Panerai PAM320 Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days GMT

Another watch introduced by Officine Panerai at the 2009 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is the Panerai PAM320. The watch shares the looks of the new PAM312, but it is powered by the new Panerai P.9001 in-house (Manifattura) movement. Like the P.9000, this is an automatic movement with a power reserve of three days, but the P.9001 has a power reserve indicator (at the backside) and it has a GMT function built-in.

The silver second time zone hand rotates once every 12 hours. The GMT function of the PAM233 works the same way, but the PAM320 lacks an AM/PM indicator. Although you cannot tell if it is day or night in the second time zone, one will know that the 2nd time zone is ahead or not anyway - and in my opinion such an indicator is not a must-have. The absence of the AM/PM indicator certainly does make for a cleaner looking dial. The fact that the second time zone hands moves along with the hour hand makes it very easy and natural to tell the time in the other time zone. This GMT function is much better than the 24 hour GMT function of for instance the PAM88. It's also nice that you can hide the second time zone hand behind the hour hand when you don't need it. E.g. when you're not traveling. And there's no need for 24 hour markers on the dial either which again results in a much cleaner looking dial.

The PAM320 - like all wrist watches in the Manifattura line - has a 1950's style case and it comes with a beautiful brown crocodile strap.

Officine Panerai Opens New Hong Kong Boutique

Officine Panerai has opened a new Hong Kong boutique on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Their second Hong Kong home, inside you’ll find a big wall clock which is a large-scale version of one of the distinguishing features of Panerai watches: the “sandwich” dial.

Spanning 30 square metres, the space is classically designed and features various materials associated with the sea (a reference to the brand's naval history) such as teak and steel.

A Panerai Customer Service Centre has also been established on the 1/F of the same building to provide after sales service.

Panerai Radiomir 1936 PAM00249 Special Edition

An absolute legend for enthusiasts of Officine Panerai is back again. After 70 years, the model created in 1936 for the 1st Submersible Group has become one of the most fascinating and historically influential of the current Panerai collection.

It is a watch which celebrates the birth of wristwatch manufacture under the Panerai name, faithfully recapturing the aesthetic lines of the prototype developed in response to the request made by the Royal Italian Navy in September 1935 for a luminous underwater watch for divers.

These were instruments which had to be of the very highest quality, in that they had to provide maximum reliability and accuracy during missions. The same constructional principles were applied to the watches. The prototype of March 1936 was followed by ten further examples, used in various exercises to test the effectiveness of its water-resistance and the perfect legibility of its time indication under all conditions of use. The most prominent of the innovations introduced by this 1936 model, which brilliantly passed all the tests it underwent, was the use of Radiomir, a special luminous paint consisting of zinc sulphide, radium bromide (the source of the name ‘Radiomir’) and mesothorium. The distinctive feature of the case, cushion-shaped in keeping with the style in vogue in the 1930s, is its large size, the diameter being 47 mm, while the black dial displayed an interesting combination of baton hour markers and Arabic and Roman numerals.

These unusual aesthetic details are repeated in the Radoimir 1936, a watch created in a limited series in steel (1936 units) and in platinum (99 units). Beneath the crystal made of Plexiglas, a material very similar to the Perspex plastic originally used by Panerai which has excellent transparency combined with great resistance to atmospheric agents and acids, the dial maintains the air of mystery of its famous predecessor; it carries no inscription, being anonymous as was the custom with products being tested by the special services. This avoided the risk of the manufacturer being identified and thus becoming vulnerable to possible actions of sabotage or spying if a watch should fall into enemy hands during wartime missions. The hour and minute hands of the Radiomir 1936 are turned by the Panerai calibre OP X, a hand-wound movement which operates at 21,600 vibrations/hour.

It’s impossible to go unnoticed, but then again, that’s hardly the object of the exercise, when you’re wearing such a timeless piece on your wrist. The most important thing to remember is that Radiomir 1936 generates nothing but positive and rather pleasant reactions. So what’s the point of depriving yourself when you know that the price of success is just 4,800€.

Panerai Ferrari Scuderia FER00002

The Ferrari Scuderia watch features the case is square with rounded corners is crafted from steel, the crown with square-grid pattern, the Prancing Horse on the yellow shield with the Italian tricolor on the black dial, small date window at 3:00, small second at 9 o'clock, with white numeral hour markers, under a sapphire crystal. Fitted with a black leather strap.

Details:

Ref: FER00002

Series: Ferrari Scuderia

Style: Mens

Case: Stainless Steel

Dial Color: Black with Ferrari shield at 12, yellow accents

Strap: Leather - Black Calfskin (second strap in rubber)

Watch Clasp: Personalized buckle, brushed and polished

Movement: Self-winding (Automatic) C.O.S.C.

Engine: Panerai OP III (13¼ ''', 21 jewels, 28,800vph, Incabloc shock system, Glucydur)

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Crystal: Sapphire - Anti Reflective (1.9mm thick)

Case Diameter: 45.0 mm

Case Thickness: 16.3 mm

Caseback: Steel screw-in back with Prancing Horse engraving and geometric pattern

Water Resistance: 100m / 330ft (suitable for swimming and shallow snorkeling; unsuitable for diving)

Crown: Stainless Steel, with Ferrari Logo

Calendar: Date at 3

Power Reserve: 42-hour