We promise to invest our time and experience into understanding your needs and desires. We won’t &#8230;
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<ul>
<li>Expect you to have lots of knowledge</li>
<li>Drown you in more detail than you need</li>
<li>Try to push a sale on you</li>
</ul>
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Our aim is to make you feel relaxed and welcome, and to enjoy the Oakleigh Watches experience from start to finish.
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The oakleigh promise

This is always a tricky question to answer. Based on the brand’s history, their excellent design and styling and the quality of manufacture, Panerai watches are generally good value.

Are Panerai watches worth the money?

Panerai is an Italian brand, founded in the city of Florence by in 1860. However, Panerai now makes its watches in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Is Panerai Swiss or Italian?

While Panerai used Rolex movements in the 1940’s, they have never been owned by Rolex. They are currently owned by the Richemont Group.

Are Panerai owned by Rolex?

As always it depends on many factors, such as condition, model and desirability. Generally speaking, Panerai watches tend to hold their value well.

Is Panerai a good investment?

From vintage 1940’s Ex Military Rolex movement watches costing tens of thousands to a ten-year-old Luminor for a tenth of the price, the choice of Panerai watches available can be bewildering.

The key differences are case sizes which generally range from 40 mm to 48mm, a choice of automatic or manual winding movement and the complications that are built into the watch.

Incidentally, traditional Panerai watches tend to be quite large, very simple and manual wind.

For more information on choosing the right Panerai, read our <a href="https://www.oakleighwatches.co.uk/5-step-guide-to-buying-a-pre-owned-panerai-watch/">5 Step Guide to Pre owned Panerai Watches.</a>

Choosing the right Panerai

View All Insights

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Can I go swimming in a luxury watch?

“Can I go swimming in a luxury watch?”

This is a question that I am often asked by our clients. Of course what they are referring to is whether their watch is water resistant – will it leak and ruin the movement, dial and hands?

There are usually three areas that need to be considered when the water resistance of a watch is under examination;
<ul>
 	<li>the caseback</li>
 	<li>the glass</li>
 	<li>the crown</li>
</ul>
During testing, these three components are checked for condition and damage or corrosion. Next the seals fitted between the component and the case are inspected and often replaced. The watch is then pressure tested using a purpose built piece of equipment. When it passes – voila! Your watch is waterproof.

So yes, if it passes the test, you CAN go swimming in a luxury watch. But hang on, there’s another question that needs to be asked ……

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8735" src="https://cms.oakleighwatches.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Swim2.jpg" alt="" width="943" height="530" />

“SHOULD I go swimming in a luxury watch?”

All the watches that we sell here at Oakleigh Watches are superb examples of their type and are all of course very valuable.

I can’t imagine a more hostile environment for a luxury watch than a beach with its salt and sand, or a swimming pool full of chlorine, steel and ceramic tiles. And that’s before you even mention the water! So our advice would be – “yes you can swim in a luxury watch but NO, you probably shouldn’t.”

If you’re at the pool or the beach – relax, forget about the time! Or, if you’re like me and feel a bit lost without something stylish on your wrist, switch your luxury time piece for a much more practical G-Shock!

Oakleigh Watches works alongside local Rolex and Omega service agents <a href="https://www.michlmayr.com/?_ga=2.204148883.2033394945.1721402847-623201293.1721402847">Michlmayr &amp; Co.</a> All of our luxury pre-owned watches are tested to ensure they are water resistant and comply to COSC spec. Some of our more vintage stock will not be water resistant and this will be made clear in the description.

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the-tudor-big-block-listing

The-Tudor-Big-Block-listing

In 1970 Tudor entered the chronograph market with a watch that was very different from its Rolex Daytona brethren – The two incarnations of the ’Monte-Carlo’ were bold, bright and colourful and occupied their own place in the Rolex family lineup, as a slightly inferior model to the Daytona.

Then in 1976 there was a shift and the ‘Big Blocks’ were born. Far from establishing a point of difference from the Rolex Daytona by continuing with the ‘fun’ slightly ‘junior’ theme, Tudor made a watch that was similar to the Daytona and in one key way, actually superior….

As well as toning down the colour palette and producing monochrome chronographs (although exotic-dialed 9000-series ‘Big Block Monte Carlos’ were made), Tudor adopted the Valjoux 7750 movement, not only adding an extra chrono sub dial but also a quick set date and an automatic movement. This automatic movement made the Big Block the first self-winding chronographs from the Rolex group – it would take Rolex themselves well over ten years to make an automatic Daytona and 25 years to make one with an in house movement.

As well as an advanced set of features, the Valjoux movement brought with it the necessity for a deeper case than its predecessors to house the self-winding mechanism and rotor, hence the nickname “Big Block”.

