Panerai Radiomir 1940 PAM00573

Since 1860, when Giovanni Panerai opened his watchmaker's shop in Florence, Panerai have remained located in the Italian city and loyal to its Italian heritage. In 1916 Panerai filed the patent for the Radiomir, a radium based powder that provides luminosity both on land, and underwater. It wasn’t until 1936 when Panerai rolled out the first prototype of the model now known as “Radiomir”. A watch designed with the frogmen of the Italian Commandos in mind; featuring a large case with maximum legibility for underwater environments where light can be an issue but timings crucial. In 1950, once the war drawn to a close, Panerai continued technical research already started for the Italian Navy. Advancements culminated in the development of the Luminor.

The Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Oro Rosso revives the design of several historic models created by Panerai in around 1940; it has a diameter of 45 mm and it is made of 5NPt red gold, an alloy which has a higher proportion of copper than usual and a small amount of platinum which helps to reduce any oxidation of the metal. The lugs are formed from the block of the case and are perfectly adapted to the shape of the wrist, ensuring the greatest comfort in wearing the watch. The large, polished bezel frames a classic dial which ensures excellent legibility, thanks to its minimalist design and its structure of superimposed discs with the luminous material between them, which gives the hour and baton markers formed in the upper plate great intensity. As has been traditional with Panerai since the end of the 1940s, the seconds hand rotates in a small counter positioned at 9 o’clock on the black dial. The new P.4000 calibre is the first Panerai automatic movement with an off-centre micro-rotor. This means that the rotor is smaller in diameter than the calibre itself: a sophisticated technical solution which enables the movement – and therefore the watch – to be much thinner. In this model the oscillating weight is made of 22-carat red gold and it is elegantly decorated and finished, as can be seen through the sapphire window in the back. Visible next to the oscillating weight is the balance wheel, which oscillates at a frequency of 4 Hz, and a large bridge concealing much of the mechanism, making the structure of the movement exceptionally stable. With two spring barrels connected in series, the P.4000 calibre has a power reserve of at least three days, and it is also fitted with the device which stops the balance wheel when the winding crown is pulled out to set the time, helpful for synchronising the watch exactly. The Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Oro Rosso is water-resistant to five bar (about 50 metres) and it is supplied with a brown alligator strap.