The Radiomir 1940 42mm (PAM00512) is one of the Panerai novelties we really liked this year at SIHH. The standard Radiomir
case has gotten a lot of love over the years and has always been the “dressier”
Panerai, thanks to its onion crown and slim welded strap loops which are well suited for alligator straps and wear with a dress shirt. The Radiomir 1940
is really a Luminor without the crown protector and essentially is a third
family of cases for the brand, as we explained last April. This variation splits the difference and works well as a sports watch but can still
clean up alright. The familiar cushion
case works well on its own without the Luminor’s crown protector, making it a
little less brutish and a little more versatile.
This year, Panerai introduced two
Radiomir 1940 novelties in two sizes and two metals. While the 47-millimeter PAM00514 (and red gold
PAM00515) may be truer to its ancestral inspiration, the PAM00512 is a
refreshingly more wearable 42 millimeters, which answers a common critique of
Panerai, that its watches are just too damn big. 42 millimeters is a great size
for a sports watch and works on just about any wrist size. The “Oro Rosso” version,
the PAM00513, is equally handsome, as we’ve always thought red gold works well
on the Radiomir watches.