If you know watches, you know luxury Panerai replica watches — they of the famously oversized, cushion-shaped cases, sandwich dials and distinct crown guards. You know that they’ve been worn by some of the world’s most stylish and bold individuals, from Hollywood’s elite to fashion and design icons. You might even be aware of the cheap Panerai fake watches’ rich military heritage dating back to the early twentieth century when they first created timepieces for the Italian Navy.
What you might not know is that best US Panerai fake watches also designs their precision instruments to be worn by the most daring modern heroes among us. Those who dare to dream and chase goals most would deem too daunting. That is to say, people like you.
That fighting spirit is embodied by Swiss made replica Panerai watches’ newest military-inspired collection, this time a partnership with that most elite of elite special forces, the United States Navy SEALs.
The top copy Panerai Submersible GMT Navy SEALs and Submersible GMT Carbotech™ Navy SEALs watches are powered by P.900 caliber, automatic mechanical movement and a three-day power reserve. And they make a statement with the brand’s signature oversized 44mm steel case. Both are designed and engineered to evoke the legacy and performance of the SEALs — lightweight, wear-resistant materials throughout. Additional features include the words “Navy SEALs” emblazoned on the dial, touches of golden yellow nodding to the SEALs’ Golden Trident insignia, a sub-dial resembling a crosshairs and an optional second band with a specialized black and gray camouflage pattern worn by Navy SEALs.
The 1:1 wholesale replica Panerai Submersible GMT Navy SEALs watches is limited to 500 pieces worldwide, while the companion Submersible GMT Carbotech™ Navy SEALs is a unique edition of only 162 units, honoring the founding year of the SEALs: 1962. That means you’ll have to act with SEAL-like speed and precision to get your hands on one before the rest of the world’s elite horologists do.
This collection will go fast — a third piece, the AAA perfect super clone Panerai Submersible Navy SEALs Experience Edition watches, offered purchasers access to a first-hand Navy SEAL training adventure and already sold out.
What do Panerai and Hummer have in common? Arnold Schwarzenegger is one correct answer — the “Governator” is the original civilian Hummer driver AND a passionate Panerai wearer. Another answer is a military history with a civilian follow-up. For quite a while, Panerai was the hottest ticket in town. But ever since the 2007–2009 Great Recession, Panerai, the king of XL watches, seemingly has been less relevant. Disappointed “Paneristi” lamented the endless limited editions and especially the launch of the S-sized cheap Panerai Luminor Due replica watches with a water-resistance rating of 30 meters. And there’s also the confusion that surrounds the in-house and non-in-house movements. I guess it’s time to break down the brand Panerai.
Panerai is like the Humvee. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle made by AM General, is a light four-wheel drive truck that came into service in the 1980s. In 1998, General Motors (GM) saw commercial potential in the large military jeep and bought the brand name from AM General. Over the years, GM started marketing three different models. It all began with the original Hummer H1, the civilian version of the military Humvee. Later, the 2001 H2 and the 2005 H3 followed, which took design cues from the Humvee but were new designs based on GM platforms. But by 2008, the Great Recession hit the world, and neither the H1, the H2, nor the smallest and cheapest offering, the H3, could save Hummer. That is why, in 2010, GM pulled the plug on the brand.
Officine Panerai — Since 1997
Unlike Hummer, Panerai never went out of business ( I will come back to Hummer’s electrified rebirth in 2020 later on). But the watch brand’s past, course of life, and product strategy have a lot in common with the car brand’s. It’s fair to say that the watch brand Panerai has existed since 1997 when the Firenze-based original Panerai company sold the name “Officine Panerai” and its remaining watch stock to Vendôme Luxury Group, which later dissolved into parent company Compagnie Financière Richemont AG. Before that time, the cushion-shaped high quality US Panerai fake watches used by the Italian Navy between 1935 and 1955 were essentially Rolex Oyster pocket watches with lugs. They were supplied as cased units and given Panerai-made dials. And between 1993 and 1996, Panerai Luminor and Mare Nostrum watches were designed and made by Guenat S.A. Montres Valgine in Switzerland. The commercial watch brand Panerai aimed at civilians is a 1997 invention.
Panerai — The Hummer of the watch world
Still, in 1956, G. Panerai & Figlio developed its first own watch, the GPF 2/56. This GPF 2/56 was developed for the Egyptian Navy and was the first serially produced Swiss made Panerai replica watches that was designed and manufactured by the company. The instantly recognizable, iconic Tight Seal Device with its large integrated crown guard is the heart and soul of the watch. A watch that looked like an instrument that Panerai also made and had an instrumental case size of 60mm. The movement, however, was not an in-house affair. Inside the GPF 2/56, beat the Angelus 240 eight-day movement, which was produced on special request and supplied by Stolz Frères SA in Le Locle Switzerland. The watches that came out after 1997 had the looks of the military-used models, but they were aimed at civilians, just like the Hummer.
