Next year Panerai are celebrating the 90th anniversary of their Radiomir collection, arguably one of the most influential designs ever produced in watchmaking (certainly when it comes to military divers). The story behind the earliest Radiomir prototypes is an interesting tale that involves a failed Rolex release being adapted and evolving into what we now recognise as the Radiomir – read the full story here. In celebration of those earliest prototypes Panerai have launched the Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT Goldtech™ PAM01453, the first ever Radiomir Perpetual Calendar.
With 90 years under its belt Panerai has surely built a Radiomir Perpetual Calendar at some point, right? However, the complication has mostly found a home in the Luminor collection while the most luxurious Radiomirs such as the platinum PAM01432 have featured only annual calendars. The launch of the new PAM01453 is therefore quite a significant milestone.
It measures 45mm in diameter with the classic cushion shape of the collection produced in Panerai’s proprietary rose gold, called Goldtech. It makes for a very nice, neo-vintage aesthetic that retains all the key features of the original Radiomir prototypes with a luxury twist – although the Radiomir Perpetual Calendar also retains some of that classic Panerai robustness thanks to a 100m water resistance rating.
Looking at the face, it leans in a classy, elegant direction with a white, sunburst finished sandwich dial. Compared to some perpetual calendars such as the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar where the information is crowded onto numerous subdials, Panerai have opted for a far more restrained, legible layout. The central handstack features hours, minutes and 24-hour GMT hand, at 3 o’clock is a classic day-date display and at 9 o’clock is a multi-function subdial. Specifically it shows small seconds and a 24-hour hand with day/night indicator.
However, that’s not all of the complications that the Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT Goldtech PAM01453 is equipped with. You can see a whole raft of additional functions through the exhibition caseback: the year, leap year, months, and power reserve indicator. The Panerai calibre P.4100 that powers it all is a bit of a beast.
The calibre has a micro-rotor and double barrel system supplying a 72-hour power reserve, which is great for a power intensive perpetual calendar that has so many functions that require constant and precise power supply. On top of that, Panerai spent 5-years developing this movement in order to make it as easy to use as possible, which they achieved by enabling the crown to adjust the day, date, months and leap year without the need for additional tools or correctors. Plus, it can also be set towards the end of the month and towards midnight when many perpetual calendars advise you not to change them.
In my opinion the combination of a perpetual calendar and the Radiomir is a match made in heaven. While it’s the original Panerai, it’s also the dressiest compared to the Luminor and Submersible, which suits a refined complication like the calendar. Between the gold case and haute horology movement it’s got a price tag of £35,100, which feels appropriate. If you’re looking for a combination of bold wrist presence, luxurious dress watch vibes and a perpetual calendar, there’s really not many other places to look.
Price and Specs:
More details at Panerai.
