Watches and Wonders, Day 3: I’m a Lover (and a Fighter) But No Longer Am I a Hater

I spent the last 26 years of my life working in the jewelry and watch industries in one way, shape or form, and as a native Philadelphian, I knew — and dated — my fair share of guys who were into certain types of watches. Many of these guys were Italian-American, just as I am, and a number of them wore what they considered to be the quintessential Italian guy’s watch… A Panerai.

I have no doubt this is the reason that decades later, when I started writing about watches for a living, I shied away from writing about the brand. No matter what they did, or how many of my colleagues loved them and built them up and wore them, I just couldn’t bring myself to warm up to Panerai. I didn’t even want to try, even though, year after year, they would send me the most delicious Panettone cake for Christmas. I fought liking anything they produced. I mean, I fought it hard. But there comes a point in everyone’s life when the fight isn’t worth the effort any longer, especially when there are so many glorious reasons to throw in the towel. And today, that’s exactly what I did. Today, I decided that the fight was no longer worth it, and that my past shouldn’t define my present. Today’s decision couldn’t be helped. From here on in, the decision has been made…

I officially, unequivocally, like Panerai.

You didn’t think I’d go into the whole Panerai story without including them in the highlights now, did you?

For me, it was this one new Panerai launch that made me go apeshit in a good way. The Submersible QuarantaQuattro ESteel™ collection — available in three colors (the gray was *chef’s kiss* for me, personally) — uses 72g of recycled materials corresponding to 52 percent of the total weight of the watch (which is 137g). This creative and eco-friendly way of thinking makes my heart go pitter-patter, but when combined with the new packaging made almost entirely of recycled materials, as well as how the company is going eco-friendly at their manufacturer by offering incentives to employees who bike, carpool or use public transportation to get to their jobs, there was no way I could still be a hater.