The first modern Panerai Radiomir watch honoring ref. 3646 from the late 1930s was the Panerai 'Radiomir Black Seal' PAM 183 launched in 2004. Equipped with a 45 mm stainless steel cushion-shaped case, this iteration was 2 mm smaller than the original Radiomir watches that had cases measuring 47mm in diameter. The new Panerai Radiomir 8 Days PAM 992 remains true to the modern Panerai spirit cased in a 45 mm stainless steel case. One thing that stands out with regards to the stainless steel case on this watch is that this is the first Panerai along with the Radiomir California PAM 931 to feature what Panerai calls patina steel.
This new matte finish makes the case appear totally vintage thanks to a special coating that is applied to the case under a rigorous chemical treatment process. Even though the case appears totally matte, one should not mistake a satin-brush finished case with the new patina steel finish. To further elaborate, the look of the patina steel case is very similar to the appearance of the fuselage on old airplanes.
Things to Know About the Watch
This beautiful new watch features the same case construction as its predecessors with a 45 mm cushion-shaped case with detachable wire lugs. The onion-shaped crown on the PAM 992 is the exact same screw-down crown on other Radiomir watches featuring the OP —Officine Panerai— logo on bass-relief. It takes approximately 160 turns of the crown to fully wind the 8-day power reserve movement.
The Radiomir 8 Days PAM 992 features a black matte 'sandwich' dial with deep cutouts. When comparing the depth on the cutout markers and numbers between this dial and other Panerai 'sandwich' dials this one is very noticeable unlike a PAM 609 where it almost appears as if the dial was a sausage dial and not a sandwich one. The dial features the iconic ‘8 Giorni Brevettato’ inscription at 3 o’clock, running seconds at 9 and strikingly beautiful blued hands.
As mentioned earlier, the Panerai Radiomir 8 Days PAM 992 features the new patina steel finished case. This new matte finish makes the case appear totally vintage thanks to a special coating that is applied to the case through a chemical process. Its finish is a combination that looks like a sandblasted case had been coated with a glossy lacquer.
The Panerai Radiomir 8 Days PAM 992 features a totally new calf brown strap with beige contrast stitching. The strap tapers from 27 mm to 22 mm and is fitted with a trapezoidal pin buckle in the same finish as the case. This new strap is very supple, extremely vintage and weathered looking with raw edges and somewhat of an oily appearance.
The Movement
The PAM 992 is powered by the Panerai in-house manual wound calibre P.5000 with an outstanding 8-day power reserve. While the expected power reserve should be about 192 hours, is not uncommon for this Panerai movement to overdeliver in terms of power reserve almost as much as an extra full day. This manual wound movement is fully visible via the display case back and composed of 127 parts and 21 jewels. Its balance wheel oscillates at a frequency of 21,600 vph —3 Hz. The movement is finished with a horizontal satin-brush finish.
On the Wrist & Price
On the wrist, the watch wears very comfortable and true to its size. Its wrist presence is extremely vintage looking and one of those watches that you only see true Paneristi wearing. One of our all-time favorite Panerai watches recently released. Between the uniqueness of its case, the new very supple and vintage-looking strap and its 8-day power reserve, this Panerai ticks all the boxes. And for the price, it doesn’t get much better nowadays that Panerai has pushed its pricepoint to a much higher level.
Sticker Price $8,500 USD. For more info on Officine Panerai click here.