The first Big Blocks were the 9400’s consisting of three references that gave the option of three different bezels:
<ul class="ul1">
 	<li class="li1">9420 with an acrylic tachymeter bezel</li>
 	<li class="li1">9421 with a 12-hour calibrated rotating bezel</li>
 	<li class="li1">9430 with a steel tachymeter bezel</li>
</ul>
In the late 1980’s, the 9400 series was replaced by the 79100 series of Big Blocks and again, there were three references with three bezel types:
<ul class="ul1">
 	<li class="li1">79160 with a black plastic tachymeter bezel</li>
 	<li class="li1">79170 with a black graduated 12-hour rotating bezel;</li>
 	<li class="li1">79180 with a steel tachymeter bezel.</li>
</ul>
By the mid 1990’s Montres TUDOR S.A. was 50 years old and they started to made decisive moves to differentiate themselves from their Rolex brothers. As a consequence the direct references to Rolex were steadily disappearing from the cases, winding crowns and bracelets of Tudor watches to be replaced with own brand alternatives and the day of the Big Block was over.
An important watch and often overlooked, the Big Blocks are one to watch that’s for sure

The Tudor ‘Big Block’

Understanding Watch Model & Serial Numbers

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rolex-16570-polar-2010-listing

Rolex-16570-Polar-2010-listing

Rolex have made several versions of the Explorer II since its launch fifty years ago but here we are mainly concerned with The Rolex Explorer II 16570. We will cover other references but this blog is designed to help you understand why you really should be considering a 16570.

When I first thought of writing this blog piece in the autumn of 2020, the Rolex Explorer II 16570 was one of the most overlooked and undervalued of all modern Rolex sports watches. A few months later I realised that the correction had already begun so I thought I had better get on with the piece

The Rolex Explorer II 1655 – 1971-1984

So firstly, let’s deal with this ‘Steve McQueen’ thing. The first incarnation of the Explorer II was the 1655 and at some time after its launch in 1971, it gained the nickname ‘Steve McQueen’. As no photo has ever come to light of ‘The King of Cool’ actually wearing a 1655 (he was a 5512 man), the reason why remains a mystery.

However, here are a few things that we do know about the 1655:
<ul>
 	<li>It was launched in 1971</li>
 	<li>It was designed mainly for cavers or ‘spelunkers’, hence the massive luminous GMT hand that told you not only the hour but splits of 2 1/2 minutes too, even in the dark.</li>
 	<li>Unlike the Submariners of the time, the Explorer II had a 39mm case.</li>
 	<li>Despite having the same movement as the GMT Master, a pattern that continued until 2011, the 1655 only told the time in one time zone. The ‘GMT’ hand was fixed with the hour hand so it told the same time, just REALLY clearly.</li>
 	<li>Its other nickname is ‘Freccione’ from the Italian word ‘Freccia’ meaning ‘arrow’.</li>
 	<li>Production was discontinued in 1984</li>
 	<li>There were five different dial variations over the 13 year production run</li>
 	<li>It was a popular watch in Germany and the USA but apart from that it was thought a bit of an ugly duckling and sales were disappointing (Great news for collectors and those who have had them from new….)</li>
</ul>
The Rolex Explorer II 16550 – 1984-1989The 16550 is what the watch world refers to as a ‘transitional model’ although to be honest, I’m not sure that the description really fits the bill. While it wasn’t made for very long in Rolex terms, it was made for almost five years so that’s not really a transition.

The thing that makes the 16550 particularly interesting is the dial – for the first time the Explorer II was available with the option of either a black or white dial and while the black dials were fine, the white ones were nearly always faulty. Instead of staying a lovely bright white as Rolex intended, most of them turned a creamy colour, giving them the nickname ‘Panna’ (Cream in Italian). A LOT of these have been replaced by Rolex with lovely shiny white ones, making the remaining cream ones highly collectible and valuable.

There are also some ‘Rail Dial’ examples out there – a Rail Dial is one where the words “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” line up perfectly with an even gap through the middle – like train tracks. These are rarer still and command a higher price.

The hands were changed from the ‘unusual’ design of the 1655 to the more ‘normal’ Mercedes style and this helped to create a look that was more acceptable to the masses.

Again using the GMT Master movement, this time the 3085 from the 16760, the 16550 now had an independent GMT hand so that it was a two time zone watch. The case was made from 316L steel as was the norm in the day and this makes it slightly less bright than the later models – the cases were also made slightly fatter than the later ones to accommodate the 3085 movement.

By the end of the 1990’s Rolex had a new movement and were working with improved 904L steel so they took the opportunity to fix the dial issues and launch a new model.

