In celebration of the Radiomir anniversary, Panerai is excited to announce the release of the Radiomir Officine PAM01385. This exclusive eCommerce model is a neo-vintage creation inspired by the first Radiomir prototype introduced on October 24, 1935. To commemorate the milestone, this e-commerce exclusive was launched on October 24, 2023, in a limited 300 pieces. With only 300 units available, PAM1385 pays homage to the Radiomir portfolio while showcasing Panerai’s design evolution and exceptional craftsmanship pursuits. As part of the Radiomir Officine family, Panerai introduces this limited-edition timepiece featuring restyled elements that bring its aesthetics closer to its roots than ever before.
For over a century, the Panerai family legacy has been intertwined with precision instruments made to accompany the Italian military in their exploits. Commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy to supply high-precision instruments, it was Guido Panerai’s Radiomir —a radium-based substance that illuminates for visibility in the dark— that began it all when it was patented in 1916.
An archival receipt shows that the Radiomir prototype was presented on October 24, 1935, testifying to the birth of the first Radiomir prototype. Since 1935, and over the years, the sandwich construction has been progressively adjusted and is currently made of only two superimposed plates. Other improvements include the crown-protecting device, and a new luminous substance, the Luminor. A watch produced strictly for the military, the forces used it until the early 1970s, with its designs protected by military secrets.
Officine Panerai leaped into the commercial watch market in 1992, launching three collections of ten references in limited editions, the 44 mm Luminor and Luminor Marina watches and the 42 mm Mare Nostrum chronograph were presented on 10 September 1993 at the La Spezia military harbor in the presence of Duke Amedeo D’Aosta, son of Sir Aimone di Savoia, the then supreme head of the Italian diving department.
However, the Radiomir model was only made public in 1997 when the Vendome Group —today Richemont Group— acquired Panerai, introducing the first Vendome special edition in sixty pieces as PAM 21 in a platinum version.
Set in a polished steel 45 mm case with the iconic cone-shaped crown, the watch features a brown matte hollowed dial with indexes and numerals only at twelve and six o’clock while the beige SuperLumiNova illuminates in green in the dark. The hour hand is segmented in half —an emblematic feature of Radiomir from its inception.
Matched with a dark brown Scamosciato calf leather strap with beige stitching, the timepiece’s monotone shade highlights the brown dial, a matte color style that features for the first time within the collection. The revamped and restyled elements include the pared-down dial that features only the ‘Radiomir Panerai’ inscription without the collection’s typical OP logo, as well as a case constructed from monoblock steel. The strap is also interchangeable with selections from Panerai’s wide range of colors and equipped with a trapezoidal pin buckle.
Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is powered by a hand-wound P.6000 calibre with a three-day power reserve and is water resistant up to a depth of about 100 meters.
Sticker Price $5,400 USD. For more info on Panerai click here.
