Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Panerai releases two new Radiomir Composite models – PAM00504 and PAM00505
Today Panerai introduced two new Radiomir Composit models, the 47 mm large Radiomir Composite 3-Days PAM00504 and the Radiomir Composite Black Seal 3-Days Automatic that measures 45 mm in diameter.
The two stunning new models are made of Panerai Composite , a material that was introduced into the world of Haute Horlogerie in 2010. They share many design elements that are used in other recent models like the Panerai PAM386 Luminor Composite Marina 1950 and the Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3-days PAM00422 that was introduced earlier this year.
Despite the facts that the PAM00504 (left) is larger (47mm), doesn’t have an automatic movement and is more expensive then the PAM00505 (right) I’d still choose it, if I had the choice. And that for just one simple reason… I just LOVE the gold hands in this composition. Let me tell you something about the Panerai Composite and these two new models. I really like what Panerai is doing!
Until 2010, when Panerai introduced Composite into the world of Haute Horlogerie, used in the aeronautic industry and for the creation of automotive and motorcycle components that require a particularly high level of performance. Composite is harder and lighter than the ceramics commonly used in watchmaking to produce cases (zirconia, ZrO2), but is also harder than metals such as steel and titanium.
These characteristics make Panerai Composite an ideal material for the creation of watch cases as it guarantees comfort, cool looks, it’s resistance to knocks, scratches and high temperatures and it can even be made in various colors.
The Radiomir Composite 3 Days PAM00504 has a 47 mm large cushion shaped case in what Panerai calls brown Panerai Composite. Allthough it’s called brown, it comes very close to black and also the dial is also called ‘brown’ by Panerai. As soon as I get some hands-on contact with one of these novelties, I’ll report about it here on Monochrome.
All markers and writing/print on the dial are in beige, that somehow much look like vintage patina. I know it’s just for show, but it really looks fabulous. And so do the gold hands of the PAM00504! The case has a screw-down crown and is water resistant to 10 ATM or 100 meters.
The movement is the Panerai in-house hand-wound caliber P.3000 that has a power reserve of three days, which is achieved by two spring barrels connected in series. The large bridges are brush-finished and the sides are chamfered (anglage). The large balance wheel with an impressive diameter of 13.2 mm has variable inertia screws (for fine adjustment) and oscilates at a frequency of 3Hz (21,600 vph). The movement can be seen through the burnished sapphire crystal back.
The Radiomir Composite 3-Days 47 mm (or short PAM00504) features a device enabling the hour hand to be set in jumps of one hour, so that adjusting it does not interfere with the movement of the minute hand or the running of the watch. Especially when traveling this is an exellent feature!
Personally I would have prefered if Panerai had choosen for caliber P.3001 in stead of caliber P.3000, offering an additional second time zone hand and a power reserve indicator on the movement’s bridge, however I think that would have had a negative influence on the price.
The ‘brown’ dial of both new watches is a so-called sandwich dial; a top dial where the hour and second markers are cut out, so a lower placed dial can be seen through these apertures. That lower placed dial is treated with (creme/beige colored) luminous material, that shines through the apertures and enables the wearer to easily read the time under any light conditions.
The Radiomir Composite Black Seal 3 Days Automatic 45mm (or short: PAM00505) has a cushion shaped Radiomir case measuring 45 mm in diameter and inside ticks the automatic movement caliber P.9000, also a Panerai in-house movement. This movement also has 3-days power reserve (72 hours) and in order to keep enough power stored in the movement it also has two main spring barrels. Caliber P.9000 features a stop-seconds device enabling the time to be set in synchronisation with the reference time signal. The movement has 28 jewels and beats at 4Hz (28,800 vph).
This movement also has a date function, which is displayed at the 3 o’clock position. The name Black Seal is printed on the dial; Black Seal was one of the names used to describe the slow-speed torpedoes, the midget submarines on which the commandos of the Italian Navy carried out their underwater enterprises during the Second World War, with Panerai watches and instruments on their wrists.
The manual wind Radiomir Composite 3-Days 47mm is available for € 7.700 Euro and the Radiomir Composite Black Seal 3-Days with automaticn winding is priced at € 7.300. Prices are including VAT in the Netherlands. These watches will be available for delivery in December of this year.
For more info and request for additional information, please visit the Panerai website.
This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor for Monochrome Watches.
2 responses
To a composite engineer, like myself, this looks like short fibre composite which is very cheap. I’d be interested to know more!
It’s actually a sort of ceramic, so the word ‘composite’ is maybe not covering the product too well. Here’s what Panerai published about the process: “The ceramization process of aluminium leading to the synthesis of Panerai Composite is not similar to any other techniques currently in use in the watch-making industry. In traditional coating processes in fact, layers of ceramic dust are applied onto metal and only the topmost surface of the case is involved in the process itself.
With Panerai Composite, the aluminium cases are immersed in a chemical bath where, thanks to a conductive liquid and to the electricity which generates extremely high temperatures (up to 10,000°C), the metal undergoes an electrochemical process that profoundly modifies its structure while still allowing it to remain faithful to the original geometry. The result of this process depends on many factors, including the solution used, the immersion times, the material and the shape of the piece being worked on.
Before being mounted on a Panerai watch, each case undergoes finishing and is put through a series of tests that certify its aesthetic and technical qualities. The result is a material that is extremely homogeneous, solid, of matt appearance and soft to the touch.”