— The Radiomir 1940 collection takes its inspiration from the design of replica Panerai's prototypes from the 1940's.
The Radiomir 1940 collection, launched in 2013, takes its inspiration from the design of fake Panerai's prototypes from the 1940's.
Showing posts with label Panerai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panerai. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Panerai Video. Radiomir 1940: Italian Design, Swiss Technology
The Radiomir 1940 collection, launched in 2013, takes its inspiration from the design of fake Panerai's prototypes from the 1940's.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Replica Panerai Radiomir: 80 years of history in seven anecdotes
— Eighty years ago, Panerai presented the prototype for what was to become the Radiomir. While there seems little point adding to the multitude of hagiographies, WorldTempus has uncovered a few interesting anecdotes about the history of this iconic timepiece.
1. Replica Panerai Watches tests the waters
In watchmaking, the genesis of a particular model can rarely be pinned down to a specific moment in time; preliminary sketches, prototypes, trial models, initial collections and archives may or may not be acknowledged as such by the company itself.
The Radiomir is no exception. Nevertheless, by longstanding tradition, the date of the very first model is accepted as being 1936. Authentication is somewhat shaky, however, as it relies on a one-off presentation piece (ref. 2533) that remains in the hands of Panerai. The model was brought into service two years later in 1938, with a line produced for the Royal Italian Navy.
2. Optional extra
Today when we think of accessories, we mean optional elements such as the strap. During the Second World War, Officine Panerai saw things differently. The Radiomir itself was considered a diving accessory, alongside depth gauges, compasses and torches. Although all of these accessories are sought after today, they don’t attract quite so much attention at auction. In 2014 a “Panerai Only” sale by Artcurial saw a 1940 depth gauge go for €5,850, and a compass for €2,470. By way of comparison, the watch itself, a Marina Militare ref. 6152-1 from the 1940s, was sold for €103,480.
3. Third world
The world of third-party Panerai suppliers encompasses a Who’s Who of prestigious manufactures. The most famous is Rolex, which supplied the Italian company from 1936 to 1956. Throughout its history, and particularly when it was bought by the future Richemont group in 1997, Panerai forged many technical partnerships, with Angelus (8-day power reserve model), Jaeger-LeCoultre (OP XIII and XIV calibres), Girard-Perregaux (Radiomir GMT/Alarm, base calibre 59), as well as Soprod, Venus (calibre 179), ETA, Lemania, Omega, La Joux-Perret, and even Renaud Papi, for the Radiomir PAM 205 Tourbillon. A number of members of the Richemont group, such as Piaget, have also lent a hand from time to time, particularly with watch dials. Eighteen months ago, Officine Panerai became 100% self-sufficient.
4. Platinum jubilee
The year it was bought by Richemont, Panerai celebrated its renaissance with a model that remains highly sought after today: the Radiomir PAM 21. Only 30 of these watches, which incorporated genuine Rolex movements, were made. Given how rarely they appear on sale it is difficult to estimate how much these timepieces are worth today, but USD 250,000 is a reasonable estimate.
5. All hands on deck
In the 1940s Panerai developed a model with a Radiomir dial built on a Dubois-Depraz base movement, intended for deck officers. It was called the Mare Nostrum. This bi-compax chronograph, which would later be offered on the civilian marketplace, did not achieve the hoped-for commercial success. When Richemont bought the company the collection was reworked (with white, black and blue dials) and production was subsequently stopped, before relaunching in 2010 and again in 2015.
6. Mysterious Perspex
The only prototype from 1936 was fitted with a Perspex crystal. This polymer, more commonly known as Plexiglas, was widely used in the Swiss replica watches industry at the time. Panerai appears to have chosen this material for the first Radiomir prototype. Subsequent models were fitted with a solid caseback and, much later, sapphire crystals made their appearance. For its vintage reworkings, such as the Radiomir S.L.C 3 Days PAM449, Panerai has given Plexiglas a modern makeover.
