Durability of hand wound as daily wearer
 

Hello everyone, presently i am contemplating the purchase of my first PAM. The present frontrunner is the 177, and, it will be my daily wearer if purchased. I've never owned a hand wound mechanical though and wondered about the long term durability of a watch that will need wound every other day. It just seems like there would be substantial wear and tear having to wind so frequently. This has caused me to wonder if maybe i should buy an automoatic instead (312 & 320 have piqued my interest, or, another Rolex even). Given my intended use for the watch, do you think a mechanical will hold up long term or need i be looking at another automatic? I just wasn't sure if hand wound mechanicals were built to stand up to the rigors of daily use and the constant winding.. Thank you!

Absolutely. Also, it can always be serviced if some were to happen.

No real wear and tear that wouldn't occur in an automatic, infact you have no rotor assembly so even less wear and tear, plus less chance of problems occuring due to shocks or bumps (rotors seem to have problems with this type of thing on certain watches).

As for the 312 or 320, nobody really knows when they'll be out, the 177 is also titanium which means its nice and light, and of course it's cheaper. My only gripe with the new releases like the 312 and the 320 is that the sub dial is a little small for me, i really wish they'd kept it the same size as the 233/270 and not put a '9' on the dial as well.

I would have enjoyed a all polished casing,a "9" included and a very subtle cyclops similar to the 242.Very subtle yet,functional.Would have given balance to the dial too......... oh yes and a normal production of 47mm in the 1950's casing would have been brilliant !!!! :cheers:

After seeing the PAM 305 i wish they'd brought it out in a 44mm version :thumbsup:

To my knowledge you won't have any concerns using a mechanical that you wouldn't experience using an automatic. Do your best not to drop it, service it every few years and you should be good to go. :cheers:

My brother has worn his hand-wound Panerai almost exclusively for going on 9 years. He had it serviced 6 months ago for the first time. You should be good to go!

Thank you all very much. You've pretty much put my concerns to rest!

I agree - my 177 has been a great watch - very accurate. Titanium has held up well for me. Go for it and enjoy!

Go for it. I wear my Luminor Marina and wind it every morning, no problems in almost 6 years now.

6 years! A true Panerai veteran.
:cheers:

6 years and never service...Good point.:thumbsup:

That sums it up quite nicely...