Reinterpreting the past of Panerai — PAM 21, PAM 127, and PAM 203
Let’s have a look at how Richemont-owned Panerai deals with its past. The 1997/98 PAM 21 was the very first special edition that Panerai released under the Richemont umbrella, and it is a perfect recreation of a Rolex-produced watch of the past. In 2002, the limited-edition Luminor PAM 127 debuted. This faithful 47mm replica of the 1950s Panerai 6152/1 with its 47mm cushion-shaped case and large, domed crystal got the loving nickname “Fiddy” — Rapper 50 Cent supposedly coined the nickname — and was on many people’s wish lists, including mine. This limited edition with its gold hands and sandwich dial was the godfather of the following Luminor 1950 collection. Inside the watch beat a modified version of an ETA 6497-2 that Panerai named caliber OP XI.
The PAM 203 from 2005 didn’t have a modified ETA movement. Instead, it housed a caliber that linked directly with Panerai’s past — the Angelus 240 hand-wound movement. Panerai presented the movement as historic “NOS” (New Old Stock), but that statement led to a lot of movement controversy.
Caliber controversies
When Panerai became available to the public, the completely original-looking, XL-sized best Panerai copy watches soon gained a fanatical following. These “Paneristi” were smitten by the watches’ looks and history, and they wanted to know everything there was to know about the brand. The watch love is strong among the Paneristi. But when something is very dear to you, you also follow that something with great attention. In other words, everything that modern Panerai does is scrutinized by a critical fan base. So when Panerai claims something, the Paneristi dive into the past. And sometimes that leads to controversy. Like with the supposedly NOS Angelus 240 movement inside the PAM 203.
According to brand specialists like the (in)famous Jose Pereztroika, aka Perezcope, the 150 Angelus 240 movements that Panerai put in the modern Luminor PAM 203 were based on key-winding movements from old table clocks. Richmont-owned Panerai subsequently converted these movements into crown-winding calibers using reproduced parts. These old movements were not uniquely rare, nor were they ever meant to be put into perfect Panerai replica watches, as the brand suggested. Knowing this shines a strange light on the PAM 203, which many consider a modern Panerai “Holy Grail”. The Angelus story proved to be not the last caliber controversy.
What exactly is “in-house”?
When you visit the Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel, you will read this in the lobby of the modern building: “Manifattura Di Alta Orologeria”. This means “Manufacture of Haute Horlogerie”. But Panerai always used movements made by other specialists, and that was never a problem until Nicolas G. Hayek of Swatch Group announced in the early 2000s that he would no longer supply movements to brands outside the Group who used them in Swiss movements fake Panerai watches with prices he deemed unreasonably high. Why should Swatch do the development and pay the cost while other brands continued to make easy money? And even though COMCO (Switzerland’s Competition Commission) prevented the ETA boycott from happening, competing brands started to develop their own movements. How? By buying movement specialists and by expanding pre-existing caliber-creation capacities.
Panerai had already started using movement manufactured in Fleurier, and because of the possible ETA ban, Richemont thought it wise to expand the production capability. Thus, ValFleurier was created, a movement-manufacturing facility for Richemont brands. The integrated manufacture ValFleurier has three different locations and the capability to design new calibers and produce and finish tens of thousands of movements per year. ValFleurier makes, amongst other movements, the hand-wound tourbillon Caliber 98900 for IWC and also the Baumatic BM13-1975A that beats within several Baume & Mercier models. But that same movement also beats in side IWC Pilot’s watches and a number of Panerai models. Is a ValFleurier movement an in-house movement, one that, because of the “in-house” label, always has a premium price tag?
The difference between “P” and “OP”
In 2005, three years after opening the doors of its production facility in Neuchâtel, China Panerai replica watches released its first “in-house” movement, the hand-winding P.2002. In this case, “in-house” means that the caliber is produced by ValFleurier exclusively for Panerai. The use of the letter “P” signals the use of a Panerai-exclusive caliber. “OP” refers to outsourced, non-exclusive movements. So when Panerai used its version of the Baumatic BM12-1975A, it got the name OP XXXIV. Until recently, that is… The OP XXXIV, which beats in several Due and Submersible models, still exists, but is now called P.900. Is this a case of trying to make you believe you’re buying a watch with a Panerai-exclusive movement?
