Panerai, once known almost exclusively for its bold, ultra-legible black dials, has been expanding its palette of colorways in recent years, with blue shades among the most prevalent. The brand kicks off its 2020 releases with the first two of what it says will be a trio of new models in its blue-dialed Mediterraneo series ? both in the familiar Radiomir case but each offering a different size, material, and movement.
Panerai Radiomir – 42MM Mediterraneo Edition
The Radiomir – 42MM (aka Ref. PAM01144) has its cushion-shaped, 42-mm case in polished 316L stainless steel. Its sun-brushed blue dial hosts large, luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers, luminous sword hands for hours and minutes, an an off-center subdial at 9 o’clock to display the running seconds. Inside the 11.2-mm-thick case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters, beats a manually wound movement, Panerai’s in-house Caliber P.1000, notable for its ample three-day power reserve, stored in two barrels. On display beneath an exhibition caseback made of sapphire, the movement is made up of 152 components, including 21 jewels, and oscillates at a brisk 28,800 vph. The watch is mounted on a blue alligator strap with beige contrast stitching. The watch is powered by the manually wound Caliber P.1000.
The larger of the two new models, the Radiomir Р45MM, is cased in brushed titanium and houses the self-winding Caliber P.4000, also made in-house at the Panerai manufacture in Neuch̢tel,...