Saturday, August 20, 2011

Panamera Flieger 47



Pilots’ watches, whether they be B-Uhr heritage fliegers from the ‘knowns’ or one of the plethora of small brands which you only hear about through word of mouth or on watch fora, are one of the constants in the watch world. There are more fads than you can shake the proverbial stick at, but there will always be a healthy interest in these watches.

One of the ‘unknowns’ that I’ve come across recently is a brand called 'Panamera'. Not the Porsche Panamera, though they have produced a line of watches of this name, but a brand that is actually made by a German brand called Haemmer, which was established in 2008. Under their own brand (they call themselves “the brand for oversized watches") they seem to produce watches very similar to those made by TW Steel and UBoat.


Panamera, in addition to being a bit cheaper than Haemmer, are actually more attractive watches to my mind, though they too are similar, design wise, to other brands/ models.

Meet the Panamera Flieger 47.

SPECIFICATIONS

Movement: Automatic (ST-10) with power reserve
Case size: 47mm
Thickness: 12mm
Case Metal: High Grade Steel (316L)
Finish: Stainless steel
Caseback: Screwed glass display back
Crystal: Mineral
Dial: Superluminova indices, numbers and hands
Strap: 24mm leather strap with stainless steel deployant clasp
Water Resistance: 30m (3ATM)

This can only be said to be IWC inspired, whether we’re talking about its general 'look' or even down to the fish on the crown.


At 47mm, this is definitely not a watch for everyone, but it doesn’t sit as largely as you’d think. It’s a nice solid watch with a good heft available in stainless steel or PVD.

It has an open caseback, which I don’t really see the point of.



Panamera are cheaper than their ‘parent’ Haemmer. In Australia, they retail at $399. This doesn’t make them the cheapest pilots’ watches on the market, but neither are they anywhere near the pricier fliegers. They appear to be pretty solid workmanlike beasts that do what they are supposed to. If you’re looking for a large ‘pilot’ in this price range and aren’t fussed about ‘brand recognition’, this one’s worth looking at. As is commonly the case with many of these unknown brands of pilots' watches however, you can find the same watch, differently branded. This watch can also be purchased branded as a Parnis.



[AP]

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