stevie7s

One sweet looking watch.

I miss it!

My name is high up on that list, absmith. I have been wanting that dial for sometime, now. I would even make an offer to those original 8-9 members that have them. For now, the chrono version is a much better buy than the standard Santos 100 version. Far fewer flaws for the $$$.

Wouldn't it be amusing if we all found out Asad is really a Panerai employee gone AWOL? That he decided to leave Panerai because they were telling him to clock out for lunch but to work through it and deal with any rouge Paneristi that came through with a homage watch and call them on their blasphemous fakes. He knew better and decided to stock up on parts (and a spare 'Zero' they had lying around) and fled the Boutique. He was heard exclaiming as he got into his Crossfire, "Damn you Panerai! Homage pieces are not fakes and I will not sleep till all know this!!" Now he resides in a small town where he finds himself building random homage pieces and occassionaly posting and causing a ruckus at the Paneristi site. Damn the man, Asad...Damn the man!!

Asad, my question would be what are you going to do with a "J" series CG with no "J" series case-backs available? The CG is stunning but that roller is a dead giveaway to anything not "J" marked. The fact that the case and the cg fit flush is awesome. It really goes to show just how perfect Jimmy Fu parts are. Good luck with it.

I just don't see Beckham wearing a Deisel or Fossil or anything else that does not sport a 5 or 6 figure price tag. If he is flossing it, he spent the money on it, IMHO.

I was checking in at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and the VIP host that was checking me in had a rep SFSO on his wrist. It had the tell-tale pointy lug-horns and no AR with the black dial. I gave him a "nice watch" comment and he glanced at my Swiss SFSO with white dial and smirked and replied with the same. If that was one of you...just send the damn thing to K222 or Chief and at least get the crystal AR'ed.

This internet is SERIOUS BUSINESS!!!

Sorry about that...I clicked reply without adding my post. OK...I READ the opening post again, just like you asked me to. My original question still remains, Why was his "collectors status" revoked to begin with. As I READ in your original post for the second time, you said that he was suspended from selling and that led to the threats. Of course threats should not be tolerated - especially those that are being said he made. As far as me being aware of "T" and without him not having a place to post...please don't insinuate that I am unaware of how the fora, that we are part of, are run. I understand very well that we are all privileged to post on these fora and appreciate the ability to do so. I have been a very well respected member for quite some time on all of the rep and gen forums with zero enemies. There is no need to puff-up your chest at me 2-tone. I am one of the good guys.

I am not 100% sure as to why he was initially put on "collectors suspension" But after being a dealer/collector for so long on this forum and knowing his current health status, I would imagine the mod team here would have a little more tolerance for Neil. I guess it is what it is and what is done cannot be un-done so...it was nice having you on the forum, Neil and you will be missed here by a large number of members. I hope your health improves and I will see over at the "Geek".

T, Some of the things that you mentioned, I would not wish on my worst enemy. I am so sorry that you are going through them in your personal life. I hope that all that is behind you now and that your new home provides you and your family with a fresh start. As far as hearing that you sometimes battle your demons with booze and pills, all I can say is to remember your little guy and think of him when you reach for those bottles. He needs his daddy much more than you need those vices and eventually when things return to normal around your home, those bad things, as well as all the bad memories, will be a part of your past. Take it one day at a time and remember you are among friends here

After the 194 this might be my favorite Panerai Submersible.

Hey Neil, you mentioned that you were almost all done sending out single items. Does that include the Rep Geek buy as well? I did not see a post there so I am just wondering as that is where I ordered my Noobmariner.

Neil, Please take care of yourself. Without your eyesight, how are you supposed to look at all those pretty girls. I hope that the few bad seeds that are posting here understand that you are human and circumstances come about all the time, its how things are eventually handled that show the true measure of a man. You could have said to everyone they were getting a refund and the group buy was done but you are still moving forward and fulfilling ALL orders. You are a stand-up guy and I hope that you feel better, soon. Like I said, summer is coming and those "bunnies" are dying to get noticed.

Whatever it is...its Pre-V. I am not familiar with any Pre-V models with Ti cases so this one might have been a shadow watch given to \"The Governator\" to wear during the filming. I will look into it a bit more and see if anyone else has some info on it. ***EDIT*** OK, I found out that it s a 5218-203a Pre-V PVD. One sold for $35,000USD back in '06 and resold this January for $50,000. The originals came with librettos signed by Sr. Paci himself.

