Are there any watches or watch brands that you just have an odd relationship with" Not in a literal sense, but rather in the sense of vacillating appreciation. Once you loved them, then you didn?t, then, on a cold rainy night, you met again by chance and it was happily ever after" Ok, that?s overly dramatic, but the reason for this odd intro is that the brand featured in this review is one that I have had mixed emotions about over the years, making this very post the first time I?ve ever actually reviewed, neigh, worn one, despite the prominence and popularity of the brand. As you already know, the watch is a Panerai Radiomir Quaranta, and this review was a long time coming.
You see, before the days of Worn & Wound, when my knowledge of watches was only that of the proverbial tip of the iceberg, Panerai was a brand I quite admired. I recall, distinctly, walking past a Panerai boutique on the East Side of Manhattan and seeing the Black Seal model in the window. It was stunning. I stared at it like in some scene from a bad Hallmark movie of a sad child looking at a puppy dog. But hardly being in the market for a luxury watch at the time, I eventually just kept walking. Years later, after launching Worn & Wound, my knowledge and exposure grew.
2011 was a different time for watches. Microbrands weren?t quite a thing. Tudor wasn?t for sale in the US. Vintage watches were still a niche, and dealers were few and far between. The ?internet? was sort of mistrus...