Panerai is a watchmaker known for its cleanly legible dial designs, but this year as the brand turns the limelight on the fan favourite Radiomir collection Panerai has served up one of its most complicated watches to date with the debut of an annual calendar watch. It’s a collection that has something for everyone in 2023, with Panerai also offering a rough and ready California dial, Quaranta in proprietary Goldtech and much more.
The Radiomir was originally designed by Guido Panerai, the grandson of Panerai’s founder Giovanni Panerai, and was created for Italian naval divers who needed to know the time underwater which was made possible thanks to the 1916 patent for radium-based dial illumination. With a well-designed waterproof case, the original Radiomir design plays a massively important part in the Panerai catalogue today, serving as the platform for money-can’t-buy experiences that Panerai offers to its clients, including training with Navy SEALs and Italian special forces.
Highlights From The 2023 Panerai Collection
Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar
One such money-can’t-buy experience on offer is linked to the all-new Radiomir Annual Calendar, which offers a private tour through the 2,700 years of history that the city of Rome has to offer. With two references that arrive cased in 45mm of either Goldtech or Platinumtech (the tour of Rome is tied to the latter), the gold boasts a gradient blue dial while the platinum alloy enjoys a deep red gradient dial.
Both new models are powered by the P.9010/AC calibre, displaying the time, day, date and month, with the mechanism set to allow for either 30-day or 31-day months meaning the only manual intervention is required at the end of February each year. With 3-days of power reserve and 100m of water resistance, it’s an exciting and complicated new offering from the Italian-founded watchmaker. Price: AU$59,700 for Goldtech and AU$134,300 for Platinumtech.
Panerai Radiomir California
Arriving with a case that has been charmingly pre-aged, the freshly announced Panerai Radiomir California speaks directly to the history of the watchmaker as a manufacturer of timepieces designed to be worn to their limits. This new reference features a dark green gradient California-style dial inspired by the coveted Panerai Ref 3646 and is cased in 45mm of eSteel, which has received a dark PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) treatment that is then hand-finished to achieve a well-loved appearance. Powered by the manually wound P.5000 calibre with 8 days of power reserve and serving up 100m of water resistance, it’s a well-executed nod to the brand’s heritage. Price: AU$18,700.
Panerai Radiomir Quaranta Goldtech
In early 2022 Panerai announced the Luminor Marina Quaranta collection in a new size of 40mm, and these more universally approachable dimensions arrive in the Radiomir collection in 2023 with the debut of the Panerai Radiomir Quaranta Goldtech. Smaller, but packing no less of a punch, this new reference essentially offers the distinctive Italian-founded design in an under-the-cuff dress watch size, cased in a precious metal alloy that adds an element of platinum and copper to the gold mix. At just 10.15mm thick, it’s the Panerai for those who love the design but struggle with the size of the original 47mm Radiomir, powered by the P.900 calibre with 72 hours of power reserve and rated to endure 50m of water resistance. Price: $27,600.
