Even the most established legends have an origin story

The Radiomir was developed in 1936 at the specific request of the Command of the Submarine Group of the Italian Royal Navy for the commandos of the Assault Vehicle Flotilla. The Panerai Radiomir is one of the first specialized diving watches in history. The first prototypes were manufactured directly at Rolex; later on, the watches were manufactured by Panerai with a case developed in-house, according to the principle of the Oyster.

In 1936, the Panerai Radiomir became the secret equipment of the German Navy – there are only 70 known Panerai Radiomir Deutsche Kriegsmarine left in the world.

Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni

Radiomir – its outstanding features: a large, cushion-shaped steel case, luminescent numerals and indexes and welded wire lugs, have remained largely unchanged from one generation of the Radiomir collection to the next, a testament to the stature of the original.

This year, Panerai delights its fans with a vintage-looking Radiomir in a more appropriate size for small wrists – 45mm. The Radiomir Otto Giorni cases are made of Panerai’s Brunito eSteel™. The brand’s eSteel™ alloy contains 98.6% recycled steel and was first used for the Luminor Collection in 2021, followed by the Submersible in 2022 and the Radiomir in 2023.

The Brunito eSteel™ (burnished steel) is obtained using an initial PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating, followed by an individual hand brushing and tumble polishing to partially wear off the coating, resulting in a worn appearance, similar to that of old vintage military watches.

The crown with an embossed Officine Panerai logo offers an excellent grip. It has undergone the same treatment, contributing to a more genuine vintage feel. The watches are covered with a domed sapphire crystal that adds character and, depending on the angle, creates visible distortions of the dial elements.

The Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni PAM01347 & PAM01348 come with a dark brown Toscano calfskin strap or a dark blue calf scamosciato strap, both of which are fitted with a large Brunito eSteel™ buckle.

Smoked dials and blue hands

The Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni comes in two dial versions: smoked brown – Ref. PAM01347 and smoked blue – Ref. PAM01348. The graining on the dial is a modern gimmick to give the models a more vintage look, although the classic Panerai watches always had plain dials. But it looks very cool and highlights the idea.

The brown and blue gradient dials feature the classic large luminous Arabic numerals 6 and 12 and luminous hour markers. Another recognizable element is the small seconds subdial, situated at 9 o’clock, as expected. The 8 Giorni Brevettato (the Italian for “patented eight days”) print at 3 o’clock is a reference to the movement’s power reserve.

To display the time, Panerai has turned to another of its traditional elements – the steel hands, flame-blued at a controlled temperature of between 290°C and 300°C to obtain the perfect shade. Of course, the hands are generously luminescent for excellent readability.

8-Day power reserve

The Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni is powered by in-house mechanical hand-wound caliber P.5000, which is visible through the caseback. The movement offers a staggering eight-day power reserve by using two barrels and a relatively slow 3Hz (i.e., 21,600 alternations/hour) operating frequency.

The movement does not excel in terms of appearance – machined horizontal brushing with chamfered and polished edges for the three-quarter plate and balance bridge. The contrast is provided by the visible jewels and the printed markings. The “simple” look is reflected in the final price of EUR 9,900 and is appropriate for watches that aim to be more similar to military pieces.

Mixed feelings or spot on?

I have a deep respect for the heritage on which the Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni watches are based. As a collector fascinated by the early Panerai pieces, I find the novelties to be an interesting endeavor. I do like the vintage-looking Brunito eSteel™ and it is nice to see the brand’s efforts to be environmentally responsible. The PAM01347 & PAM01348 look great on the wrist, and I really appreciate the 45mm Radomir line as much more comfortable and friendlier to my 18 – 18.5cm (depending on temperature and air humidity) wrist. I have some mixed feelings about the 8 Giorni Brevettato print: a pro argument is the nice left/right balance it brings to the dial; a counterargument would be the cleaner look, more appropriate for a military outfit without it (although one can opt for the simple green, more expensive California dial, also launched this year).