Panzera is an Australian watch brand that was established in 2009, with models that cover land, sea, and air. They currently offer the Aquamarine 45 diver, the Breuer 44 and 47 dress, and the Flieger 47 pilot. After reaching out to them, they were kind enough to loan us a Panzera Flieger 47 Mechanica for review. So what is a Flieger 47? Well, Fleiger is the German word for pilot and 47 is the case size. Yeah, this is one large aviator watch- lets check it out!
The Dial
Right away when I looked at this I thought it looked familiar. The dial on this watch is very similar to the IWC Big Pilot watches, and that is a good thing, since the Panzera Flieger 47 is over $8000 less than an IWC Big Pilot. The handset is fully-lumed (even the red-accented seconds hand), as are the applied hour markers. Powering this watch is non-hacking Miyota 820a with day and date offering a 40 hour power reserve. All the Panzera Flieger 47 models comes in this Matte black finish (on the dial) which makes everything quite legible.
The Case
Made from 316L stainless steel and measuring in at 47mm wide, this a large watch and has a very solid feel. The dial is covered by what Panzera calls their S-Lex crystal, which also shows up on the case back. Much like the IWC Big Pilot, the Panzera Flieger 47 has a onion-style screw down crown. The crown on this is very large and might be ok for some, but on my small wrist it was just too big. Why is that? It was constantly jabbing into my wrist. Water resistance is 5atm (50 meters) which is fine since this watch is meant for the air, not the water. Just don’t do anything other than splash this as you wash your hands, or you’ll not be happy with the results.
The Strap
The Panzera Flieger 47 is offered with 4 strap options. There are two Nato straps, and two leather options. The Nato straps come with either red or grey stripes; the leather straps comes in black croc style or smooth brown. My review model came with the black croc strap. Since this is a very large watch, the straps pretty much drop down both sides of my wrist instead of wrapping around my wrist (again, for a larger wrist this should fit just fine). The strap seemed like a quality bit of kit; the signed buckle is very nicely polished.
Overall Impression
I really like the look of the Panzera Flieger 47 Mechanica. This has the classic aviator look that many watch lovers will appreciate. The quality is very good, nicely polished, and very solid. Having a three hander with day and date, housed inside a well built case, and carrying a look of much higher end watches, this is a very budget friendly watch at $585. panzera-style.com.
REVIEW SUMMARY
- Brand and model: Panzera Flieger 47
- Price: $585
- Who’s it for: Aviation watch collectors.
- Would I wear it: absolutely but I wish it was a little smaller.
- What I’d change: Either change the crown or make crown smaller.
- The best thing about it: Overall look of the dial.
Tech Specs from Panzera
- Materials: 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel
- Crystal: Double domed S-Lex Crystal with anti-reflective coating.
- Dial: Midnight black with luminous hands and luminous hour markers.
- Movement: Automatic 21 jewel Miyota movement with 40 hour power reserve.
- Measurements: 47mm wide
- Water resistance: 50 meters/5 ATM
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