Notes And Conclusions
A few notes and observations are always a must.
I saw a great "pig" model, that is made by an Italian artisan and available from the boutiques. It's made of brass, and probably about 2 feet long. I'm guessing that the price will be pretty steep, since the workmanship appeared to be to a very high standard.
As well as the pig, I saw a prototype of a fantastic item which all Paneristi will want in their top pocket - look forward to something fun and useful in the future.
The 2003 catalogue was available to all, and appears to be complete. It looks much like all the other catalogues.
I heard that there was a 2003 Regatta edition, obviously a prototype, floating about somewhere. However I didn't see it so please don't ask what it looked like!
I asked several people about the numbering of the 1950; would all 1950 be marked Exxxx/1950? The answer was a conclusive "Yes" - anything else would be wildly confusing.
I repeated the Paneristi mantra of "45mm steel Radiomir, hand wind, three hands, ommmm" to anybody in my vicinity. Maybe one day, eh guys?
Conclusions
As I see it, 2003 is a year of consolidation for Panerai. Fundamentally the new Historic line and the 1950, both introduced in 2002, have bought them some breathing space for two or maybe three years. The philosophy of growing the brand slowly has been retained.
There will doubtless be criticism that such-and-such a concept has not been introduced or enhanced. There would have also been criticism if there had been a storm of new models. Panerai are dogged by their own success, and by the original idea of a smaller-production brand (compared to Omega, Breitling etc.): people want more, but they don't want too much. Performing this balancing act is next to impossible.
For me, the two winners of the new collection are the 44mm chronograph, and the Tantalium. The chrono currently looks like something of a bargain. The price of the Tantalium is on the outskirts of many buyer's comfort zones however I still believe that Panerai could sell 1000 Tantalium watches tomorrow instead of 300 over three years.