Panerai 305 : initial impressions and a pictorial !

[nishant]

Well Guys !

Enamored by the love of PAM 243, I realized that PAM SUBs really do ring the right bells and whistles for me .. so I had to have another PAM !
As I jotted down the mental picture of my next Sub, the image was very clear .. 45 mm or bigger, SS surface, no polished surfaces, presence of rotating bezel, in-house movement, and no cyclops (if applicable).
Ofcourse, I always knew of a watch that fit all but one of these criteria .. and as is almost always the case, if you are willing to compromise on a criteria, many PAMs pop up in the list of possible acquisitions.

- 312 : Had it, loved it, sold it !!
- 372 : Dont have it, may love it, will likely sell it !!
- 233 : WooHOO .. lots of bells and whistles but a bit busy for my liking.. and expensive too !!
- 355 : Love it, Cant afford it !!
- 441 : Love it, Cant afford it !!
- and ... THE WINNER IS ... I had my reservations about it, It took a lot of courage and money to get this baby

The UNBOXING ...







WOOPS !! Its a 305 ... 47mm of Titanium madness.. Yes, I am not the biggest fan of Titanium but I guess it made sense on a 47mm cased dive watch ... weight is not much different from 243, as many have suggested and is surely more evenly balanced through the case than the 243 ...



And a few shots to look at different case angles .. I couldnt help but notice that the case edges tend to ease in as compared to the 243 .. hard to describe but really the 305 is surely a better designed case, especially considering the 47 mm diameter.











Some play with the pictures ...









The face without cyclops gives a cleaner look to the watch ...









A couple more before I put 243 and 305 side-by-side ..





Love the flatter profile of this thing ..







And the rough profile of titanium does bring in a flavor of its own ..





Now lets put them next to each other .. and see what the fuss is about !







I must say I love the two of them together ... 243 surely pops out in looks .. 12 & 6 hour markers bring a balance to the dial .. even though 305 with its hash marks is a true dive watch dial and much more legible thanks to the lack of cyclops.

Finally, some good ol' wristshots ...







All in all, I really do love this watch !! Getting the 243 did allow me to ease into getting the 305 and I am glad I did. A few too many straps have been ordered and now the wait begins ....











Hope you guys enjoyed the pictures ..

Cheers
nishant