More caliber confusion
Knowing what we know now about the recently introduced P.9200 chronograph movement, I would say yes. Panerai answered affirmatively on its Instagram account when asked if the P.9200 — which beats in, for instance, the steel PAM01109 and PAM01303 Luna Rossa with closed case backs and the gold PAM01111 with a semi-transparent case back — was an exclusive in-house caliber. But the truth is that this caliber is a basic ETA 2892-A2 equipped with a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module. A decent chronograph movement indeed, but by no means an exclusive, in-house creation. The movement also lacks Élaboré decoration like Côtes de Genève, but it does have an ETA 2892-A2 stamp inside.
The use of the letter “P” implies in-house. And the term “in-house” implies a caliber that was designed, produced, and assembled from scratch by a watch brand in its own manufacture. That’s what watch brands want the public to believe because it justifies a higher price, as I wrote. It also implies better quality. And that also isn’t always true because a newly developed movement has to compete with proven, highly evolved calibers that operate flawlessly and at the peak of their abilities. “In-house” is a fluffy marketing term, an overused buzzword without real meaning.
The Panerai equivalents of the Hummer H2 and H3
Apart from debates, discussions, and controversies regarding Panerai movements, the model range also came under heavy fire, especially in 2016 with the launch of the Luminor Due. The tough 2022 Panerai Submersible super clone watches with its diving bezel is the Hummer H2, a very logical evolution model of the original diver’s watch. The Due is the Hummer H3, the model that has to appeal to a larger audience than ever before. The Due is like a two-wheel-drive Jeep, and that’s a proven and commercially successful recipe. You don’t need four-wheel drive and low gearing when driving to the supermarket, and you don’t need a 44mm deep-diving watch to do that either.
A talk with Panerai exec Alessandro Ficarelli
Last summer, I was invited by Panerai to join the Eilean Experience. That also allowed me to talk to Alessandro Ficarelli, Chief Marketing Officer at Panerai. Ficarelli has been with the brand since 2005 and has worked in many departments. As of last year, he’s in charge of marketing and communications, and he also is responsible for the interesting (and sometimes complicated) heritage part of Panerai. He has to deal with the different discussions regarding the movements, the shared fan pictures of Chinese-made “super-replicas” on Panerai’s Instagram page, the military history, and the product strategy:
“When it comes to sales, I cannot complain. The new Submersible Quarantaquattro collection we launched earlier this year outsells most other 1:1 replica Panerai watches we have. And [while] the Luminor Due might be the topic of heated discussions, we can’t produce it fast enough. Ever since we launched the 38mm size of the Luminor Due, it has been out of stock. The Due is the watch that allows us to grow, to reach a new audience. I don’t think Panerai sold its soul with the Due. We have watches in the collection that appeal both to purists and newcomers who have a different approach to watches.”
1935 instead of 1936
“Regarding the often heated debates on the internet and social media, I will say this. Not everything is black and white, and sometimes the way opinions and things are expressed leave no room for real debate. I respect the thorough research some people do, but the way they communicate and vent their opinions and findings, not always so much. Believe me when I say that even we at Panerai still come across things we never knew before. We always believed 1936 was the year of the first wristwatches Panerai supplied to the Italian Navy. We even named a Radiomir after that year. When the correct year turned out to be 1935, we were just as surprised as anybody else. And I’m sure we will stumble upon new facts as we continue to research all the historical papers we have.”
Breaking down Panerai — How to look at the brand
It’s hard to look at AAA fake Panerai watches with a clean palate after following the brand closely for the last 15 years. The history of the brand/watch that includes the sinking of a British warship by divers of the then-fascist Italian Navy, for instance, is a historical fact that you can’t deny. But because it’s also “ancient” history, many can disregard it.
The very unclear way of communicating about the use of in-house, outsourced, or in-group movements is way more recent and therefore more problematic. Historically, Panerai was never a manufacturer of movements. Modern Panerai claims to be. But I strongly believe that the fans wouldn’t mind Luminor and Radiomir iterations with outsourced movements as long as they were being told the clear truth about the origins of those movements. The label “in-house” is an empty marketing term that only caused murky waters for both Panerai and Paneristi to navigate through. Accidents were bound to happen.
The Luminor Due might be troublesome from the perspective of personal taste, but because Panerai is part of the publicly owned company Compagnie Financière Richemont AG, growth is necessary to please the shareholders. Only a privately owned Panerai brand could choose to only build watches that speak to the most fundamentalist of fans. And even then, continuity is not a guarantee; how many purist Paneristi are there, and how many best quality Panerai replica watches will and can those purists buy to keep the brand afloat?
