Though much of Panerai’s current line up tilts towards more contemporary designs, its new launches for the year included a trio of Radiomir models that will please enthusiasts who appreciate Panerai’s historical watches: the Radiomir “Otto Giorni” PAM01347 and PAM01348, and the Radiomir California PAM01349. All three are equipped with the eight-day P.5000 movement, but are presented in a more wearable 45 mm case with an aged finish.

Initial thoughts

Panerai’s distinctive aesthetic has given birth to a few iconic designs, all of which have been iterated numerous times. Though the brand has been rightly criticised for repetitive renditions, it is inevitable given a history centred on just a handful of models. The Radiomir is one such iconic design, and it seemed to have fallen out of favour in recent years with the brand choosing instead of roll out many, many Luminor models.

The Radiomir “Otto Giorni” PAM01348

Consequently, it is gratifying to see the brand’s renewed emphasis on the Radiomir while infusing the design with fresh elements to make it more than a mere vintage remake. Furthermore, the new models offer enhanced wearability with a 45 mm case, in contrast to older references that mostly had a larger 47 mm case.

As an aside, the three have “Brunito” cases with a simulated aged finish that is a bit of a gimmick but suits the design of the watches. I would have preferred a conventional mirrored finish as found on earlier Radiomir models, but the “Brunito” finish works well enough that it’s acceptable.

Of the three new models, the Radiomir California is the most captivating (and unjustifiably expensive). Despite being perhaps the most recognisable Radiomir variant, the “California” has been missing from Panerai’s catalogue for several years. In contrast to earlier and famed Radiomir models like the PAM00249, the new “California” is clearly a modern watch. Its charm lies in the modern elements of the look, namely the smoked green dial and accompanying aged case, that is compelling. 

The “California”

The other two new launches, the “Otto Giorni” PAM01347 (with a brown dial) and PAM01348 (blue dial), are essentially face-lifted versions of the Radiomir 8 Days PAM00992 from two years ago. While the PAM00992 had an overt vintage aesthetic, the “Otto Giorni” are dressed in more modern colours, which will make them more appealing to anyone seeking the classic design in modern livery.

The textured, smoked-finish dial of the PAM01348

All three new watches contain the P.5000, the brand’s workhorse eight-day movement. A new movement with updated specifications would certainly have made these new models more interesting in technical terms, but the new looks still offer a fresh perspective on familiar styles. At the same time, the retail price hasn’t changed much from the PAM00992 to the “Otto Giorni”, so the same movement is acceptable.

The “Otto Giorni” PAM01347 and PAM01348 are both priced at US$9,700, but the “California” PAM01349 is US$12,300. The 20% premium of the “California” over its near-identical counterparts isn’t logical, especially since there are not tangible differences between them, save for the dial design. Unsurprisingly, the “California” is a boutique exclusive.

Not a mere remake

The new Radiomir models draw inspiration from the original dive watches created by Panerai in 1935 for the Italian Navy, which used radium for the luminous dials, giving rise to the model name.

Developed largely by Rolex for Panerai, the watches were recognisable thanks to a cushion-shaped case and wire lugs – essentially pocket watches with lugs soldered on. Despite being almost a century old, the design still stands out for its modern sensibility. Their military purpose resulted in a stark dial design that is now iconic. The design is distinctive enough that eliminating the logo from the dial takes nothing away from its recognisability, as demonstrated by the “California”.

The “Otto Giorni” pair have a clear vintage-inspired aesthetic but are not remakes since they combine elements from various historical Radiomir models. Both share the same design, but executed in different colours, smoked brown (PAM01347) and smoked blue (PAM01348). Otto giorni is Italian for “eight days”, a reference to the movement’s reserve, which is also symbolised by the emblem at three o’clock. 

