Pugwash Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Old Faithful meets The Legend in a stand off battle! Before we get into the pictures, this is not a superbly technical discussion of the two watches, it's merely an opinion and some smashing pictures of two of the most popular watches on the replica scene. I am avoiding history and the like because it's been done by better men than me. I do pictures, not words. Both these watches cost just over $100. In my mind, the pair of them represent the best value for money available to the new (or seasoned) replica collector. The Sub was my first buy, back in Feb and the 111h is my most recent, in ... um, last week. The Rolex was bought from TTK for $120 and is an Asian 21j. The Panerai was $110 plus postage and WU from Silix-Prime and is a chinese copy movement. The strap on the Panerai is a Toscana "Il Mupetto", available from TC Straps for $119. For the price of a single replica watch, you can source this whole package and kick-start any collection. See your favourite dealer for details. Add my Precious Time IWC GST Chrono TiBot and you have the core of my collection. So, The Sub and the 111h. What are the differences? The obvious difference is the size. The Panerai is huge, especially if you've never worn anything bigger than 40mm. When I first got my Sub, a 40mm watch, I thought it was large - very large, in fact. But owning a Panerai has made me see the Sub as normal-sized - the size by which other watches should be measured. Then, obvious time again, the Sub is all steel, and the 111h is steel and leather. One of the advantages of owning a Submariner is that it polishes up really nicely and just looks the business, but the Panerai, with its changeable straps, gives you options and choices. In the morning, you have to decide if you really want options and, if not, the steel banded Rolex wins. If you're fickle though, Officine Panerai's big metal plug gives you so many ways to spend money it's dangerous. On a more technical note, the Rolex Submariner is an automatic watch, meaning it winds itself up as you wear it. The Panerai 111h is a manual-wind, which necessitates a ritual of windings, either upon waking up or just before sleeping. Most 111h owners take the watch off and look in to the viewing panel in the back to see the cogs turn as they wind the watch. Rolex have naver made a display back watch to my knowledge. The Sub tells the date, the PAM doesn't. This isn't a big deal, but the date can be a useful feature. Neither watch tells the day, unlike my IWC GST Chrono, which has proven very useful on some days when I have literally forgotten what day it is. Neither of these watches is accurate. If you're new to mechanical watches, you need to know right here and now that a $20 quartz keeps better time than a $20,000 Rolex. The same holds true for replicas. A few seconds either side each day, you soon learn how accurate your watch is. How easy are these replicas to live with? I'd say that both of them are very easy, but I've not owned the Panerai long enough to see how it fits in to my life. Tomorrow will be the first day I've worn it to work. I'm going to waste at least 5 minutes tomorrow morning deliberating over which strap it gets, and I'm almost certain it'll get noticed. The Sub, however, is very well behaved. No-one notices it and no-one would ever doubt its authenticity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BilboBaggins Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Great comparison Pugwash Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Excellent review with beautiful pics and great commentary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted May 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Excellent review with beautiful pics and great commentary! I'm glad you think so, as it's aimed at someone with a little less experience than you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esmarc Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Very Nice Pics as always Pugwash. Nicely Done. Esmarc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAHLER Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Beautiful photos, comparison & watches... Great job!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyclmbr Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Great pics and nice review. YOu have two nice watches there. Wear them well. Climb on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubus Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 (edited) I liked the size comparison as I always wondered how is with pam and sub Great great review, thumbs up!!! Edited May 29, 2006 by pubus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gander Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Old Faithful meets The Legend in a stand off battle! Rolex have naver made a display back watch to my knowledge. There is one Rolex with a display back, the Rolex Prince, not great pics, but you'll get the idea. great pictures of a couple of classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Thanks, Pugwash! Nice article and gorgeous pictures. It should be a mandatory read for all the newcomers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadog13 Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 @pugwash...this are truely great photos and great review... and the winner is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted May 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 and the winner is... Get both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadog13 Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Get both. PAM 4 LIFE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watcher71 Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Very well done And your photo skills are amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubFrog Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Outstanding photography work. As I claim to be a photographer sometimes, I should probably take your tutorials. Great watches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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