Panerai launches Radiomir Officine PAM01385 limited edition, inspired through the 1935 prototype
Panerai has an interesting history like a watch brand. While the brand name has been around for over a century, with regard to much of that time it created watches exclusively for the army, to the point where many of their horological developments were considered navy secrets. It wasn’t till 1992 that they entered the actual commercial market, and it was not until 1997 that one from the things that started it all, the particular Radiomir watch, became openly available. Now, Panerai debuts a reinterpretation of the earlier military Radiomir prototype through 1935. This is the Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 Limited Version.
Surprisingly, Radiomir has changed very little in nearly 90 years. Putting it alongside the new 2023 Radiomir, there are a great number of similarities. The cushion-shaped situation, tapered crown and sub dial are all key style elements that have stood test of time.
Naturally , there have been some developments with time, such as the structure of the meal dial becoming more efficient and now only having 2 layers. The dial includes a soft brown tone which pairs perfectly with retro-style beige luminous hour indicators and 12/3/6 Arabic numbers. Its display is very crystal clear and has an understated government aesthetic.
The actual Radiomir was originally created for the military in 1916, although the prototype that influenced the model dates coming from 1935. Today, we tend to think about the Radiomir as Panerai’s dress watch offering, when it was replaced by the Luminor because Panerai’s premier dive/military view in the 1970s. However , I can very easily imagine such a watch becoming worn on the wrist of the uniformed officer in the 1930s/40s or even today.
As for the movement inside, a fresh hand-wound P. 6000 motion with a 3-day power reserve. The particular manual winding aspect of this leans towards the traditional idea of a watch as it is a more traditional type of winding. Winding your enjoy regularly creates a deeper link between you and your watch.
Model: Panerai Radiomir Officine
Reference Number: PAM01385
Case: Diameter forty five mm, stainless steel
Switch: brown
Water resistance: 100m (10 bar)
Motion: Panerai Caliber P. 6000, automatic, 19 jewels, one hundred ten components
Frequency: twenty one, 600 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 3 times
Functions: hours, moments, seconds
Strap: brownish Scamosciato leather with stainless-steel buckle