Should Women Wear Panerai Watches?

[Victoria]

So what was the overall opinion about men (Or this particular man) wearing such a watch which was usually labeled as a 'woman's watch'? I have to admit, on the wrist checks, when I saw someone wearing a Santos on a rubber strap, I did think ("Isn't that a woman's watch"?) but, because I don't know a whole lot about the marque, I didn't immediately assume that it was solely a woman't watch, as I thought about how the J12 is available for both men and women, and wondered if that specific model might have been a unisex or, (because of the rubber strap) a 'Big Size', like the Planet Ocean series, a kind of 'regular size' = ladies watch, 'Big Size' = gents watch. To be honest, I thought it looked okay, and it didn't make me think anything less of the person wearing it, after all, different strokes for different folks, but it did catch my attention and make me think "Isn't that a woman's watch"?, so even to those not in the know about a certain marque, such subconscious gender distinctions clearly still kick in, and while people seeing a woman wearing a PAM might not question her sexuality, they would still likely identify the watch itself as primarily masculine (Perhaps not a Radiomir) That said, I totally agree with you about PAMs chameleon-like qualities. As you've no doubt gathered, I totally love my 111h, so much so, that I have decided to definitley build a collection of them. I might even make them my primary marque as, as cool as it is to think "I'm wearing James Bond's watch..." I'd rather be an individual, not a Bond-wannabe. The only time I forsee myself wearing an Omega now, is if I dress smartly. That's my new rule. Trousers = Omega, Jeans = Panerai. TO go back to my ramblings about the chameleon quality, as much as I love the 111h on the current toffee-colored strap, putting it onto the black strap I have just doesn't 'look right'. Which is strange, as I love the black strap on my GMT Sub, or on my Submariner, my Planet Ocean, or any other watch... All have black (or very dark grey) dials, as does the 111h, but for some reason, it just doesn't seem to go as well with black, and thinking back, the majority of PAM wrist shots I've seen, have been on straps that weren't black. That said, there is a black strap I want to get, which I've lost the URL for... It's quite a padded strap, with embossed 'pin [censored]' all over. That is a black strap which does look awesome

:clap2:

I appreciate the frankness, TeeJay. There is NOTHING wrong with thinking that, as a kind of first reaction. It's when it's something more ingrained (male watch/female watch) that it then becomes a "problem".

Apropos to women wearing Panerais:

I suspect that there are a lot of men, even men here who said, "sure women should wear them!", who don't think we really should or that even the smaller Panerais look badly on us.

But society tells them that's uncool and unliberal to say, so they keep it to themselves.

And they would be right. *g*

Seriously, it's a no-win situation in the West for men, and it's easy for women to make a man look like a caveman, in DBR's words, as a consequence.

So knock yourselves out in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but take care in London or LA.

As for you becoming a Panerista, big time, I'll see you at Sssurfer's house for the Secret Initiation Ritual. Don't forget the rubber chicken!

[TeeJay]

:clap2:

I appreciate the frankness, TeeJay. There is NOTHING wrong with thinking that, as a kind of first reaction. It's when it's something more ingrained (male watch/female watch) that it then becomes a "problem".

Apropos to women wearing Panerais:

I suspect that there are a lot of men, even men here who said, "sure women should wear them!", who don't think we really should or that even the smaller Panerais look badly on us.

But society tells them that's uncool and unliberal to say, so they keep it to themselves.

And they would be right. *g*

Seriously, it's a no-win situation in the West for men, and it's easy for women to make a man look like a caveman, in DBR's words, as a consequence.

So knock yourselves out in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but take care in London or LA.

As for you becoming a Panerista, big time, I'll see you at Sssurfer's house for the Secret Initiation Ritual. Don't forget the rubber chicken!

Honesty is something I strive for at all times My "Isn't that a woman's watch?" thought wasn't so much that I thought the design of the watch was solely feminine, it was just that I had only seen women wearing the marque, so was unsure if it was indeed a watch designed solely for female wear, or if it was intended to be a unisex watch, which was why that was my thought. As for 'ingrained', sadly, that's a result of cultural brainwashing, and something folks now have to struggle against due to a shift in popular ideology, which goes against the values prevalent during their upbringings. The only thing I was really trying to illustrate, was that in Western Culture, while it may be socially acceptable for a woman to wear "a man's watch", the same society would still attach stigma to a man who wore "a woman's watch", without seeing the double standard being applied.

Hee hee, I think the Secret Initiation Ritual would conflict with my religious beliefs

Edited September 25, 2007 by TeeJay

[slai]

Spotted a woman in a parking lot as I was heading to a work function wearing a pam 48 on a gator deployant. Probably a gen since she got out of an AMG CLS55.

[Victoria]

Spotted a woman in a parking lot as I was heading to a work function wearing a pam 48 on a gator deployant. Probably a gen since she got out of an AMG CLS55.

Mwahaha. This what people probably think when they see me emerging from my fresh German ride.

Mind you, PAM 048 on a gator deplo...that "smells" gen to me.