PAM Luminor Base

One of my first watches was a Panerai replica I bought in Bangkok. It was my daily beater for a week until the crown came loose followed by the locking lever! From that day, I told myself no more replicas; I rather wear a Casio.

As I progressed into this hobby, I see the PAM as a cult watch and never really took interest in the brand. Later on I decided that I must at least own one to complete my Horological equation. Being a minimalist, I naturally chose the Base Zero Logo.



The heart is a modified ETA-6497 and taking on the Caliber code "Manual OP X". Here is a picture I found on the Net. I always love to search for movement pictures (like this one) as I do not think I will even attempt to open the casebacks of any of my watches!


Tha PAM Trademark "Locking crown lever"


The iconic Panerai rubber strap with the polished Tang buckle.




The polished mirror-like finish, my idiot-proof digicam and my shaky hands make photographing the PAM extremely challenging. But being one of the most iconic PAM, one can easily Google the endless drooling pics on the Net.


If you want to just own one Panerai (like me), this is the one!

An extract from the official website on the origins of the Base Luminor:

Created in the early 1940s to meet the Italian Navy’s need for a watch that was reliable, resistant and easy to read underwater, still today the Luminor watch keeps the original distinctive features. It has the essential time-measuring functions, hours and minutes, and is equipped with a hand-wound mechanical movement transformed by Panerai according to the criteria of the Swiss watchmaking tradition and the quality standards of the brand. The Luminor Base is water-resistant to 300 metres but tested to 400 metres.