Panerai will soon start selling a number of limited edition Radiomir models based on their P.2003 automatic movement. Designed and built in-house, the movement was introduced back in 2006 and offered a nice combination of complications together with a stunning power reserve of whole 240 hours. According to the brand, the new Panerai Radiomir 10 Days GMT is going to be released in three bodies, with the version in platinum (PAM495) being the most expensive among them.
Comprising 296 parts, the Panerai caliber P.2003 comes equipped with a heavy-duty energy storage system that includes whole three spring barrels.
Since the ten-day power reserve makes it especially easy to forget when was the last time that you wholly wound the watch, the timekeeper is equipped with a functional and easy to understand linear power reserve indicator.
As the spring barrels gradually unwind and the energy reserves are slowly depleted, the beige-colored indicator moves from right to left along an easily understandable scale of the same color.
Although Panerai tends to keep their movements as Spartan-looking as possible, this one stands out from the crowd thanks to its skeletonized, branded rotor that seems to be machined from a single block of white gold.
Thanks to a fisheye lens atop the date aperture, the calendar is also easily readable, as is the second time zone, which is indicated with an arrow-shaped secondary hour hand. I can’t, however, give the same compliment to the 24-hour day/night indicator at 9 hours. To me, it looks somewhat superfluous: a simple “AM/PM” indicator would be more than enough. Well, perhaps guys at Panerai simply wanted to better utilize the subsidiary seconds sub-dial, which is, too, placed at 9 o’clock position.
As I have already noted, the large, cushion-shaped body of the Panerai Radiomir 10 Days GMT (PAM495) is crafted from highly expensive platinum. Mirror-polished and equipped with a slightly undersized winding/setting crown, the case looks especially elegant, although I am still not convinced about the combination of rose gold hands and platinum body.
The watch will be sold as a limited edition model with a total of 100 pieces to be offered to the ahem general public. Taking into consideration the fact that the watch is going to be priced at pretty much impressive $66,800 (MSRP, final price will depend on where in the world you happen to live in and you local taxes, custom duties and overall greediness of all parties involved,) I would say that the Swiss-based brand would be extremely lucky to sell them out during the next couple of years or so. Sure, at some time of the future the watch will become a rarity, but I still don’t think that it will be a real hit among collectors.
Anyway, for the purposes of this review, I must admit that the price is the timekeeper’s only serious problem. Otherwise, when it comes to the finish of the mechanism, styling of the dial and overall ergonomics it is almost perfect in Panerai’s traditional repetitively-boring kind of way.
See also: Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Platino (PAM 373)
Photos: Officine Panerai
Panerai Radiomir 10 Days GMT Platinum (PAM495) specification
Price: $66,800 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, Panerai caliber P.2003, in-house, three barrels, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 25
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 240 hours (10 days)
Movement decoration: Skeletonized rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, GMT, AM/PM indicator, power reserve indicator
Case: Platinum
Shape: Cushion
Bezel shape: Round
Size: 45.00 mm
Dial: Black
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Rose gold, luminous
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Brown alligator leather strap with adjustable platinum buckle
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Transparent
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Bought my first mechanical watch in 1986 and it took me ten more years to realize that I have a problem: at some point in time watches became my passion. Well, it could be worse.