Category: Replica Panerai Radiomir 1940 Series Watches

Panerai has a knack for SIHH novelties and this year is no exception. With a handful of special pieces being released, I’m going to focus on what caught my eye. Being rather firmly a Radiomir guy (unless we’re talking about last year’s drool-worthy 1950 Regatta 3 Days), I found myself taken by the new Radiomir 1940 Chronograph. With three limited edition versions Panerai replica men’s watches rendered exclusively in precious metals, these aren’t your garden variety Radiomirs and their dial design eschews Panerai’s signature sparse appeal for something entirely more retro.

Three limited edition replica Panerai watches

While the three versions may sport different case materials and dial designs, they do have a number of shared elements. Case size is 45mm wide and, being of the “1940” Radiomir variety, they have Luminor style lugs (rather than the Radiomir’s signature wire lugs). The 1940 Chronograph is fitted with a 2.8 mm thick plexiglas crystal up front and a sapphire crystal in the rear to allow a view of the Panerai OP XXV movement. The plexiglas is likely employed to support the vintage vibe of the 1940 aesthetic.

The three versions span an ivory dial model with a polished platinum case called the “Platino” which is limited to 50 units (PAM518), a brown dial model with an 18 ct polished red gold case called the “Oro Rosso” (PAM519) and a black dial model with an 18 ct polished white gold case called the “Oro Bianco” (PAM520). The latter two models are limited to 100 units and all models come on an alligator strap with matching tang buckle.

It’s pretty tough to say which is my favorite as the Platino has a beautiful ivory dial with blued steel accents for the chronograph register and chronograph seconds. This would definitely be one to see in person as there is a chance that the light tone of the dial might be overpowered by the large and chunky case. The Oro Rosso has arguably the best dial, a deep brown with a super cool California dial (a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals), but 45 mm red gold Panerai fake watches are tough sell for my wrist.

Sandwich dial

Finally, the Oro Bianco is the only one to get a sandwich dial, in which the luminous elements of the black dial are actually cut-outs that reveal a luminous layer underneath the main dial, another distinctly Panerai design trait. Each model has its merits and the overall design is one that mixes a bit of current-day Panerai with a lot of vintage-sourced style.

Strong power

Functionally, the Radiomir 1940 Chronograph offers a standard time display along with a two register chronograph system displaying running seconds and a 30 minute chronograph measure which displays its seconds centrally (on the large seconds hand). The movement enclosed within the large case is the Panerai OP XXV which is based on the Minerva 13-22 movement which has been connected with Panerai as far back as the 1920s. This hand-wound column wheel chronograph movement features 22 jewels, a rate of 18,000 vph and 55 hours of power reserve.

It may be a mouthful to say, but it is also an earful and an eyeful. Panerai has just unveiled its most complicated watch to date: the Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT. The new watch – which is made to order only — is remarkable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the double repeater mechanism that enables the watch to chime either a local or a second time zone.
Because the timepiece is made to order, customers can personalize certain aspects of the watch, from case materials, to hands and strap choices. However, the movement — the new hand-wound skeletonized P.2005/MR manufacture-made caliber — remains intact.

Essentially, instead of a typical minute repeater wherein the watch strikes the hours, quarter hours and minutes, the Panerai double repeater plays the hours, the 10-minute increments and the minutes. Also, because there are two complete minute repeater mechanisms (gongs, three hammers and other parts) in the watch, it can chime local or home time (while traveling) at will by means of a push piece at 8:00. Additionally, the wearer can switch between the two zones almost instantaneously via pressing pusher on the crown when it is in selector mode.
The carillon function of the Panerai replica watches enable multi-tones, so that the hours are chimed on a single deep tone, but the 10-minute (decimal) intervals are sounded with triple chimes. The minutes have single higher-pitched tone. This melodious sound can only be accomplished thanks to the use of three hammers instead of two. To further enhance the sound, Panerai turns to 18-karat 5N rose gold for the 49mm case, which is believed to offer the highest quality of sound.
The tourbillon escapement in waterproof cheap replica Panerai watches are also a magnificent achievement of technology and craftsmanship. In fact, the tourbillon regulator is patented by Officine Panerai and has a unique system wherein the rotation of the tourbillon cage is on an axis that is perpendicular (instead of parallel as in most classic tourbillons) to the balance axis. The rotation of the tourbillon cage is 30 seconds instead of 60, and that speed is indicated in the small seconds counter at 9:00. The faster speed and the arrangement of axes enable it to compensate more quickly for changes in rate – ensuring more accurate precision.

