Panerai Radiomir Quaranta

Quick specs Panerai Radiomir Quaranta
Price: Steel versions: € 6.100 | CHF 5’900 | $ 6,000 | £ 5,200 / Gold versions: € 18.500 | CHF 17’600 | $ 18,200 | £ 15,700
Size: 40 mm
Reference: Steel: PAM01292 (white dial) | PAM01293 (blue dial) | PAM01294 (black dial) | PAM01386 (green dial) / Gold: PAM01026 (white dial, goldtech) | PAM01437 (green dial, yellow gold)

A Radiomir in 40 millimeters, it’s the Panerai Radiomir Quaranta, which is available with three different cases. A stainless steel model, a yellow gold model and a goldtech model. Which is Panerai speak for gold mixed with a touch of platinum and copper to create a deeper red gold effect. O, and ‘quaranta’ is Italian for forty, the case size.

The name Radiomir comes from a radium-based substance that lights up in the dark and was already patented by founder Guido Panerai in 1916. In 1935 a prototype of the Radiomir was released as a diver for the Italian navy. In 1940 the first Panerai Radiomir was released with reference 3646, a 47-millimeter diver used by the Italian navy while fighting with the nazi’s in World War II.

The Panerai Radiomir Quaranta has a Panerai caliber, the first ones had one from Rolex

The specs where secret until the early 1970s, and even when Panerai went into the commercial watch market in 1992 there was no Radiomir for the public. Only in 1997 the first Radiomir for the public was presented. A 47-millimeter platinum one with reference PAM21, and limited to 60 pieces. A modern version is still for sale at Panerai (the PAM00021), also limited to 60 pieces. It is a diver, for sure, cushion shaped, with luminescent hands and markers, just like the first model. Which has a Cortebert/Rolex 618 caliber inside, by the way.

Today’s caliber is the automatic P.900 with a power reserve of 72 hours. You can see it through the transparent case back if you have a gold version. The steel ones have a solid steel case back.

To make it a bit more complicated: the steel versions have four dial options. You can have it in either white, blue, black or green. The latter is limited to 500 pieces. The yellow gold version also comes with a green dial (only) and is also limited to 500 pieces. Is green more rare? The red gold version, goldtech, is not limited and only comes with a white dial. Take a look at the photos, each model is shown, no other options are possible. Yet. And each model gets a matching alligator strap.