The Rolex Explorer II 16570 – 1989-2011

This is where things get interesting and lead us to the purpose of the piece that I alluded to way up there in the introduction.

The Rolex Explorer II 16570 is a very similar watch to the 16550. It has a slightly slimmer case that’s made from a different type of steel and an improved movement but apart from that it’s basically the same watch but less than half the price and that’s a situation that’s unlikely to last for long.

16550s aren’t going to get any cheaper so when the price gap closes, and it will, it will happen through an increase in the price of the 16570.

So, there are four main types of 16570, all available with either a black or white dial:
<ul>
 	<li>1989 to 1998 Tritium dial – expect to pay between £9,000 and £12,000. These are the early watches and prices have already risen alot recently – there’s lots more room yet though.</li>
 	<li>1998 to 1999 Swiss only dial – expect to pay between £8,000 and £10,000. These are the rarest of all Explorer IIs and again, prices are rising sharply.</li>
 	<li>1999 to 2007 Swiss made dial with 3185 movement – expect to pay between £8,500 and £10,000. These are the bulk of 16570s as production numbers were higher in the 2000s and they were made for eight years.</li>
 	<li>2008 to 2009 Swiss made dial with 3186 movement – expect to pay between £10,000 and £12,000. These watches have the updated GMT movement and engraved rehaut and are sought after by those who like the most recent versions of things.</li>
</ul>
The Rolex Explorer II 216570 – 2011 to date.

Also available with both black and white dials like the 16550 and 16570, the 216570 is something of a fusion of old and new.

The 216570 still has the fixed bezel that Explorer IIs have always had and now they have brought back the oversized orange ‘GMT’ hand – so that’s the old. The new is that the GMT hand moves independently and the case size has been increased to 42mm in keeping with modern tastes.

This brings us to the statement made at the beginning of the piece about how the Explorer II 16570 is a classic, appreciating asset.

You see, the 1655 isn’t to everyone’s taste, it’s properly vintage and it’s priced well out of most people’s reach.

In January 2022, a nice 1655 Full Set will set you back something north of £20,000

In its original Panna form, a Full Set 16550 Rail Dial costs over £25,000 these days and even a nice Full Set Polar with a replacement dial can be £17,000 or so (admittedly, black ones are less) and prices are still rising.

Prices of the last 16570s made with the engraved rehaut and the 3186 movement have risen sharply too but the ‘standard’ 16570s, whether Tritium or Superluminova are still great value – it won’t last long though as these things have a way of correcting themselves so if you fancy one then my advice would be not to hang about….

To see the Rolex watches in our current collection <a href="https://www.oakleighwatches.co.uk/brand/pre-owned-rolex">click here</a> and you can see the current range of new Rolex watches <a href="https://www.oakleighwatches.co.uk/shop/new-in?pa_brand=170">here.</a>

The Rolex Explorer II 16570

Panerai watches tend to hold their value well, which means when you buy a perfect, fully tested, and warrantied pre-owned Panerai from Oakleigh Watches, you will be buying an appreciating asset. All you need to do is take care of it and enjoy it for a few years and it will literally repay you.

&nbsp;

A good quality Full Set pre-owned Panerai watch can cost anything from £2,500 to tens of thousands.

&nbsp;

Dating back to 1860, this luxury Italian brand has an interesting history. Between 1940 and 1985, Panerai watches often featured Rolex movements and were exclusively available under contract to the Italian Navy for use by its Submariners.

&nbsp;

When that contract finished, Panerai disappeared until 1993 when they launched three watches based on the original military designs: the 44 mm Luminor and Luminor Marina watches and the 42 mm Mare Nostrum chronograph. These watches are extremely rare and highly collectible, mainly because the launch wasn’t particularly successful because of lack of funding.

&nbsp;

In 1997, the Panerai company was sold to the Vendome Group (now the Richemont group) and the modern era of Panerai watches began. Mainly based around the original designs, now there are hundreds of different Panerai models available to suit differing tastes.

&nbsp;

Below are 5 key things to consider when buying a pre-owned Panerai.

&nbsp;

1. Investment, Pleasure or Both?

If you’re buying purely for investment, then you don’t need to worry about the style of watch. Rather, you need to focus on whether a model is desirable now and whether it is likely to be so for the foreseeable future. So, my three top tips …

&nbsp;

• Always go for a watch with the widest appeal and the most limited supply.
• If it’s purely for investment purposes, buy the very best example you can find. After all you don’t have to worry about damaging it if it’s only going to sit in your safe.
• Make sure you buy a Full Set – box, papers, service records and accessories.
If buying for pleasure and or both pleasure and investment – keep reading.

&nbsp;

2. Style

Panerai have two main style collections to choose from. The most popular and the ones that appear most in our collections tend to be Panerai Luminor. The second is the Radiomir.

