Panerai celebrates the anniversary of the Radiomir prototype with a limited-edition that goes back to its roots
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.
The historical Radiomir models PAM00753 and PAM00754 have been redesign with a new vision and pure aesthetic, making it coherent with new Radiomir codes.
The Radiomir Officine PAM01385 pays tribute to many of the iconic elements of the 1935 Radiomir prototype while incorporating contemporary technical expertise to exude a universal appeal to watch lovers.
Set in a polished steel 45mm case with the iconic cone-shaped crown, this watch features a brown dial with indexes and numerals only at twelve and six o’clock while the beige Super-Luminova® illuminates in green in the dark. Matched with a dark brown leather strap, the timepiece’s shade highlights the brown dial, a matte color style that features for the first time within the collection. The dial has been refined keeping only the new Radiomir signature: “RADIOMIR PANERAI”, without the collection’s typical OP logo.
Distinctive Italian design & Historic association: the reference features a new matte taupe dial, giving a strong contrast with the other references and is an E-commerce exclusivity available only on panerai.com
The dial construction is hollowed like on the Luminor Manuali, the numerals and
indexes are filled in with Super-LumiNova lighting up in green in the darkness.
Hands have been uniformed to the other Radiomir families to pay homage to the
historical shapes.
All these characteristics are summarized in a limited edition inspired by
an archival receipt dated 24 October 1935 that testifies to the birth of the first Radiomir
prototype. To commemorate the milestone, this e-commerce exclusive will be launched on 24 October 2023 in a limited 300 pieces