[viobruin]

I love Panerai and Rolex and own both brands (PAM 104, Datejust, and Submariner). But even though I think the Panerai is the hippest, if I had to choose one, I'd choose the Rolex Submariner.

Panerai is definitely "in" right now and, since it's different than your standard Rolex, I think a lot of people perceive it as cooler. It doesn't have the same history and reputation as Rolex though. Yes, Panerai has been around since the 1930s and made watches for the Italian navy (pretty awesome imo), but they only made a few hundred watches back then and eventually went bankrupt. When they came back, they didn't make their own in-house movement and instead used, you guessed it, Rolex. And even with Rolex movements (and after Rolex, Angelus), Panerai didn't really get popular until Sylvester Stallone discovered them and started giving them to all of his celebrity friends (i.e., Arnold Schwarzenegger). So yes, while Panerai is definitely a great watch and holds it resale value well (mainly because it's made in limited quantities), it doesn't have the prestige and heritage of Rolex. As people before me on this thread have observed, Rolex has earned its right as one of the top watch brands and makes its own in-house movement. (I should note that, today, Panerai does use its own in-house movement in some of its watches).

In my humble opinion, for an older gentleman, I would get the Submariner. It's classy, can be worn in any occasion (the original James Bond wore the Submariner with a tuxedo, but it's obviously sporty since it's a dive watch as well), and will never go out of style.

In any event, congrats to your dad for his retirement. With either watch, he'll love it.