Yup..I was same as you....owned a gen rolex TT sub for a long time...and then about 4 years ago, I saw a panerai in one of the shops windows and said "WTF is that"...thought it was some gimmic...a slick piece of marketing if you will...anyway...to make a long story short...I finally got a real one a couple of years ago and lately added another one (wifey wears it)...
Something about them just grabs you and wears on you you--literally! Now I know I have a watch on my wrist and it just feels right...btw, i could have save a grip of cash if I had only found this board sooner as I have now exploded and picked up some sweet reps...and I ain't turnin' back.
Funny, coworker of mine, been yappin' about gettin a rollie for weeks...then he sees my 111...goes nuts...now he goes and gets a gen PAM90..beautiful....and today, he shows me a very sweet PAM70 (40mm though) but still tight...
I guess, the saying goes...and I'm plagiarizing here...."Panerai, they're like children, you'll never know until you have (own) them..."
Let the addiiction begin...
anyone know a good 12-step program for Panerai addicts...