I was lucky enough to be able to obtain a brand new blue dial Panomatic Lunar recently. It's been a "grail" watch for me for some time, so it's been a thrill to get one on my wrist. I thought I would share some thoughts about it after a month of ownership (where it's barely left my wrist).
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It's not too thick
I like thin watches. At 12.7mm thick, I worried that the Panomatic Lunar would be too thick for me. I was able to try one on at an AD once or twice and it didn't feel too thick, but I worried I was just convincing myself because I loved it so much. Happily, after a month of wearing it, I can say with certainty that it's not too thick. Have worn it with suits and it slides under a cuff well enough. It sits well on my wrist, feels comfortable and not too thick.
It's not too formal
I've also worn my Panomatic Lunar with shorts and a t-shirt and I thought it looked great. It's certainly not a GADA watch, and I wouldn't wear it to the beach or for yardwork, but the watch can work in many settings.
It's easy to read the time
Some other owners complained that they have struggled to read the time, because of the way that the time dial is overlayed over the small seconds dial. This has not been a problem for me, as the minute track is clearly printed over the small seconds dial. I've found it easy to read the time, even with just a quick glance at the watch.
The text on the dial is NOT distracting
For some reason, GO felt the need to label the moonphase and the big date. This was almost a deal killer for me, but thankfully, this text is MUCH less obvious in real life than it is in photos of the watch, and these extraneous and unnecessary words on the dial have ended up not bothering me at all. Phew.
The dial is mesmerizing
As with most watches, the dial is the star of the show, and that goes double for the Panomatic Lunar. The galvanized silver dial is stunning, rich and deep. The unusual layout really sings, and the different shades of blue as light hits the dial is easy to get lost in.
The big date is special. Maybe the best.
I can't think of another implementation of the big date complication that's done better than this one. So cool and about 1,000% better than those horrible cyclops.....
Buy into the German aesthetic!
Buying and owning a high end German watch is its own kind of experience. Everything from the elaborate box to the elaborate instructions, to the leather strap that feels like it won't bend at all (but now, after break in, feels great and like it'll last forever).
Love the German quality
The watch feels overbuilt and just so rock solid. It's impressive considering how elegant and fine the movement is. The watch has been running at +2.6spd since I got it, which is right up there with my very best mechanical watches.
But an important QC problem too
The fly in the ointment is that my brand new watch has a problem. I've had an intermittent problem setting the moon phase. Sometimes it works fine, sometimes not at all. And the moonphase does not seem to be functioning properly, as it's not cycling through a full moonphase over 28 or so days. I can't quite bring myself to contact GO and have to pack up the watch and send it away, but at some point I will need to do that. It's disappointing to get a brand new watch not functioning properly and hard to understand how their QC missed something like this, although the setting problem is intermittent.
So, as you can tell, I'm deep in my honeymoon phase with this great watch. I can certainly recommend it without any reservations. Hope some of these reflections are helpful or of interest to some of you. My thanks to all the members who have educated me over the years here on WUS. What a great forum for all of us afflcted with this strange obsession.....
It's not too thick
I like thin watches. At 12.7mm thick, I worried that the Panomatic Lunar would be too thick for me. I was able to try one on at an AD once or twice and it didn't feel too thick, but I worried I was just convincing myself because I loved it so much. Happily, after a month of wearing it, I can say with certainty that it's not too thick. Have worn it with suits and it slides under a cuff well enough. It sits well on my wrist, feels comfortable and not too thick.
It's not too formal
I've also worn my Panomatic Lunar with shorts and a t-shirt and I thought it looked great. It's certainly not a GADA watch, and I wouldn't wear it to the beach or for yardwork, but the watch can work in many settings.
It's easy to read the time
Some other owners complained that they have struggled to read the time, because of the way that the time dial is overlayed over the small seconds dial. This has not been a problem for me, as the minute track is clearly printed over the small seconds dial. I've found it easy to read the time, even with just a quick glance at the watch.
The text on the dial is NOT distracting
For some reason, GO felt the need to label the moonphase and the big date. This was almost a deal killer for me, but thankfully, this text is MUCH less obvious in real life than it is in photos of the watch, and these extraneous and unnecessary words on the dial have ended up not bothering me at all. Phew.
The dial is mesmerizing
As with most watches, the dial is the star of the show, and that goes double for the Panomatic Lunar. The galvanized silver dial is stunning, rich and deep. The unusual layout really sings, and the different shades of blue as light hits the dial is easy to get lost in.
The big date is special. Maybe the best.
I can't think of another implementation of the big date complication that's done better than this one. So cool and about 1,000% better than those horrible cyclops.....
Buy into the German aesthetic!
Buying and owning a high end German watch is its own kind of experience. Everything from the elaborate box to the elaborate instructions, to the leather strap that feels like it won't bend at all (but now, after break in, feels great and like it'll last forever).
Love the German quality
The watch feels overbuilt and just so rock solid. It's impressive considering how elegant and fine the movement is. The watch has been running at +2.6spd since I got it, which is right up there with my very best mechanical watches.
But an important QC problem too
The fly in the ointment is that my brand new watch has a problem. I've had an intermittent problem setting the moon phase. Sometimes it works fine, sometimes not at all. And the moonphase does not seem to be functioning properly, as it's not cycling through a full moonphase over 28 or so days. I can't quite bring myself to contact GO and have to pack up the watch and send it away, but at some point I will need to do that. It's disappointing to get a brand new watch not functioning properly and hard to understand how their QC missed something like this, although the setting problem is intermittent.
So, as you can tell, I'm deep in my honeymoon phase with this great watch. I can certainly recommend it without any reservations. Hope some of these reflections are helpful or of interest to some of you. My thanks to all the members who have educated me over the years here on WUS. What a great forum for all of us afflcted with this strange obsession.....
