Quick Take
It is not often that a watch introduction and an auction intersect, but that is exactly what is happening with the latest release from Panerai. Earlier this year, Swiss made replica Panerai released the 70 Years of Luminor collection, kicking off its 70th Anniversary celebration. Well, before this anniversary year comes to a close, Panerai has one more trick up its sleeve, and it is partnering with Phillips to show it off.
That trick is the quality fake Panerai LAB ID PAM1700 watch, the latest in the brand’s LAB ID effort. The watch takes elements from both the 2017 LAB ID PAM700, as well as the aforementioned “70 years of Luminor” watches from this year, to create a watch that upholds the brand’s design tradition, while being a full-throttle technical achievement in its own right – sporting an oil-free, lubricant-free movement. Oh, not to mention the fact that it comes with a 70-year guarantee – fitting for the anniversary.
Panerai announced today that this next generation LAB ID watch, PAM1700, will be offered for sale as a lot in the Phillips “Racing Pulse” auction to be held in New York on December 12. It is the first (and, so far, only watch produced) in what Panerai says will be a 70-piece collection.
Initial Thoughts
Three years ago, replica Panerai released the perfect replica Panerai LAB ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech, a 49mm, lubricant-free watch that offered buyers a whopping 50-year guarantee. The new LAB ID PAM1700 innovates on the technology introduced in 2017. With this new release, Panerai has found ways to improve the lubricant-free movement technology to the point where it is now offering a 70-year guarantee on the watch. That’s right, 70 years of ostensibly worry-free use.
This best fake watch (and its predecessor) was developed in the “Laboratorio de Idee,” the research and development arm of Panerai focused on technical innovation. It took two years to develop the first LAB ID model, and its main draw was the use of components made of a completely new, low friction composite which integrates a tantalum-based ceramic.
The LAB ID PAM1700 is an evolution of the brand’s focus on research and development. The watch features Super-LumiNova Grade X1 – a luminescent material engineered to look like the original neon green Pantone 802-C color of early Panerai watches. The brand states that this X1 lume is brighter in deep-water environs. More than that, this new material is applied on almost every nook and cranny of the watch, from the inner bezel, logo, bridge, lever, and crown all the way to the strap stitching.
For a brand that often relies – heavily – on a very specific vintage aesthetic, this is an entirely modern endeavor. Instead of a standard steel case, we have a Carbotech material case. According to Panerai, Carbotech is a highly resilient, carbon fiber-based material, used in motorsports, and the aeronautical and bio-medical industries. It is reportedly 14% lighter than titanium and 36% lighter than steel. In terms of finishing, the case gives off a matte black appearance. The dial, also black, and bearing the words LAB ID above six o’clock, is covered with carbon nanotubes.
The movement in this watch, hand-wound caliber P. 3001/C, features a three-day power reserve, and just like the LAB ID Luminor 1950, it will never require any oil or lubricants. The movement also sports dry lubricated mainspring barrels, a silicon escapement, and self-lubricating plates and bridges. This movement, with its double barrels, is viewable through the caseback of the watch. It too sports an almost matching black look due to the use of carbon fiber composites. The 16 1/2 lignes (roughly 37mm) movement diameter is large, as is the watch itself (49mm), but I think that might be a draw with this piece. Panerai is known for producing large watches, after all.
AAA fake Panerai is a brand that brings to mind images of those vintage, patinated Italian dive watches of yore. Somehow, in leaning so far into the technological side of things, the brand has maintained its design foundation. You look at this watch, and you know what it is. With the PAM1700, there is also the massive perk that the watch will function for a lifetime, without the added cost for service. Bear in mind that, with this guarantee, Panerai is not suggesting that the watch will function without the need for service for 70 years. That would truly be something.
You might be wondering why this is being released through Phillips. Well, these are the final months of the 70th Anniversary celebration, and, as noted, this watch is number one of a slated 70-piece limited edition collection. According to the brand, the other 69 pieces have not even been manufactured yet. This watch is (for the time being) something of a unique piece, so offering it through Phillips only heightens the overall gravity of the occasion.