Panerai Radiomir

The Panerai Radiomir is one of the most famous diving watches of all time. It's been accompanying divers on their underwater adventures for over 80 years. Officine Panerai, as this Italian manufacturer is officially known, created the first Radiomir in 1936 at the request of the Italian navy. It wasn't available to the public until 1993. Since then, Panerai has been one of the leading manufacturers of sporty luxury watches. Today, their Radiomir and Luminor collections of military watches are bona fide industry icons.

Many celebrities are also proud Radiomir owners. For example, supermodel Heidi Klum owns a rose gold ref. PAM00103 . This timepiece has a cushion-shaped case, delicate wire lugs, and a conical crown. Pre-owned, this watch sells for some 12,000 USD.

Every Radiomir model has a cushion-shaped case that measures between 42 and 49 mm across. Case materials include stainless steel, rose gold, and ceramic. Panerai equips most of these watches with in-house calibers. Many have practical complications like a GMT function, power reserve indicator, or small seconds. A few models, such as the Radiomir 1940 ref. PAM00624, also boast an astonishing 10-day power reserve.

Panerai introduced a new entry-level Radiomir model in 2018, the ref. PAM00753. Known as the Radiomir Base Logo 3 Days, this watch has a 45-mm polished stainless steel case. One of its most distinctive features is the wire loop system for exchanging the strap. Panerai first introduced this system in the 1930s.

The manual caliber P.6000 ticks away inside this timepiece. The movement replaced the ETA/Unitas 6497, which Panerai had previously used in their entry-level models. The P.6000 features 19 jewels and a 72-hour (3-day) power reserve. It has a balance frequency of 21,600 alternations per hour (A/h), which is equal to 3 Hz.

The PAM00753 has a black dial with SuperLuminova indices and Arabic numerals. There are also hands for the hours and minutes. A never-worn model on a brown leather strap costs around 3,400 USD, while pre-owned pieces sell for about 3,200 USD.

The Radiomir Black Seal Logo ref. PAM00380 pays tribute to Italy's elite divers, who wear black wetsuits. In the water, the divers resemble seals, hence the name "Black Seal." You can find the Panerai logo on the dials of these timepieces. This 45-mm stainless steel watch is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). Panerai introduced this model in 2011. It is outfitted with the manual caliber OP II, which is based on the ETA/Unitas 6497-1. This movement comes with 17 jewels and has a 56-hour power reserve. The PAM00380 demands roughly 3,800 USD, regardless of its condition.

Panerai equips the ref. PAM00610 Black Seal 8 Days Acciaio with the manual caliber P.5000. This movement has 21 jewels, powers the hour and minute hands, and boasts an 8-day power reserve thanks to its double barrels. Its balance ticks at a frequency of 21,600 A/h.

A sapphire glass case back provides a view of the movement at work. The 45-mm cushion-shaped case is made of stainless steel and water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). Panerai mounts the case on a black leather strap. You can call this watch your own for some 4,700 USD new and 4,600 USD pre-owned.

The Radiomir California 3 Days ref. PAM00424 bears a strong resemblance to early Radiomir models from the 1930s. Released in 2014, this timepiece is made of polished stainless steel and measures 47 mm in diameter. It can survive depths to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). The time is displayed on a so-called "California" dial, meaning there are Roman numerals on the top half and Arabic numerals on the bottom. Line indices mark the hours at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, and 12 o'clock is represented by a triangle.

The manual Panerai caliber P.3000 powers this watch. It has 21 jewels, a 72-hour power reserve, and ticks at a frequency of 21,600 A/h. A brown leather strap with white stitching holds this timepiece on the wrist. The California 3 Days costs around 5,800 USD in mint condition and 5,700 USD pre-owned.

Panerai has been producing the 47-mm Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days ref. PAM00425 since 2012. Like the PAM 424, this timepiece gets its power from the manual caliber P.3000 with a 72-hour power reserve. Its tidy sandwich dial design is also inspired by early Radiomir models. There are line indices at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock, with dots marking the other hours. The edition with a white dial and brown leather strap requires an investment of some 6,100 USD new. Pre-owned pieces sell for about 5,500 USD.

The Radiomir collection also contains a few models with practical complications like a GMT function, date display, small seconds, or power reserve indicator. The Radiomir 10 Days GMT Acciaio ref. PAM00323 from 2010 features several of these functions.