The electric Hummer and the Luminor Due
Coming back to Hummer., two years ago, General Motors announced a return of the Hummer nameplate under its GMC brand. Later that year, it materialized in the Hummer EV. And to great success, I might add. The Hummer EV Edition 1 sold out within the first 10 minutes of pre-orders opening. If the Hummer EV becomes as popular as the highly debated luxury Panerai Luminor Due fake watches, General Motors can count itself lucky.
When I received the invitation to join Panerai for a rather special experience in the south of Italy a couple of months ago, I didn’t think much of it. I expected to have just another well-organised hands-on experience with a luxury watch company and enjoy my time on the Mediterranean coast. But once I received the program for the two days in and around Brindisi, followed by an 8-week training regime, I understood this was more than just some days of fun in the sun. This was, in fact, an all-in Forze Speciali Experience with the Brigata San Marco in Brindisi, Italy. During this event, we were engulfed in full-on tactical combat training by the legendary Marina Militare, the Italian Navy with strong historical ties to Panerai. A unique experience for sure, and one that followed be endured by up to 50 Panerai clients who bought the high quality replica Panerai Submersible Forze Speciali Experience PAM01238 watches. It also presented a perfect opportunity to sit down and chat with Allessandro Ficarelli, Chief Marketing Officer of Panerai, on the current state of the company, supply and demand, and the Forze Speciali experience itself.
Robin Nooij, MONOCHROME Watches – You’ve been working for Panerai for a long time already, what brought you to where you are now?
Alessandro Ficarelli, Chief Marketing Officer for Panerai – I started working for cheap Panerai fake watches in 2005, as a marketing and product manager. Then I moved up to the position of product director to work closely with product managers and designers. Over time came more responsibility from the manufacturing side of the business and since last year I took over the marketing & communications for events as well, and also the heritage part of Panerai.
How is Panerai doing at the moment, coming out of two years of Covid?
We are actually performing very well and business is good for us. Most markets are up and in some areas we’re opening up new points of sales. We’re working on expanding the mono-brand network actually. The past two years were very tough because we saw a lot of closures from brands, retailers, boutiques et cetera and now things are improving but we can’t get back to the same level as fast as we would like. It’s a bit of a double effect, tough times and closings for a while, and not the “revenge buy” where people are looking to spend their money. It was almost like a boom, as the boutiques and points of sale were empty and didn’t have any stock to sell when people were rushing back in.
On the other side, we try to control our scarcity, as in some best Panerai replica watches we don’t want to produce too many of. We keep them limited and control the quantities and allocation to keep the value high, like the Bronzo or BMG-Tech where our objective is to manage the scarcity as best we can. This also includes limited editions and high-end models of course. The best scenario for us, and many other brands I think, is to always have a higher demand than supply for such watches.
The current market is also under a lot of stress due to issues with supplies versus demands. How is that for Panerai?
We feel that as well to be honest, and the demand for some collections is hard to keep up with and meet timelines. There’s a lot of tension on the supply side of Swiss made Panerai copy watches as demand for certain products is high. And it’s not only happening to Panerai as you said, multiple brands are facing that issue. Some collections are out of stock for our retailers so we are paying attention to that as best we can and increasing production gradually to meet the demands.
But for us it’s not possible to increase production whenever we want, it takes a lot of time to build that up. We want to produce a high-quality product so we can’t push too much otherwise we end up cutting corners which we don’t want. We’re very protective of our manufacturing and production capacity, as want to keep things 100% Swiss Made. Most of our suppliers are part of the Richemont Group, so either we produce internally or we source components from internal suppliers within the Group.
Our bread-and-butter watches, the perfect replica Panerai Luminor Marina or the Luminor Due watches should be always available but they’re not. The Luminor Due in 38mm has been out of stock since it was launched for instance. We simply cannot produce it fast enough. Whatever we ship to our boutiques and retailers flies out the door. This is a “good” problem in a sense, as we’re in the business of selling watches obviously. Our objective is to grow in a nice and sustainable way, we don’t have a short-term strategy in terms of turnover but are aiming for long-term brand development. And yes, there is plenty of room to grow for us.
Speaking of the new lines within the Panerai portfolio, how are the novelties performing?
At the moment we have 4 product lines, from Luminor to Luminor Due to Radiomir and to Submersible. We’ve worked hard on the increase of versatility across all four collections. The new Submersible Quarantaquattro range we launched at Watches & Wonders this year has been a huge success for us and outsells most of the other models we have right now. And like I said, we cannot produce the top fake Panerai Luminor Due watches fast enough. In fact, the 38mm size of the Luminor Due has been out of stock since we launched it. And that’s not because we’re not producing them, it’s because whatever we deliver to our boutiques and retailers is sold immediately.
