By James Phang
Panerai has come a long way to become a status symbol for many watch collectors, and its signature designs have become easily recognizable by most, if not, everyone on the streets. Within the Panerai collection, the 2 most famous ones which stand out are the Luminor and Radomir range, but Panerai has also introduced another range a while back which seeks to merge the design elements between the two – the Radomir 1940 series. Coming SIHH 2016, Panerai has given us a sneak peek on what’s in store for us – introducing the Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio PAM655.
The new Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days PAM00655 is in fact a product created from a blend of Panerai’s signature designs, with Panerai often toying – or recycling – various design elements such as the dial, hands, casing etc. A distinct difference is that it is the first 1940s model which has a white-painted dial (with only 6 watches featuring a white dial in Panerai’s history). The white dial is created using a single layer with its numerals painted, and the indexes are dots painted with faux-patina luminous material to match the hands.
As with all Radomir 1940 models, the PAM00655 sports a smaller and slimmer 42mm cushion-shaped case without crown protection but comes with proper attached lugs. This would appeal to those who like the presence of the larger Panerai watches (typically 44mm – 48mm big), but have smaller wrists and yet hope to be part of the cult following the Panerai brand.
The PAM00655’s relative thinness compared to other models in its stable can be attributed to Panerai’s latest in-house movement, the P4000. The movement boasts a power reserve of 3 days and features a micro-rotor which is mounted off centre, helping to shave off some thickness as opposed to mounting on the typically larger centrally mounted rotor. Through the transparent case-back, we can admire the P4000’s horizontally brushed bridges, blue engravings and the micro-rotor with the Panerai emblem on a matte surface.
The timepiece is accompanied by a natural, untreated calf leather strap with contrasting cream stitching. It will be officially unveiled during the 2016 edition of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, and you can get one for yourself at a cool 9,700 Euros. For more info, please visit panerai.com
JAMES PHANG – CONTRIBUTING WRITER
James Phang is a young watch enthusiast from Singapore and is a self-professed fanatic of independent brands for their unique avant-garde designs. Some of his favorite brands include MB&F, Urwerk, Romain Jerome, Sarpaneva, Peter Speake-Marin and Azimuth. His love for art extends out to all things handmade, and he has made it his personal mission to find the best handmade straps and buckles worldwide for his humble collection. Read his articles here