7. Star attraction
Panerai has achieved the feat of being associated with many celebrities, without ever making them official ambassadors. With perfect dramatic timing, Sylvester Stallone wore his own Panerai during the shooting of “Daylight”, just one year before the company buy-out by Richemont, placing the brand unexpectedly in the global spotlight. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams followed Sly’s example.
The Radiomir is no exception. Nevertheless, by longstanding tradition, the date of the very first model is accepted as being 1936. Authentication is somewhat shaky, however, as it relies on a one-off presentation piece (ref. 2533) that remains in the hands of Panerai. The model was brought into service two years later in 1938, with a line produced for the Royal Italian Navy.
Today when we think of accessories, we mean optional elements such as the strap. During the Second World War, Officine Panerai saw things differently. The Radiomir itself was considered a diving accessory, alongside depth gauges, compasses and torches. Although all of these accessories are sought after today, they don’t attract quite so much attention at auction. In 2014 a “Panerai Only” sale by Artcurial saw a 1940 depth gauge go for €5,850, and a compass for €2,470. By way of comparison, the watch itself, a Marina Militare ref. 6152-1 from the 1940s, was sold for €103,480.
©Replica Watches For Sale
The world of third-party Panerai suppliers encompasses a Who’s Who of prestigious manufactures. The most famous is Rolex, which supplied the Italian company from 1936 to 1956. Throughout its history, and particularly when it was bought by the future Richemont group in 1997, Panerai forged many technical partnerships, with Angelus (8-day power reserve model), Jaeger-LeCoultre (OP XIII and XIV calibres), Girard-Perregaux (Radiomir GMT/Alarm, base calibre 59), as well as Soprod, Venus (calibre 179), ETA, Lemania, Omega, La Joux-Perret, and even Renaud Papi, for the Radiomir PAM 205 Tourbillon. A number of members of the Richemont group, such as Piaget, have also lent a hand from time to time, particularly with watch dials. Eighteen months ago, Officine Panerai became 100% self-sufficient.
© Panerai
The year it was bought by Richemont, Panerai celebrated its renaissance with a model that remains highly sought after today: the Radiomir PAM 21. Only 30 of these watches, which incorporated genuine Rolex movements, were made. Given how rarely they appear on sale it is difficult to estimate how much these timepieces are worth today, but USD 250,000 is a reasonable estimate.
Radiomir PAM 21 © 2009 M. Wilmsen
In the 1940s Panerai developed a model with a Radiomir dial built on a Dubois-Depraz base movement, intended for deck officers. It was called the Mare Nostrum. This bi-compax chronograph, which would later be offered on the civilian marketplace, did not achieve the hoped-for commercial success. When Richemont bought the company the collection was reworked (with white, black and blue dials) and production was subsequently stopped, before relaunching in 2010 and again in 2015.
Radiomir Mare Nostrum © Replica Panerai Watches
The only prototype from 1936 was fitted with a Perspex crystal. This polymer, more commonly known as Plexiglas, was widely used in the Swiss replica watches industry at the time. Panerai appears to have chosen this material for the first Radiomir prototype. Subsequent models were fitted with a solid caseback and, much later, sapphire crystals made their appearance. For its vintage reworkings, such as the Radiomir S.L.C 3 Days PAM449, Panerai has given Plexiglas a modern makeover.
Panerai has achieved the feat of being associated with many celebrities, without ever making them official ambassadors. With perfect dramatic timing, Sylvester Stallone wore his own Panerai during the shooting of “Daylight”, just one year before the company buy-out by Richemont, placing the brand unexpectedly in the global spotlight. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams followed Sly’s example.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Panerai Radiomir 1940 42mm Watches
— Our specialist has tested the new Radiomir 1940 42mm. His impressios and conclusions.
Panerai occupies a unique position in the watchmaking world. Although the original “Officine” was created in 1860, the watches it produces only became available to the public in 1993. Until then, the various developments and products by the Florence-based brand were dedicated exclusively to the Italian navy, an experience that enabled Panerai to patent a number of systems and above all to test them in the most credible possible manner. Their arrival in watch stores implied its own challenges, largely due to their substantial size of its cases with their eminently military design. However, the daring bid proved successful since the brand immediately found its place on the wrists of a number of male and female stars, igniting a trend for outsized watches. Since them, Panerai has adopted a slightly more low-key approach and the model loaned to us for this test bench is a prototype of the new Radiomir 1940 42mm.
