Monochrome Watches
An online magazine dedicated to fine watches

What would you do? Potential investment?

| By Frank Geelen | 2 min read |

Last year Panerai introduced two Special Editions with a vintage Minerva movement; the rose gold PAM00398 and the stainless steel PAM00399. These are Radiomir variations with more solid lugs and a a different crown, however with the recognizable cusion-shape case.

Already during the SIHH it was clear that there was a small mistake, because “stainless steeel” was engraved with one too many e’s. A painfull mistake one might think, however this is also how they have been delivered to some customers! Yes, again a painfull mistake. However… maybe this mistake will turn out to be a good investment?

panerai pam00399 special edition

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The photo above was shown on Paneristi, the biggest online community for Panerai fans, and of course the members jumped to the occasion to share their opinion. What’s interesting is that some members said it might be a good idea to hold on to the wrongly spelled version (with three e’s), as it might become a good investment.

Fanatic collectors probably know that these kind of rare mistakes or other deviations, might become very collectible and as a result might fetch much higher prices in the future. According to one of the Paneristi member, the Panerai Boutique in Munich, Germany, already called all delivered PAM00339’s back. What would you do? Keep the wrongly spelled version or sent it back to the Panerai boutique to get a replacement caseback with correct spelling?

panerai pam00339

The above photo, also made at SIHH 2012, is courtesy Martin Wilmsen, who runs the Panerai Wristwatch Photo blog. By the way, it’s safe to assume that all Special Editions, both the gold and stainless steeel 😉 versions, are sold out. For those who just missed the opportunity to buy one, Panerai released two similar models this year. No Special Editions by the way, and no reworked vintage Minerva movement. The new models have been released as  PAM00514 and PAM00515 and you can read more about them here.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor for Monochrome Watches.

 

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5 responses

  1. I know they’re working in a language besides English but seriously. How many people would have seen this?

    Or – since the price will inevitably go up because of the typo, these were a ste-eee-l [sic] of a deal.

  2. Those lucky guys have hit the jackpot. They should take the stainless steeel watch and run. Andreas & Kyujo

  3. I would keeep it. It’s like that upside-down postage stamp from the 1920s(?) with the biplane on it.

  4. it’s just an ‘E’. If you want something special, or a real mistake that will never happen again… look at the 318

  5. I definitely think the value will go up. This is very rare and I’ve read in watchprosite forum that there is one person who has the error AND somehow obtained the corrected back. There is apparently one unsold set (according to my contact in NYC) but it has already been corrected.

    To have this type of error is rare, and to have the error on a premier special edition is even more rare.

    I would love to own one! In time I feel this watch will go into Panerai lore and would probably set records at auction.

    That postage stamp with the upside down plane? Didn’t it go for millions?

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