Just bought my 1st Rep & 1st Automatic

[Wozzzaaa]

Gday All
Just got my first ever rep, a Panerai Ferrari California FER030 from Angus. I am very impressed by his service, & by the watch!.

Now this is also my first every automatic watch. Ive only experienced Quartz watches before. I read it has a Asian 7750 / 28800vph movement. SO my newbie questions are.

1) What can I do to maximize this watches life?
2) How often shall I service it?
3) If I dont wear it for a few days it will loose power, does it have to be partially manually wound up before the automatic mechanism kicks in?
4) Is it a good for the watch to be stored unwound or in a winder?


Thanks in advance, hope these questions aren't too silly.

[vedet]

1) get it serviced.
2) once will do...when it starts loosing time you might send it back in.
3)don't wind it up manually, just give the rotator some movement so it starts running again.
4)you'll be fine either way.

[OmegaPOFL]

welcome to RG wozzaa

the california is a sweet looking panerai.

1) you can service the movt.. that should give it a long time of trouble-free timing. and don't use the chrono functions!! i know it's there and very tempting, but without a service.. you're just asking for trouble!

2) service on an asian chrono? i would say at least 4years.. ( i wouldn't service it now, whenever it stops working just send it to a watchsmith)

3) yes it can be manual wound until it starts moving again, or you can swirl the watch until it starts up again.. (that's why i worry that if it's not service, manual winding an asian movt out of the box, can lead to it breaking faster)

4)it doesn't matter... if you don't use the watch often, it might last longer... but that's not why you bought it!! wear ittt


hope this helps mateeeeeeeee

[Wozzzaaa]

Thanks! I cant stop staring at it, the lines & shininess are so tantalizing! I am almost scared to wear it to work so it doesnt scratch or get damaged, funny since thats one of the reasons why we get reps instead of super expensive Gen's.

I still keep thinking that a mechanical automatic watch is so fragile compared to a quartz, it will probably take me a while to get used to it.

[Buterfly]

enjoy

[SFA437]

I've had great luck with my A7750 movements so here's a few things I have done...

Do not manual wind it. A few gentle swirls in the hand is enough to get the movement running.

NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES manually advance the date between 8 and 4. I advance the time to 6:30 AM and change the date as necessary from there.

I usually have mine serviced by a local rep friendly smith. Can't hurt

Don't use the chrono function. No need to unless you're running the 24 hours of LeMans. Leave the pushers alone.

I don't bother with winders- especially for my watches in daily rotation. Then again I'm one of those spastic dudes who changes his watch 3x a day It might be just me but the way I look at it is that if it isn't ticking it's not encountering wear so if I'm not wearing it I just set it down.

Most of all enjoy your PAM Ferrari. You snagged one of the most spot-on reps ever produced. Novesh had one he brought to a GTG and it was simply stunning but it also was worn quite a bit. Don't be afraid of small scratches and dings- they add to the character of the watch and make it "yours"!

[Wozzzaaa]

Hey
Thanks for all the advice. I intend to wear it well, that's one of the reasons I got a rep, no need to worry about damaging a watch worth thousands.

Now there is no date function in this model, can I ask why we dont advance the date between 8 & 4? The chrono i tested it once, & left it alone.

My friend who is a ferrari freak is amazed by it & wants one too. My kids love dads "horse watch" & have convinced me to order a "bull watch" to go with it - Tononi Lamborghini Spyder from Trevor.

Iam currently saving for

- DSN Panerai 082 Titanium "Amerigo Vespucci"
- Porsche Flat 6
- Concord C1 Ultimate

And maybe down the track more Panerai Ferrari's

[hymth]

welcome to RG! do share some photos of your first rep with us

[co-axial]

+1 yes, some pics are always welcome

[Wozzzaaa]

Ok this is a REAL Noob question, i feel a bit embarrassed in asking but this IS my first automatic watch.

As I move the watch around, i hear a whirring, almost scratching noise. I guess thats the rotor moving around winding it up. It is pretty loud & noticeable. Is this normal to be fairly loud or is something loose & scratching / scraping?

It almost sounds like a ratchet, is there some sort of overwind protection?

Sorry, dont really have any frame of reference, but I guess we all have to begin somewhere!

[realreplica]

Then again I'm one of those spastic dudes who changes his watch 3x a day

And here was I thinking I was alone on this one!