Not taken the wrong way at all, in fact, I wrestled with this for quite some time...
Having bought an Invicta (yukkk, puke) at one low point in my watch buying life and then selling it for not too bad a loss, these made me stay on the fence for quite a while.
That being said, I also bought a MarcelloC Nettuno and the watch was a pleasure to wear and I had no 'brand issues' like I had with the Invicta. The watch was very close to the Rolex Sub, although I still feel better quality, especially the bracelet.
I think the RXW will fall into the latter category, it is unique enough to stand on it's own and good enough quality to justify the price....
Things I noticed regarding it's similarities to Panerai were really not many, except the dial number font and the subdial hands... The case is similar looking from the front, but the side view is very different frfom the Rads. The tritium gas tubes and the crown/pusher arrangement set it even further apart.
Putting it all together, it's a unique design in my opinion, most watches are rip-offs from others in one way or another... so many submariner take-offs out there to make your head spin.
It will cost a little more than a 196 or 212 with mods, and I'll be able to swim with it and not be called out for wearing a rep I bought this in lieu of the 2893 PAM 063, which was a toss-up as I already have an 029 that I paid about $600 for.