Officine Panerai

amanico
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A quick review of the Pam 36, Marina Militare

The Pam 36 is one of the legend Vendome watches, with some few others like the 40, the 21, the Pre A 1,2,4,9, and the Mare 6,7 and 8.
This watch has an interesting story.
When Panerai Firenze was sold th Vendome, in March 1997, the Cartier Vendome group recieved some stuff from OPF, and with the stuff, some projects, like the watches which belonged to the Project Slytech as the Black Seal Slytech...
So, Panerai Vendome had the idea to launch a watch which was conceived in the end of OPF, a titanium watch.
The 1st watch, in titanium to be launched is the Sub Pam 25...
The 2d is the Pam 40, which was launched as a test for some markets like Germany, France, USA, and Japan, in 1999.
The Pam 40 is considered as a pre Pam 36...

This is a Luminor Marina, with tritium indexes and a black dial in a titanium case, hence.



This Pam 40 is a mystery, and loved for that, as it's not a referenced watch...Yes go on the official website, or make a search in all the catalogue, you'll never see the Pam 40 reference...It's presented like a Limited Edition of 200 pieces, but not packaged like a LE...

So came the Pam 36, the 1st Marina Militare after the legendary 5218- 202/A pre v, with its stunning PVD and its matching or non matchind indexes and numbers...And after the Marina Militare gorgeous Vintage watches...

Here comes again a mystery....
The Pam 36 is referenced as a LE from the Year 1998, have a look on the official website, or in the Limited Editions Catalogue, you always will see it presented in 1998, which is a mistake, as it gets a B production which is the evidence that the watch was launched in ...1999, presented during the SIHH of the same year.
Yuo will notice that the pic on the official website is also a wrong pic, as the Pam 36 is resented with a Lumniova dial I never saw in any Pam 36, and with a wrong BB number...

So, let's come back to the Pam 36, and the watch in itself...

This is the 1st Luminor Marina to get the name of Marina Militare by special authorization of the Marina Militare Italiana...
Just Before the Pam 82 Amerigo Vescpucci, which is the name of one of the ship/school of the MM italiana, in 2000.
Note that I never heard ( but I may be wrong) that the 3rd MM Vendome, the Pam 217, was made by special authorization of the MM...

The Pam 36 is the one and the only one to have:
A Titanium case ( Grade 2 ),
Combined to a Brown dial,
And tritium indexes.

Here are some pics of this beauty.









The Brown chocolate dial is something amazing, subtile and beautiful...Depending on the ilght, the color change from an evident brown to a grey brown till a black dial...
The combo with the creamy indexes is a gorgeous show!







The Case Back lets show the movement, which is, as a lot of Panerai, a reliable and accurate ETA, which is the ost important for a tool watch like this one...



You will notice an interesting thing, on this movement...It's obvioulsy inspired from the Rolex Cortebert look, which is clever, and well done!

The packaging is complete, with a big LE box, the scrolls, the libretto, ...Wow, that's a presentation!.



And, on the wrist, it's perfect, very legible, and comfortable...



Well for me this Pam 36 is a real MM, like its legendary ancesters, or mother, the 202/A:





Yes, this Pam 36 is much more desirable than the 82:





Or than the Pam 217, MM Destro...( Credit: La cote des montres ):



It has this charism, this part of legitimity and History that many other Panerai Vendome watches don't have...
Useless to make complex when the simpler is always the better...
Here are the true Panerai roots, and one of the rare specimen of some beautiful and dream watches...
Hope you had pleasure reading and seeing this topic.
Best.
Nicolas

NB: I want here to credit Yves O. and Dirk G for all these informations about this Pam 36, and the Pam 40...They are true gurus!  LOL

added to Editor's Pick This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2008-02-20 10:54:28

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