The Panerai caliber P.2003/6 ticks away inside its 47-mm polished stainless steel case. This automatic movement has 25 jewels and a balance frequency of 28,800 A/h. An additional central hand displays the time in a second time zone, while a small 24-hour counter at 9 o'clock lets you know whether it's morning or afternoon in that time zone. This subdial also doubles as a small seconds. A date display sits across the dial at 3 o'clock, and there's a power reserve indicator at 6. Thanks to its triple barrels, this in-house caliber boasts an astonishing 10-day power reserve . You can purchase this watch for between 7,700 and 9,600 USD, depending on its condition.

If you can do without a GMT function, but still want an impressive power reserve, look no further than the ref. PAM00384. Known as the Radiomir 8 Days Ceramica, this 45-mm ceramic watch has an 8-day power reserve and a power reserve indicator, so you always know how much energy the movement has left. Expect to pay anywhere from 7,500 to 10,500 USD on one of these timepieces.

At first glance, timepieces in the Radiomir 1940 series seem like any other Radiomir watch. However, if you look more closely, you'll recognize subtle differences in the design. Panerai first developed diving watches for the Italian navy in 1940, hence the number in this series' name. This is also why current Radiomir 1940 models bear a strong resemblance to the original watches. Instead of the delicate thin wire loop strap attachments, which could break under high amounts of pressure, the original timepieces had horn-like lugs. By crafting the case and lugs from a single piece of steel, the manufacturer is able to achieve added stability. Another characteristic feature of this watch is its cylinder-shaped crown in place of Radiomir's cone-shaped one.

In 2019, Panerai introduced four new models in the 1940 series. These timepieces are known as the Radiomir Edizione Verde Militare (Italian for "green military edition"). All four watches have a matte green sandwich dial and indices coated in honey-colored SuperLuminova.

The Radiomir 1940 Edizione Verde Militare ref. PAM00995 is 45 mm in diameter. Its polished stainless steel case is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). This model has central hour and minute hands and a small seconds at 9 o'clock. The official list price comes in at 11,200 USD.

Panerai crafts the 48-mm case of the ref. PAM00997 out of black ceramic. This watch is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft) and powered by the manual caliber P.3000. There are central hands for the hours and minutes and a small seconds dial at 9 o'clock. A black leather strap with white stitching keeps this timepiece securely on the wrist. You can purchase this timepiece from Panerai for a list price of 13,300 USD.

The ref. PAM0999 is made of polished stainless steel and is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). Panerai outfits this 45-mm timepiece with the in-house caliber P.4002. This movement has a decentralized rotor and two barrels, which lend the watch its 3-day power reserve. There are central hands for the hours, minutes, and GMT function. The subdial at 9 o'clock does double duty as a small seconds and an AM/PM display. Finally, you'll find a power reserve indicator at 5 o'clock. This timepiece comes on a brown leather strap and has a list price of 12,200 USD.

The ref. PAM00998 is nearly identical to the PAM 999 except for the power reserve indicator. The Panerai caliber P.4001 ticks away inside this timepiece. Like the P.4002, this movement is a version of the in-house caliber P.4000. Panerai mounts the stainless steel case on a light brown strap with white stitching. The list price for this model sits at 12,000 USD.

One of the highlights of the Radiomir collection is the ref. PAM00624. Panerai introduced this timepiece in 2015 and only ever produced 150 copies. This watch combines the best of everything Panerai has to offer. Its 47-mm case contains the in-house caliber P.2003/10. This movement provides the PAM 624 with its central hour, minute, and GMT hands as well as its dual small seconds and AM/PM display at 9 o'clock. There's also a date display at 3 o'clock. Like the PAM00323, this watch boasts an incredible 10-day power reserve. You can see how much energy the movement has left via the power reserve indicator at 6 o'clock.

The brown sandwich dial has line indices, as well as Arabic numerals at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. Panerai uses sapphire glass on the front and back so that you can view the intricately decorated caliber through the case back. The P.2003/10 comes with 25 jewels and ticks at a frequency of 28,800 A/h. Once constructed, the final watch is water-resistant to 50 m (5 bar, 164 ft). Of course, this combination of beauty, technological refinement, and high-end materials comes at a price. If you'd like to call one of these timepieces your own, be sure to have around 28,000 USD on hand for a mint-condition model. Pre-owned pieces change hands for about 24,000 USD.