Oct 12, 2015
Reading time 4 min.
4 New Panerai Radiomir 1940 Watches Launch in Hong Kong
It was a Radiomir 1940 roadshow for Panerai at Watches & Wonders last week in Hong Kong, with four new models introduced. The Panerai Radiomir 1940 embodies the purity and simplicity of the original Panerai design, with its no-frills, highly legible sandwich dial and signature cushion-shaped case.
It was a Radiomir 1940 roadshow for Panerai at Watches & Wonders last week in Hong Kong, with four new models introduced. The Radiomir 1940 embodies the purity and simplicity of the original Panerai design, with its no-frills, highly legible sandwich dial and signature cushion-shaped case.
The star of the new lineup was the Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic (PAM00620, below), a smaller, slimmer, steel model, compared to the typical 45-mm and 47-mm sizes. It has been scaled back to 42-mm in diameter and measures just 10.93 mm thick despite the automatic movement, thanks to an off-center micro-rotor. The PAM00620 contains the automatic Caliber P.4000, beating at 4 Hz, with twin barrels for a 72-hour power reserve. A sapphire crystal caseback reveals bridges that are as unadorned as the dial, with simple brushed finishes and a wide bridge that covers almost half the movement, making it particularly robust. Also visible is the micro-rotor, which is made of tungsten steel because of its high density. The dial is also pure Panerai, with its sandwich structure, small seconds counter at 9 o’clock, large bar hour markers and numerals at the cardinal points. The case is made of AISI 316L stainless steel, a metal particularly resistant to corrosion. All surfaces are given a dress-watch-style high polish. It is water-resistant to 100 meters.
Panerai PAM620 - front
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Panerai PAM620 - side
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Panerai PAM620 - back
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Also measuring in at a scaled-down 42 mm is the Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days with the hand-wound Caliber P.1000, available in both rose gold (PAM00575) and steel (PAM00574). The steel version (below) has a striking green strap that is color-coordinated with the green Super-LumiNova on the sandwich dial.
Panerai PAM574 - Front
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Purists who prefer Panerai’s signature large proportions, along with a few more embellishments, will appreciate the 45-mm Panerai Radiomir 1940 10 Days GMT Automatic Oro Rosso (PAM00625 with a black dial/strap and PAM00624 with brown dial/strap, pictured below, both in rose gold). It contains Panerai’s first skeletonized automatic movement, Caliber P.2003/10. Bridges and barrels are chamfered and polished, and the outer edge of the rotor is engraved with “Officine Panerai.” The dial retains the classic simplicity of a Radiomir despite the added functions, which include a date window, day/night indicator, linear power-reserve indicator, small seconds and a second time zone – indicated with a central arrow hand. The movement has three mainspring barrels, delivering a 10-day power reserve.
Panerai PAM624 - Front
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Panerai PAM624 - back
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Panerai PAM624 - rotor CU
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Both the P.1000 and P.2003/10 calibers incorporate a seconds reset function, which zeroes the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out. The P.2003/10 has a mechanism that allows the local time hand to be adjusted forward and backward in jumps of one hour at a time without stopping the minute hand or interfering with the running of the watch. It automatically adjusts the date.
Panerai PAM559 - front
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Panerai PAM559 - back
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The blockbuster introduction of the show was the dramatic Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso (PAM00559, above and below), a 48-mm piece in Panerai's Lo Scienziato collection. The collection pays tribute to the genius of Galileo Galilei, the medieval astronomer credited with formulating the law of isochronism. It contains the hand-wound Caliber P.2005/S, with a 30-second tourbillon escapement that rotates on a perpendicular axis instead of parallel to that of the balance wheel, a striking visual effect. The movement is skeletonized and blackened, and visible on both the dial side and through the caseback. The barrels are also skeletonized, revealing the mainsprings – two are visible on the front and one on the back. The hour markers and numerals are fixed directly onto the black flange. It will be produced in a limited series of 30 pieces.
Panerai PAM559 - dial CU
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Panerai PAM559 - Caliber CU
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