I am sure that if Bonati is leaving, U-Boat is giving him a "U-Boat-load" of cash to do it. Panerai is what it is today because of him and I am sure that with his knowledge of the current marketplace and where its heading, he can do the same for U-Boat. I wonder who will succeed him at Panerai?

OK, thanks to the millestimation database on Paneristi.com I found that this year "J series" Panerai manufactured approx 35k units. Much more than my estimate and a lot closer to Anton's number of 50k. Now if we figure that the watchmakers work 250-260 days a year ( I don't think they work weekends) that equates to 140 or so watches per day. It seems like nothing compared to Rolexes 600k units per year but they have a few more workers on staff i am sure

I agree and disagree with you on this one, Anton. I was incorrect by stating 5000 units/yr of production for Panerai. I am sure it is much higher than that but much less than 50,000 units. Panerai is still a hand built watch, albeit made in Switzerland and not Firenze, it is still handmade. That means that to make 50,000 units per year, Panerai would have to make 165+ units per day for 300 days to keep up that total. (we all know that they do not work 300 days per year) and I am sure that they do not work at a 165+ watch /day pace. I have a question in for the Paneristis to find out if anyone there knows the annual production of the brand. For no other reason than I really want to know, now.

The price of a 127 or a 217 in the collectors market has been grossly inflated with the help of the marketing juggernaut over at Paneristi.com and TZ. Without either of those forums and marketplaces, collectors would really have no place to sell off their wares to such a niche clientele. The Fiddy's would be priced just over cost without these two sites. Take the 229 for instance, that piece should be 15x more rare than the 127/217 and priced accordingly but it does not hold the cache that the 127/217 do and they are priced just a little more than retail right now, and they only made a 100 of them! It is all about what is hot right now, and the Fiddy twins are leading the Panerai pack. Will Panerai ever become "Rolex"? I think that Rolex will always have a certain cache and is more marketable to a broader audience due to its style and smaller profile (better fit for the average man/woman) I think that Panerai is far too unique to adapt to mainstream society and also, they only make 5000 or so units per year. Marketing plays a huge part in what people wear on their wrists. Rolex spends probably 50 times more on advertising with their celebrities to ensure that the average Palm Beach housewife and her husband are wearing the same watch that Rolex's marketing team told them is the "it" watch for the season. I feel that Panerai is as overpriced as a Mercedes is - that is that I am sure that Mercedes can build/sell their cars for far less than what they currently do but because of the mystique that a Benz holds, they charge what they do and we all pay for it, to just be able to get a part of the luxury.(well not we as I don't own one but you get the hint)

I was going to say that one but I think the Burlington one is easier to find. I am done skiing for this year. I am just getting over a broken leg from a ski weekend at Killington right before the Superbowl. Still on crutches, actually. We will miss you, dluddy! All reps are welcome (and some gens )Bring what you got and be ready for some trade offers from me!!

OK everyone. I have complied the lists and crunched the numbers...it looks like Friday, March 28th at PapaRazzi Trattoria/Bar in Burlington, MA is going to be the spot for the first of hopefully many GTG's up here in the rep friendly Nor'East. I have several vendors possibly helping out with some give aways and I will be trying to drum up some more goods before the event. The link to the restaurant is here-------> PapaRazzi it is a fun, lively spot with plenty of light so we can take as many photos of our reps as needed. The food is great and the drinks are plentiful. I will need a definitive head count to give them so if you are going to be able to make it. Please respond to this post and PM ME with your full name so I can make up some name stickers for the event. I hope we can get a good turn-out. It should be a blast!! If you have any questions, please PM me and let me know. Thanks and see you all in a few weeks. Steve

The Zigmeister, Your talent really shines on this re-lume job. Unbelievable job!!

Seems like a bunch of us Nor-easter's up here. DVN, you are in my old stomping grounds. I spent plenty of time in Andover when I was a little younger. We used to cause a ruckus over at Harrisons Roast Beef after a night of drinking at Merimack College. I will keep all of you notified with details as they come forth.

I think Easter is on the 23rd this year so I was thinking of the the 27th. [censored]'s is a fun place but we would have those annoying waitresses hovering over us all night long... I am thinking of some places and I will run them by everyone before we make a choice. It should be pretty fun. I was just at a Paneristi event in Boston last week and we had a great time. Our event should be a little more lively!!! I will keep in touch with all of you. Steve

Great JSmith!!