zero comes with a solid caseback while the 112 comes with a crystal display caseback- this however, unlike the Radiomirs, does not affect the depth rating of 30 bar. The movements between the two are also different- Zero is powered by Calibre OPI while the 112 runs on Caliber OPX (OPI does not have the swan neck regulator while OPX does. The level of movement finishings are also slightly different)
Any suggestion or argument to push me towards any one of the above?
Zameen : as us Paneristi tends to say, Zero is HERO. There's something about the Pre-V logo that we love I guess- which is why most of us would have had a zero at one point or another. Plus the solid caseback feels more "historically correct". But then again, I am also a sucker for sandwich dials! So, the best advice for you is to try out both and get the piece that sings to you the loudest!...
Also where and how to get hold of one at reasonable price? None of the local ADs I called has stock.
Zameen : pre-loved market..there's quite a few dealers in Singapore where you can get them. If you're in HK, the boutiques usually would have the 112. Brand new zero could be quite hard to pin down though given its popularity and the limited supply!
Good luck and happy hunting!
Cheers!!
Eric
PS Hi Zameen - didn't know you have such an extensive PAM collection (Remember me - Eric - UNiM!)