New and seeking advice...

[koturbo]

So, the watch fascination set in for me in my late teens when I (as most of us in our late teens) had barely enough cash to pony up for pizza and beers on a friday night let alone a $4000+ wristwatch, but I find myself now in my late twenties, reasonably successful by the standards of most, and my Tissot Seastar 1000 and Hamilton Jazzmaster chrono are just not satisfactory anymore. Now....I have been into Pam's for a while and am seriously considering making the jump, but I have to say that I have a concern, that concern is the fact that I am genuinely terrified by the quality of replica that I have seen in this watch line...I Know that most great watches have their fair share of reps, but i am truly amazed at how spot on these Knock offs are getting, literally identical!!!! the weight, the polish, the strap quality, even the **** box and accessories are being cloned to the point of near perfection and as I am not at the point where I feel that I could purchase the model I want BNIB, I would likely be delving into the aftermarket/preowned Pam's that are available....So how do you tell??? I understand that SN's can be verified to some extent, but i've heard these guys are duplicating the serial #'s now. So, it seems I'm at a crossroads....settle for the BNIB Omega that I can afford or brave the resale market with the understanding that I may get rooked....anyone else had this dilemma? Any of you guys have a surefire way to spot even the best fake without cracking it open (seems like even the guts are being knocked off perfectly in some) I'd love some input from the experts.

[Donut]

Rule # 1 is and has always been "Buy the seller". Make sure you get references or know the integrity of the person selling you the watch.One problem you may find is that many of the most desireable Panerais are worth as much used as they sell for new, sometimes even more.

Best of luck, which Panerai has caught your eye?

[koturbo]

I have developed quite an obsession for the 090

[pog760]

+1 on what Donut said. Always buy the seller. There are a lot of honest reliable sellers, all you have to do is be patient in finding them and do your homework. Goodluck the 90 is a very good choice, we have some of our sponsors selling a used 90 check out watchuwant.com