The P.2005/MR caliber was four years in the making – developed by the Laboratorio di Idee in the brand’s Neuchatel manufacture. It offers 96 hours of power reserve and the watch are water resistant to 30 meters Panerai watches – but who in their right mind would take this beauty anywhere near the water?

This week at Watches & Wonders, Panerai replica watches have announced a considerable update to their Radiomir 1940 line-up. Alongside new 42 mm models featuring 3 Day movements, the brand has also launched the brand new Panerai 1940 10 Days GMT Automatic Oro Rosso. Featuring a sort of greatest hits of Panerai styling, this new 1940 offers the classy appeal of a Radiomir mixed with the confident presence of the Luminor and a healthy injection of useful complications.

With a 45 mm red gold case and your choice of either a brown (PAM624) or black (PAM625) “sun brushed” dial, the 1940 10 Days GMT looks stunning. The 1940 case is really a mix of the Radiomir and Luminor cases and it offers a masculine, but classic, appeal that works well even in larger proportions and various case metals.
As lovely as new Panerai GMT fake watches may look, the real magic is in the movement. The P.2003/10 calibre ticks at 4Hz, uses 25 jewels and thanks to three barrels, can offer a power reserve of 10 days (240 hours). The movement, which is essentially a fully skeletonized version of Panerai’s P.2003, can be viewed via the display case back. Indeed, while the P.2003 has been seen in similar pieces like the 44 mm Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic, the additional effort of skeletonization seems fitting for a somewhat more dressy piece like this Radiomir.

This feature-packed movement offers not only time, date, a second timezone, a 24 hour indication, linear power reserve and date display, but also manages a rather elegant interface. In the format of a true GMT, the local hour hand can be jump set independently, forward and backward, from the standard timekeeping and the date will also update to reflect the progression or regression of local time.

Additionally, the seconds display is automatically set to 0 when hacking the movement, allowing for a simple method of syncing the watch with an accurate reference time.
As with other Panerai GMT models, the GMT hand can be neatly tucked behind the local hours hand for a simplified look when the feature is not needed. Despite its rather complex nature, Panerai manages to integrate all of these complications into a legible and compelling package.

We are just two months ahead of the luxury Panerai replica watches fair SIHH 2017, so it was about time for a head-turner pre-event teaser, which in this case is the – you guessed it, vintage-inspired – Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Acciaio Brevettato PAM685 and PAM687 watches. Some cool details here, so let’s take a look, before we go hands-on with it in 8 weeks time.

As far as dive watch lore is concerned, Panerai has been there since the beginning of man’s mid-century race to the bottom of the sea, and has a number of extremely rare vintage editions provided to the Royal Italian Navy to prove it. One such example was the original Radiomir, whose unique, 12-sided bezel was proudly engraved with the proclamation of its patented (“Brevettato”) design – you know, just in case navy divers wanted to copy it, or something. Since Panerai surfaced as a commercially available brand, it has been dipping into its archives to recreate this super cool blend of military-grade ruggedness and sleek Italian design, and the Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Acciaio Brevettato PAM685/PAM687 fake watches fit into that larger picture beautifully.
While most watch brands are content to drop in a date aperture, increase the case size by a few millimeters, and finish things off with a generous dose of beige Super-LumiNova, Panerai is trying to preserve the exact dimensions and aged character of the original with this new Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Acciaio Brevettato… they do go so far as to offer the watch in two dial variants: the PAM685, as seen above, comes with a standard black dial and the aforementioned beige luminous cutouts…
…While the PAM687 takes the faux-patina adoption to new heights with a brown “tropical” dial designed to mimic the discoloration that occurs over time on lacquered dials (enamel, by contrast, will never fade, but these having been military spec watches, there of course was no demand for fancy enameled dials). It’s the first time Panerai has ever introduced an offering quite like this, so love it or hate it, the significance is still certainly notable.

The rest of the watch mirrors other aspects of the original Radiomir, including the swarthy 47mm case diameter Panerai copy watches, Plexiglass crystal, wire lugs, time-only indication without even running seconds, and of course, an oversized onion crown – a necessity carried over from military watches of the era that had to be wound while wearing gloves. Unlike the originals, though, Panerai is including a spare crystal in the package – Plexiglass does scratch considerably more easily than sapphire – for those who prefer their watch to not accumulate the same levels of character that the vintage editions might now be found in.