This new Radiomir from Panerai is certainly not the biggest the brand has to offer but is also no slouch for large dimensions. The watch comes in at 45mm, which looks good on the cushion shaped case. This design is all new for 2014. The 1940 Chronograph from the Radiomir collection is presented in three versions – white gold, red gold, and platinum. Panerai goes after a vintage aesthetic, which it achieves in splendid fashion with the Radiomir 1940 Chronograph.
The platinum version is limited to 50 pieces, while the white gold and red gold editions are made in 100 examples each. The prices range from $78,000 Euros for the platinum, $58,500 for the red gold, and $61,200 for the white gold. The prices seem a little inflated to me considering these aren’t in house movements. In fact these are Minerva movements with which Panerai has had an active relationship for nearly a century. Aesthetically, these watches are gorgeous and the movements are sound but for an average of 60K I was expecting a little more.
The red gold version does have a little nuance that is worth mentioning. The hour markers are comprised of both Arabic and Roman numerals which is referred to as a ‘California dial’. There is a tachymeter on the internal bezel, which works with the chronograph to determine average speeds over a given distance. Unlike most contemporary watches, these timepieces are fitted with a form of plexiglass as opposed to sapphire crystal. The usage of this alternative crystal is reminiscent of watches from the 1940’s era. At the 9 position resides the small seconds counter, while at 3 is the chrono minutes totalizer.
The red gold, and platinum models are fitted with a brown leather strap, while the white gold is presented with a black strap. All of the leather straps use contrast stitching, which do well to complete the watch.
