Panerai Launches New Radiomir Mediterraneo Editions

Panerai, once known almost exclusively for its bold, ultra-legible black dials, has been expanding its palette of colorways in recent years, with blue shades among the most prevalent. The brand kicks off its 2020 releases with the first two of what it says will be a trio of new models in its blue-dialed Mediterraneo series — both in the familiar Radiomir case but each offering a different size, material, and movement.

The Radiomir - 42MM (aka Ref. PAM01144) has its cushion-shaped, 42-mm case in polished 316L stainless steel. Its sun-brushed blue dial hosts large, luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers, luminous sword hands for hours and minutes, an an off-center subdial at 9 o'clock to display the running seconds. Inside the 11.2-mm-thick case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters, beats a manually wound movement, Panerai's in-house Caliber P.1000, notable for its ample three-day power reserve, stored in two barrels. On display beneath an exhibition caseback made of sapphire, the movement is made up of 152 components, including 21 jewels, and oscillates at a brisk 28,800 vph. The watch is mounted on a blue alligator strap with beige contrast stitching.

The larger of the two new models, the Radiomir - 45MM, is cased in brushed titanium and houses the self-winding Caliber P.4000, also made in-house at the Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Like its steel sibling, the watch (Ref. PAM01078) is fronted by a brushed blue dial in the layered "sandwich" style that has come to define Panerai timepieces, highlighted with Super-LumiNova on the hands and hour markers and displaying small seconds at 9 o'clock.

Caliber P.4000, which ticks behind a sapphire caseback window, stores a three-day power reserve in twin barrels and uses an off-centered micro-rotor to wind the watch in both directions. Among its 203 components is a twin-supported balance bridge, which provides safer and stronger support for components like the typical cantilevered bridge, and another integrated device that stops the balance when the winding crown is pulled out, enabling the wearer to perfectly synchronize the watch. Water-resistant to 100 meters, the Radiomir 45-MM Mediterraneo is attached to the same dark blue alligator strap as the 42-mm version.

The new Mediterraneo Editions are priced at $7,900 for the 42-mm edition in steel and at $11,200 for the 45-mm version in titanium.