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Shopping for a Panerai alternative can be a pain. Whilst almost all watches are very easy to get hold of in modern-day, Panerai homage watches can be difficult to find. This is because there are various copyright laws surrounding the structure and design of both watches and jewelry. You can copy many things about the design of a watch, but outright forgery is not allowed.
Almost nobody wants to buy a fake watch, since they are poorly constructed and cannot be fixed once broken. Therefore you are left with a limited amount of Panerai homage watches to choose from, which can be difficult to choose from, as there is not too much information on individual models.
The chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know you like the style of Panerai. However, you do not want to spend a high 4 figure sum on a luxury Italian watch. This is fair enough since not everyone has the disposable income to drop $5000 on a watch and even some of those who do have this amount of money, simply would rather spend it on something else.
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Radiomir & Luminor
The two most popular models of Panerai are both the Radiomir and the Luminor. Both share the same case shape, the difference being the large crown guard on the side of the iconic luminor. In terms of luminor homage watches, due to the distinct design, these are much easier to find than radiomir homage models. In any case, the hard work has been done for you as all available models are listed below.
From the viewpoint of vintage style and originality, the radiomir is a largely unchanged watch. In fact, if you look back to the second world war, a very similar watch was being used by Nazi German & Italian divers. Whilst the casing, dial, and movement of the watch have become much more luxury and refined since then. The watch still looks very similar to it did 80 years ago.
On the other hand, the luminor is the most iconic Panerai design, but is also far younger. Released to the general public in 1993, this is the model which really put Panerai on the radar of people who don’t know too much about watches. Before this time, the luminor was not really made as a luxury fashion watch but was instead given to military divers. Fast forward to today and the watch is regularly worn by celebrities such as Josh Charles, who is likely not wearing it 200m underwater.
Which Watch Brands Look Like Panerai?
There is not a specific brand that looks like Panerai. As the brand is oversized and unusual, there is not another brand that bases its identity around these bulky dive watches.
However, many brands make Panerai homage watches (listed below). These are generally singular models within an entire watch brand range. Typically, these watches are made by Chinese companies and are not high specification watches with automatic movements. Instead, they are much cheaper alternatives made for consumers on a budget.
In summary, there is not really such a thing as Panerai look-alike brands, but instead, various Panerai style watches made by a variety of different companies.
Is Panerai Overpriced?
This depends entirely on your viewpoint. Panerai models can be used as dive watches, but are clearly not really intended for this anymore. The idea behind luxury watches is simply to wear something elegant, well made and expensive.
Despite not being at the peak of its popularity anymore, Panerai is still a very successful watch brand. As a company, it makes its own in-house movements and makes watches from some of the finest materials. When compared to other high-end watchmakers, Panerai is pretty fairly priced within the luxury watch market.
However, if you are to compare it to inexpensive homage watches, obviously it begins to look a lot more expensive.
What Is The Cheapest Panerai Watch?
The cheapest Panerai models are almost always relatively non-complicated watches from the PAM 00 series. These typically cost between $4000-$5000 for a used model. It may be possible to find a slightly cheaper price than this, but it will not come with box or papers.
In comparison to various watches that look like Panerai, this price is literally 100x the price. On Amazon, you’re able to find Panerai homage watches in the region of $40-$200. This is significantly cheaper, albeit nowhere near the same level of quality.
The Best Alternative Panerai Watches
Peugeot
Paul Peugeot is a Chinese company with a whole host of watch designs. In fairness to the brand, they are not a Chinese watchmaker that just copies designs of popular watches and makes nothing of their own. They do create a large variety of different styles.
Even this Panerai look-alike has its own details such as the 3 subdials which measure 24 hour time, day of the week, and date of the month. This particular model comes in 3 different color schemes including all black, as well as a stainless steel case, so is somewhat similar to Panerai in that regard.
In terms of price, it is a little expensive for a Chinese brand and there are cheaper alternatives. Although with that being said, it is still relatively cheap overall.
San Martin
San Martin is another Chinese brand that makes watches that run the line very close to copyright infringement. This model of Panerai homage does not cut as close since it has a rather unique seconds hand, submariner style bezel and a submarine logo in the 6 o clock position.
This watch is quite a bit more expensive than most of the other choices on this list, something which is solely down to its specification. A true divers watch, the San Martin is 300m water-resistant (although I wouldn’t dare to test this) alongside a PT5000 movement. This is one of the few Panerai homage watches which makes use of an automatic movement. In terms of quality, the PT5000 is an ETA 2842 clone and is accurate to around +/- 5.5 seconds per day. This should help you make a decision on whether this watch is good value or not.
As far as ETA clone movements go, the PT5000 is a very solid choice and much cheaper than the Swiss alternative.
Briston
Briston are not a well-known watch manufacturer at all. The French company use Japanese movements and have their watches assembled in China like pretty much all other fashion brands.
On the whole, their watches are a classic vintage style with their own spin on classic models. This is quite strange as their website describes the brand as “sporty-chic style”. Clearly, this watch is not sporty chic, and would probably look a lot worse if it was.
Briston watches are more expensive than standalone Chinese brands, but do offer a fairly unique style. Unless you are a big fan of the said style, China offers better value for money.
Benyar – Looks The Most Similar
Benyar are guilty of making a fairly shameless copy of the Panerai radiomir. As you can see, if you were to eliminate the logo from the top of the dial, it would be somewhat difficult to tell the difference. Everything from the layout, to the font used for the hours, as well as the hands, are almost exactly the same as Panerai.
If you’re not a fan of this particular color scheme, there are 3 or 4 others so there is no need to worry about that.
The only real drawback behind this watch is that it uses a Chinese automatic movement. These are pretty hit or miss. Despite what people say, they are more hit than miss, but you’re always running an element of risk based on this.
Spinnaker
Spinnaker watches are a lot more well-designed and executed than the Chinese brands on this list. Granted, Spinnaker is also Chinese but generally makes their watches to a much higher specification. Although in fairness, Chinese brands cost significantly less to make than this Japanese automatic movement.
Two main differentiating factors between this watch and a Panerai radiomir are the dial and the surrounding numbers. Instead of using a standard layout, Spinnaker has chosen to use both numbers and roman numerals on their black textured dial. This is quite odd but looks fairly reasonable overall.
Forsining
By far the cheapest Panerai look-alike is the Forsining. What makes this watch so mind boggling is that it also uses an automatic movement! Given that the watch is under $40, it makes you wonder where the profit margin comes from.
In all likelihood, the Forsining company has an excellent production line of watches which is very efficient.
As the Forsining version of the Panerai luminor is so cheap, you shouldn’t rely on this watch for reliability. If it lasts you more than 1 year, that would be tremendous value given the price. If you are set on an automatic this could be the watch for you, otherwise it may well be worth getting a quartz-based homage instead.
Citizen Grand Touring
First of all, it should be noted that the Citizen GT is by far the most expensive watch on the list. That is because the watch is built to much higher specifications than other watches, including a legitimate 300m water resistance alongside a movement that is pretty accurate. Comparisons have been drawn between the Omega Seamaster and the Citizen GT, so given that they’re not too far apart, this watch is a hell of a lot cheaper.
Of course, the GT doesn’t look THAT much like a Panerai, as its case is not quite as squared. With that being said, it does have ultra-large crown guards to resist any unwanted damage.
