2012 Panerai Radiomir Black Seal Ceramic 45mm PAM00292

Here we have a stealthy 2012 Panerai Radiomir Black Seal Ceramic PAM00292. In the 1930s and 1940s, Panerai produced watches and equipment for the Italian Navy, specifically for a specialised group of divers known as the 'Gruppo Gamma', also referred to as Black Seal frogmen. These skilled divers carried out secret underwater missions, often at night, to perform crucial tasks for their country. Featuring a 45mm black Ceramic cushion case that comfortably sits on your wrist, complete with wire lugs for that vintage aesthetic. Panerai employs a synthetic ceramic made from Zirconium Oxide powder, known for its durability and matte finish. This material undergoes a precise crafting process that results in excellent scratch resistance and the ability to withstand corrosive agents and high temperatures. Its curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 49mm, and a case thickness of 13mm gives the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side, there is a signed screw-down crown. A bevelled matte Ceramic bezel holds the domed sapphire crystal above the sandwich dial, composed of a Luminova lower plate and a matte black upper plate. The stencil Arabic numerals and baton hour markers allow the Luminova to show through. The black PVD-coated hands are filled with the same Luminova. At 9 o’clock, a stencil subdial with a white lume-filled hand. At 12 o'clock, the text Radiomir Black Seal and at 6 o’clock Panerai complete this stealthy military-infused timepiece. On the reverse, a black PVD-coated stainless steel screwed-down case back engraved with the details of the watch around its edge and Black Seal Ceramic in the centre, inside a manually wound Panerai Cal. OP XI, 17 jewels, beating at 21,600 beats per hour, based on the ETA/Unitas 6497/2, Panerai has used this movement in various models since 2002. It comes paired with its 26mm Panerai NATO strap, featuring hardware, and the watch is accompanied by its Panerai presentation box and paperwork, including 2023 Panerai Service paperwork.

This watch is sold with its Panerai box and paperwork, including 2023 Panerai Service paperwork. It comes paired with its original worn Panerai 26mm black NATO strap secured with black hardware. The watch is from July 2012 and is sold in worn condition, but overall, it is in fair condition, with wear to the stainless steel case back. During the 2023 Panerai Service, the following were replaced: barrel, hands, and middle case, as you can see per the paperwork. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.

Whilst 45mm is certainly no small watch, I am always blown away by how well Panerai Radiomirs wear on the wrist, even at these sizes, thanks to the lack of lugs and the cushion case. This PAM00292 only makes that better with its black ceramic case and black dial, paired with a comfortable velcro black strap, that's a lot of stealth on such a large watch, and it works. I would not hesitate to book an appointment to try this one on for yourself, but be warned, it's damn good!

Reference : PAM00292
Movement : Manually Wound Panerai Cal. OP XI
Age : July 2012
Year : 2012
Case Size : 45mm
Case Thickness : 13mm
Lug to Lug : 49mm
Lugs : 26mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Black Ceramic
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

In 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened his watchmaker's shop in Florence. It wasn't only a shop and workshop but also served as the city's first watchmaking school, Officine Panerai's was born. The shop later moved to its current location in the Palazzo Arcivescovile in Piazza San Giovanni, Italy, changing its name to "Orologeria Svizzera" at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1916, stemming from Marie and Pierre Curie’s 1898 discovery, to meet the military needs of the Royal Italian Navy, Officine Panerai created Radiomir, a radium-based powder that gives luminosity to the dials of sighting instruments. Reference to the name "Radiomir" is documented in the patent filed in France on 23 March 1916. The substance's properties are perfect for military applications, with high visibility and the paint's excellent underwater adhesive qualities. In 1936, Panerai created the first prototypes of the model now known as "Radiomir" for the frogman commandos of the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy. The Navy's historical archives record that just ten prototypes were produced in 1936. It was during this time that a very unusual relationship between Rolex and Panerai was forged with the production of Ref: 2533. The design comes from a 47mm Rolex Oyster pocket watch. That was turned on its side so that the crown would be now located at 3 o’clock. In 1949, Panerai introduced a new luminescent substance called Luminor that was not only safer than radium-based Radiomir but also much more luminous. In 1955, Panerai launched the Luminor, a watch created for the Royal Italian Navy with its characteristic crown guard, designed in the 1950s, invented by brother and sister Giuseppe and Maria Giuseppe Panerai. It wasn’t until 1993 that Panerai finally released the Luminor and Luminor Marina to the public. Today, Officine Panerai is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Richemont S.A. Group that includes Cartier, IWC, Montblanc, and Vacheron Constantin.