Panerai Radiomir 1940, 42mm, PAM574. © Panerai Replica Watches
Panerai’s historical developments and patents mostly related to the case. How about today? First of all, the object of this test bench is accurately named, since it features the 1940 version of the Radiomir cushion-shaped case. That was the year that the welded wire-lugs and the cone-shaped crown were replaced by monobloc lugs and a screw-locked cylindrical crown meeting new norms.
Despite its more discreet 42mm size and its transparent sapphire crystal back, the case of this Radiomir is reliably water-resistant to 10atm. In its 2015 version, the dial displays the small seconds at 9 o’clock in addition to the hours and minutes. Otherwise, the design and the iconic construction of the Panerai dials remain the same. A first plate is coated with a luminescent material. These days Super-LumiNova replaces Radiomir (actually the name of a luminescent material patented by Panerai) while providing comparable luminescent properties. A second plate, in which the numerals and hour-markers are cut out, is laid over the first. The indications appear distinctly by day or night.
Although the design of this watch as a whole has always been guided by a purely functional vocation, it features a powerful design with a pleasingly balanced combination of curves and sharp angles.
Movement
Yesterday’s military secret is now common knowledge: movements that equipped Panerai watches during the brand’s navy-dedicated history were supplied by Rolex that held a virtual monopoly of the reputation for reliability. As soon as it opted to pursue civilian missions, the Italian brand naturally had to find movements. Its first “public” models were equipped with Unitas calibers – a wise choice, since their reliability and size were a perfect match for the product. But this was not an “in-house movement” and it joining the Richemont group that sealed the brand’s destiny as a Manufacture.
The P.1000 caliber powering this watch stems from a fully integrated development process. It is driven by two barrels ensuring a 72-hour power reserve and its balance oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, a standard frequency these days. This caliber has nothing else to prove other than its reliability and its precision, two missions it fulfills to perfection. The only “fancy touch” is the seconds-resetting when the winding stem is in the time-setting position.
The architecture and the construction of this caliber are entirely in tune with Panerai’s vocation and its “military” past. Functionality and reliability are the predominant first impression. One might even at first glance consider these models as somewhat austere. But they desire a closer look. The decoration on the bridges is a daring but praiseworthy choice. Panerai has decided to finish their surface with straight-graining, an apparently simple choice that is nonetheless delicate and difficult to perform, especially by beveling the edges. While the polishing of the angles is pretty standard (and perfectly acceptable), the various surfaces are quite distinct from each other. The focus here is on consistence and common sense rather than the trend among certain Manufactures to aspire to the realm of Haute Horlogerie whatever their identity. Finally, the design of the barrel bridge and the going train centered around the fourth wheel.
Tests
It is not surprising to note that the watch exterior lives up to its promises. Functionality, robustness, water resistance and readability: all the qualities one expects from a Panerai are indeed there.
In terms of movement performances, the amplitudes are good at 0, 24 and 48 hours, respectively measured at between 255° and 295° in horizontal positions and between 235° and 275° in vertical positions. The two power-reserve measurements were also well beyond the data supplied by the manufacturer, at more than 75 hours in both instances. It is on the wrist that the Radiomir 1940 42mm reveals its key assets. Its exceptional ergonomics make it both comfortable and elegant to wear for both men and women.
Conclusion
In “going public”, Panerai also sparked a number of trends and fashions. The Florence-based brand has nonetheless succeeded in preserving its identity, its values, but above all the remarkable qualities that have forged its well-deserved reputation. A tricky transition that has caused many brands to lose their way. As confirmed by this Radiomir 1940 42mm, Panerai has managed to become more widely available and to adapt to every-day life situations while safeguarding its technical assets and its unique character within the watch industry. Given its excellent price positioning, the Radiomir 1940 42mm is probably one of the finest possible responses to the difficult times watchmaking is currently going through.
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