We launched the 44mm 1:1 Panerai Luminor replica watches with white and blue dials, and they are selling very well. We also introduced a 40mm size, which also performs very strong. And even the watches on metal bracelets, something we didn’t do before the year 2000, is performing very well. Until not too long ago we used bracelets on limited editions mostly, so they were quite scarce. Nowadays Now we have some models as part of the permanent collections with metal bracelets, but they’re all sold out.
You’ve been working hard to diversify the collections, can you talk us through some of the developments?
We now have more options in size than before, and there’s something for everyone, from 38mm up to 47mm. In the past, most of the models came in black or dark dials only, even if compared to collections side by side. The AAA super clone Panerai Luminor and the Radiomir watches for instance, both came with similar-looking dials. What we’re doing now is to differentiate in terms of assortment. And of course the Submersible has been a stand-alone collection for a number of years now.
Compare that to our Radiomir, the line that is mostly associated with historic models, and now has a more vintage look. The Luminor Due is a dressier watch, it’s thinner and easier to wear, also for ladies who don’t want a 47mm Panerai. Our most emblematic watch, our icon, remains the Luminor. This has been further developed with innovative materials as well as complications. We aim to build an assortment of China Panerai replica watches that always respects the DNA, but also look at diversity and innovation.
You’re also investing big in sustainability, can you explain to us what you’re doing in that area?
We came out with eSteel a couple of years ago, and that was a big hit for us. Besides that, we also use recycled bronze, titanium and gold for the time being and we’re looking into recycled carbon fibre to use in our best quality fake Panerai Carbotech watches. When we launched this program to use recycled materials it was received with scepticism, as people didn’t connect it to a luxury product. Now we have the younger generation asking us why we didn’t do it before, and if we can do it faster!
Last year we communicated that in three years’ time, so in 2024, we aimed to have 30% of our collections made with recycled materials. but now I can tell you it will be closer to 70% actually. That doesn’t mean the entire watch is made with recycled materials, but as much as we can do, we will do it. Around 95% of our steel is already recycled eSteel, and all the gold is recycled, and we’re pushing for titanium to be 100% recycled as well. We’re also testing and developing other materials, such as our rubber straps, textile straps, packaging et cetera. But the goal is always to produce at the same level of quality.
One other thing that we’re doing is to get our own people involved, do presentations at universities to raise awareness of the issue of sustainability and incorporate that into a business strategy. We also do plastic collection days on the beach or in parks etc.
Can you tell us more about the Forze Speciali Experience and the idea behind these multi-day events?
As you know, Panerai has a long history with the Marina Militare, the Italian Navy. We have supplied official watches in the past, and are still in a close relationship with them. The Forze Speciali experience is a unique event for those who purchased the replica Panerai watches for sale. Each client gets the chance to join us for a two-day military experience with the Brigata San Marco in Brindisi, Italy where we will do all sorts of tactical training, physical exercises and challenges, and demonstration. It is a unique chance to experience what the men and women of the Marina Militare do day in and day out, to protect our country and allies.
It’s something that has never been done before, as no civilian has been able to train with official elite soldiers of the Italian Navy to this extent before. It is tough for those that joined, as you’re treated as a recruit all the way, but for sure an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. And yes, I joined too if you’re wondering. These experiences are a way to welcome people into the world of Panerai like never before. We work with some of our partners to offer unique experiences, such as the Forze Speciali Experience with the Brigata San Marco.
And what about the watch that you’ve made for this Experience?
We presented two models actually, both limited editions. One is the wholesale fake Panerai Submersible Forze Speciali watches, which is limited to 300 pieces per year, and the other is the Forze Speciali Experience limited to 50 pieces. Both are 47mm in diameter with a black DLC-coated titanium case, and with the same flyback chronograph movement. The difference is the colour scheme and the fact that the Forze Speciali Experience gives you the opportunity to train with the Brigata San Marco of the Marina Militare for two days.
The Italian navy is one of our longest partners, and we’ve been producing instruments since 1910, and Panerai replica watches online site since the 1930s. Every few years we create special edition watches with new materials or new designs to commemorate our history. We thought about organising another Experience, so we reached out to the Marina Militare and came up to join the Brigata San Marco. Together we came up with the idea of the Forze Speciali watch, with the countdown mission timer, the military colours and the camouflage strap. We also work with the navy to see if we can use some materials used in submarines for instance, to make watches, but that’s something for the future.
