Will Panerai become mainstream?

[ral]

The way I see it is that Panerai is not doing it the same way Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and other companies have done it. No retrograde hand movements or open dials displaying the tourbillon.

But they are creating "complications" which are more in line with what a Panerai buyer would like. Examples are the eight day movement, one button chronographs, dual time watches with a 12-hour hand rather than a 24 hour hand.

The eight day movement would interest a particular kind of person in the same way a retrograde movement would. For the rest of the world who uses a watch simply as a tool, they would think who cares.

At the very least they are targeting the same market. A potential Patek Philippe Ref. 5159 buyer is more likely to buy a PAM 306, than someone interested in a Rolex Daytona or Masterpiece.