&nbsp;

The Panerai Radiomir is based around the original military design with a cushion case, wire lugs and exposed crown. With sizes ranging from 40mm to a substantial 47mm and a choice of automatic or manual wind movement. Traditionalists might prefer the larger case with a manual wind movement and only two hands. More modern styles are smaller and can have complications such as date, GMT or power reserve. Always on a leather strap, the Radiomir normally has a black dial.

&nbsp;

The Panerai Luminor is also available from 40 to 47mm and with an automatic or manual movement. As with the Radiomir, the traditional models are larger and manual winding. More recently, the Luminor has been available with different style options, including bracelets, crocodile straps and coloured dials. A key feature of the Luminor is the patented crown guard design, some people consider this an essential part of Panerai design, whereas others think it’s too bulky and prefer the slimmer Radiomir.

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Panerai are statement watches, to be worn proudly and boldly.

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3. Size

Does matter when it comes to watches?

&nbsp;

It all comes down to confidence and perspective.

&nbsp;

As we’ve already mentioned, Panerai are not low key, however just because you’re small in stature, doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t carry off a larger timepiece. In fact, it’s very much the fashion for women to wear oversized men’s watches.

&nbsp;

For a man, it’s all about confidence. If you feel comfortable going big then Panerai is the brand for you as they have some of the biggest cases in the luxury watch market. If you’re feeling bold – you might try your luck with a 47mm Panerai Submersible. The smallest range they have is their Luminor Due measuring 36mm. However, the Luminor’s iconic crown protector tends to make this model a statement time piece and not for the self-conscious.

&nbsp;

4. Vintage or Modern

The choice between a vintage or modern watch is partly one of personal taste, partly one of robustness and when it comes to Panerai – one of budget!

&nbsp;

Of the three periods of Panerai production, pre-Vendome era (1993-1997) cost around 3x the price of a similar modern model. Genuine vintage military Panerai’s run into tens of thousands of pounds and therefore are collection pieces rather than a daily wearer.

&nbsp;

Pre- Vendome are still considered vintage and are more wearable. They represent good value for money and are guaranteed investment pieces for the future.

&nbsp;

If you want to wear your Panerai every day, then you should probably go for a newer one as the movements from vintage models are more fragile and expensive to repair than later versions.

&nbsp;

Servicing costs for a vintage watch can be higher and parts hard to come by – two important considerations when choosing between modern and vintage pre-owned Panerai watches.

&nbsp;

5. Fashion or Function

What do you want your pre-owned Panerai for?

&nbsp;

Assuming of course you’re not heading to the Mariana Trench, is it simply to tell the time or do you need it to dive in?

&nbsp;

All Panerai’s have a sub maritime heritage and modern ones make great dive watches. Vintage watches however should stay on dry land.

&nbsp;

If you’re not diving, the Panerai brand is a fashion statement and has quite a ‘manly’ celebrity following. Including Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone. That’s not to say, it’s an exclusive all male club – Heidi Klum and Salma Hayek have been spotted sporting these larger time pieces. A great example of how to go large confidently.

&nbsp;

If you’re simply looking for a fantastic watch made to the highest of standards, then you can have some fun choosing.

5 Step Guide to Buying Pre owned Panerai Watches

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Panerai Luminor PAM 00121

Availability

Brand

Model

What's Included

Condition

Reference

Years

Papers

Movement Type

Movement

Diameter

Dial Colour

Case material

Bracelet/Strap

Matching Model

Gender

<div class="wpb_text_column ">
<div class="wpb_wrapper">
This Panerai Luminor PAM 00121 is an absolute stunner. Bought in 2003, it is one of 1500 ever made complete with everything that came from the factory in its beautiful pearwood box and cardboard outer.
The Panerai Luminor PAM 00121 has a beautiful combination of a slate grey dial and silver sub dials in a 'reverse Panda' style. The tan leather strap complements the 40mm titanium case perfectly. The condition is excellent with only handling marks and no scratches or dents.
The surprise with this Panerai is the movement which is a classic Zenith El Primero and makes the watch both rare and very special.
There are rumours that the PAM00121 was never actually produced and that any that exist are prototypes.  We can't confirm that though.
Just tested by Rolex and Omega certified watch specialists <a href="https://www.michlmayr.com/">Michlmayr &amp; Co</a> this Panerai Luminor PAM 00121 is running within COSC spec.
</div>
</div>

The Panerai Luminor PAM 00121 has a beautiful combination of a slate grey dial and silver sub dials in a 'reverse Panda' style. A Full Set with warranty.

Panerai Luminor PAM 00121 | 2003 | Full Set

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Panerai Luminor PAM 00121

£7,250