The Radiomir “Otto Giorni” PAM01347. Image – Panerai

The “Otto Giorni” pair shares the same dial as the Radiomir 8 Days PAM00992, both in terms of design and construction. The dial has the brand’s signature “sandwich” construction made up of two discs, an upper disc with cut-outs for the markers overlaid on a lower disc coated with luminous paint. It embraces the brand’s trademark minimalist styling with numerals only at the quarters, punctuated by sub-seconds and the “8 Giorni Brevatto” logo (which translates as “eight days patented”).

Like many recent Luminor models, the “Otto Giorni”dials have a pronounced graining that gives them a vintage feel but is ironically a modern invention since vintage Panerai watches had plain dials. 

This grained finish is also found on the dial of the Radiomir California PAM01349. The “California” nickname comes from the Roman numerals on the upper half and Arabic numerals on the lower half, an unusual style originally created by Rolex to improve legibility in dim lightning by avoiding confusion about the orientation the dial. Though it is not a Panerai invention, the “California” dial is almost synonymous with Panerai in the modern day.

This take on the “California” dial is fairly accurate in terms of design, it faithfully reproduces the vintage original more or less, but in entirely modern colours and textures. The dial is done in a smoked military green that is decidedly not historical but surprisingly appealing. And the rough texture arguably works better since the dial has no logo, allowing the grained surface to stand out and complement the vintage styling.

All three new models sport the 45 mm Radiomir case, which is 2 mm smaller than most historically-inspired Radiomir models. Despite being relatively compact by Panerai standards, the 45 mm is sizeable and loses none of the characteristic oversized feel that is a Panerai trademark.

It is large enough to sit alongside the rest of the brand’s catalogue without standing out, but the ergonomics are better and doesn’t feel as chunky on the wrist. In fact, it wears smaller than most 45 mm watches, due to the short wire lugs.

The other notable feature of the case is its finish. All three watches share the same case in “Brunito” eSteel, an alloy made from recycled steel that is then treated to create a “burnished” (brunito in Italian) finish.

“Brunito” is a multi-step process of mirror polishing and sandblasting followed by a matte black coating. The coating is then partially worn off with tumble-polishing, creating that scratched appearance.

New watch, same movement

Despite the design tweaks applied to the new models, the mechanics remain unchanged. Inside all three is the in-house P.5000. The open back reveals the modern and industrial calibre that contrasts with the vintage aesthetic on the front.

The P.5000 movement

The three-quarter plate reveals this as a second-generation P.5000, while the first-generation featured separate bridges that showed part of the gear train. More notably, the second-generation movement has a free-sprung balance wheel. But the decoration is still typical Panerai, simple and done by machine. The finishing is clean and good enough for the price point, but not particularly appealing.

Concluding thoughts

The three Radiomir additions are basically variations on a theme and share the same foundations as recent models. So they aren’t exactly new, but different enough to be appealing. The “California” certainly stands out the most for its design, but the price is difficult, maybe impossible, to rationalise.

More broadly, the debut of vintage-inspired Radiomir models is a good thing, particularly since much of the catalogue is clearly modern. At the same time, none of the new trio are one-for-one remakes, so the designs don’t feel antiquated or weighed down by history.

Key facts and price

Panerai Radiomir “Otto Giorni”
Ref. PAM01347 (brown)
Ref. PAM01348 (blue)

Diameter: 45 mm
Height: Unavailable
Material: eSteel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: P.5000
Features: Hours, minutes and small seconds
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Manual
Power reserve: Eight days

Strap: Calf leather with pin buckle

Limited edition: Regular production
Availability: At Panerai boutiques and retailers
Price: US$9,700

Key facts and price

Panerai Radiomir California
Ref. PAM01349

Diameter: 45 mm
Height: Unavailable
Material: eSteel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: P.5000
Features: Hours, minutes and small seconds
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Manual
Power reserve: Eight days

Strap: Calf leather with pin buckle

Limited edition: Regular production
Availability: At Panerai boutiques only
Price: US$12,300

For more information, visit Panerai.com.