A commemorative Radiomir from Panerai
A limited edition inspired by an archival receipt dated October 24, 1935, that testifies to the birth of the first Radiomir prototype, this e-commerce exclusive was launched on October 24, 2023, in a limited edition of 300 pieces
For over a century, the Panerai family legacy has been intertwined with precision instruments made to accompany the Italian military in their exploits. Commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy to supply high-precision instruments, it was Guido Panerai’s Radiomir – a radium-based substance that illuminates for visibility in the dark – that began it all when it was patented in 1916.
An archival receipt shows that the Radiomir prototype was presented in 1935, and over the years, the sandwich construction has been progressively adjusted and is currently made of only two superimposed plates. Other improvements include the crown-protecting device, and a new luminous substance, the Luminor. A watch produced strictly for the military, the forces used it until the early 1970s, with its designs protected by military secrets.
Officine Panerai leaped into the commercial watch market in 1992, launching three collections of ten references in limited editions – the 44 mm Luminor and Luminor Marina watches, and the 42 mm Mare Nostrum chronograph, which were presented on September 10, 1993, at the La Spezia military harbour in the presence of Duke Amedeo D’Aosta, son of Sir Aimone di Savoia, the then supreme head of the Italian diving department.
Radiomir was only made public in 1997 when the Vendome Group – today Richemont Group – acquired Panerai, introducing the first Vendome special edition in sixty pieces – the PAM 21 model in a platinum version. Other ecofriendly innovations such as eSteel followed.
Panerai is now introducing a limited-edition timepiece in the Radiomir Officine family. The Radiomir Officine PAM01385 pays tribute to many of the iconic elements of the 1935 Radiomir prototype while incorporating contemporary technical expertise.
Set in a polished steel 45mm case with the iconic cone-shaped crown, the watch features a brown matte hollowed dial with indexes and numerals only at twelve and six o’clock while the beige Super-Luminova illuminates in green in the dark. The hour hand is segmented in half – an emblematic feature of Radiomir from its inception. Matched with a brown leather strap, the timepiece’s monotone shade highlights the brown dial.
The revamped and restyled elements include the pared-down dial that features the ‘Radiomir Panerai’ inscription without the collection’s typical OP logo, as well as a case constructed from monoblock steel. The timepiece is powered by a hand-wound P.6000 calibre with a three-day power reserve and is water resistant up to 10 bar – a depth of about 100 metres and is presented on an interchangeable strap.
