Officine Panerai - Radiomir Platino 47mm (PAM00521) and Radiomir Oro Rosso 47mm (PAM00522)

Officine Panerai presented two brand new Special Edition models: the Radiomir Platino 47mm (PAM00521) and the Radiomir Oro Rosso 47mm (PAM00522)with a new 12-sided bezel.

Officine Panerai presented two brand new Special Edition models:  the Radiomir Platino 47mm (PAM00521) and the Radiomir Oro Rosso 47mm (PAM00522). It immediately jumps to the eye a different 12-sided bezel compared to the traditional circular one.

The shape was inspired by a rare example of the Radiomir dating from the late 1930s. At that time, the Panerai store in Florence made a few pieces of the Radiomir with a special 12-sided bezel, carrying the inscription “Officine Panerai - Brevettato”. "Brevettato", which means "patented" in Italian, was referring to a patent of the luminous substance Radiomir which later gave its name to the watch itself. These few units were produced for presentation to the military authorities who were testing new instruments.

The case reproduces the three-piece structure of the time, with the bezel and back screwed directly to the caseband: a type of construction conceived for quicker assembly and maintenance.

In platinum or red gold, the 47 mm case has slender wire loop strap attachments that are removable for replacing the strap. The case is polished with the exception of the brushed 12-sided bezel. The vintage character of the watch is reinforced by its original spherical winding crown. Water resistance is about 50 metres.

The brown dial could hardly be cleaner offering an excellent legibility; it is protected by a slightly cambered Plexiglas crystal, as in the historic models.

The OP XXVII calibre, visible through the sapphire crystal, has been built on a Minerva 16-17 base, a hand-wound movement associated with the history of the Florentine maker. The relationship between Panerai and Minerva already existed in the 1920s. The movement has a balance wheel with screws in the rim for adjusting the rate and a precision swan-neck regulator. It offers a power reserve of 55 hours.

The new Radiomir Platino and Radiomir Oro Rosso are produced in limited editions of one hundred units each and are supplied with a brown alligator strap fastened by a folding clasp of white gold or red gold respectively.