Watchculture: Press Release: Panerai Pre-Watches And Wonders 2015.

With its timeless design and the sophisticated technical solutions created by the new Manufacture in Neuchâtel, the Radiomir 1940 is the main focus of the new

Panerai collection presented at Watches & Wonders 2015. References to history, contemporary high-end watchmaking, Italian design and Swiss manufacture combine to create unique and immediately recognisable timepieces, to be presented to the public in an international preview at the main Asian exhibition of high-end watches, taking place in Hong Kong from 30 September to 3

October 2015.

The Radiomir 1940 is the watch which recalls a fundamental moment in the history of Panerai: the transformation of the traditional cushion case of the first Radiomir (1936) into the imposing Luminor 1950 case, fitted with the iconic crownprotecting device. This transition came about to meet the needs of the Italian Navy, which wanted to provide its commandos with a water-resistant watch, that was extremely robust and mechanically reliable, with a dial that would be perfectly legible even under very poor lighting conditions in the dark and underwater: the characteristics which made the Panerai watch the first military diver’s watch in history.

The lines of the Radiomir 1940 illustrate the exemplary purity and simplicity of the Panerai design, a simplicity which is the result of a complex process of design and manufacture. The orderliness of the form and appearance of both the case and the dial is closely linked to the function which the watch was to fulfil. The equilibrium arises from a design in which high quality materials and technical perfection made any decorative details superfluous. The design of the Panerai watch is an example of the international style in the years between the two World Wars. The emergence of the Modern Movement had already revolutionised architecture and design, and Italy’s significant contribution to this revolution was due to the architects and designers who took part in the remarkable phenomenon of Italian rationalism. Thanks to these masters, in the 1930s and 1940s timeless masterpieces were created in Italy, objects and buildings which communicate purity, knowledge and wisdom, in the best tradition of the Italian style and in perfect harmony with what was happening in the rest of the world. Like other icons of its time, the Radiomir 1940 is a classic of modernity which, many decades after its creation, continues to fascinate enthusiasts of watchmaking and design.

It is the calibre P.1000, a new hand-wound movement with a power reserve of three days, which powers the new Radiomir 1940 3 Days, available in steel or red gold with a diameter of 42 mm. Unmistakably Panerai in their design and respect for the company’s historic characteristics, the two new models have sizes and features which make them the ideal choice for all enthusiasts looking for a watch with pure lines but a strong personality, versatile and suitable to every situation.

The new P.1000 calibre – entirely made in the Panerai manufacture in Neuchatel – is a very solid, reliable movement with a large brush-finished bridge covering the major part of the wheelwork and a bridge with two supports firmly holding the balance, which oscillates at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour). Thanks to the two spring barrels connected in series, the calibre has a long power reserve (three days), a requirement which has been part of the identity of the brand since the 1940s, when the Florentine watchmakers Panerai decided to use Angelus calibres with a power reserve of eight days for the watches supplied to the Italian Navy. Its commandos had to be able to count on an instrument with reliable timekeeping which would not be subject to wear or leaking as a result of frequent rewinding.

The new Radiomir 1940 3 Days also has the system for stopping the balance which operates in conjunction with the device for zeroing the seconds hand: when the winding crown is pulled out, the balance wheel stops and the seconds hand, rotating in the classic subsidiary dial at 9 o’clock, is moved back to zero, so that the watch can be synchronised exactly with the reference time signal.

The watchmaking technical expertise of the P.1000 calibre is contained within a diameter of just 26.8 mm (12 lignes) and a thickness of 3,85 mm, so it is perfectly suited to the proportions of the Radiomir 1940 case, which is 42 mm
in diameter. The case is water-resistant to 10 bar (a depth of about 100 metres) in the polished AISI 316L stainless steel version and to 5 bar (about 50 metres) in the gold version. The latter is made of 5NPT red gold, the special gold alloy used by Panerai, which has a high percentage of copper, as well as a small amount of platinum which helps to prevent the precious metal oxidising.

The sapphire crystal of the porthole on the back of the new Radiomir 1940 3 Days enables the construction and finish of the P.1000 movement to be admired while the polished bezel frames the classic Panerai black dial, with large bar
markers and figures. The dial has the sandwich structure invented at the end of the 1930s to maximise the visibility and legibility of the markings: two superimposed discs contain the luminous substance which shines through the holes in the upper one, which correspond to the dial markings. In the steel model (PAM00574) the alligator strap is coordinated with the light green of the Super-LumiNova®, while the model in red gold (PAM00575) is supplied with a black alligator strap.