Panerai Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days PAM425 47mm
Ref: PAM00425

Specification

Points of Mention

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" meaning it comes with no original Panerai box or original Panerai paperwork. The watch comes paired on an aftermarket 24mm leather strap with its original Panerai signed buckle. The watch is from Circa. 2015/16 and has had the case professionally refinished to a nice polish again. The sapphire crystal does have some marks at 3 o'clock as photographed. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof warranty.

The Watch

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 were perfect for the 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 the 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. This watch was a milestone for Panerai as well as Radiomir since it was the first time Rolex had allowed another company to use their watches—not only the case but the movement and sandwich SLC dial “Siluro a Lento Corsa” (when translated means slow-moving torpedo). It was in fact a  two-man underwater assault vehicle developed by the Italian Royal Navy, that was typically launched from a submarine. During 1997 Officine Panerai was acquired by the Richemont Group, thus becoming a major player in the high-end watch market. In 2002 they opened a production facility in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. 

The PAM425 was released around 2013 and emphasizes the strong historical connection between Rolex and Panerai.  Our Panerai Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days PAM425 47mm has the distinctive 316L stainless steel cushion case in high polish, the fixed screw-in lugs make strap changing a breeze. A polished beveled bezel holds the double dome sapphire crystal. Its sandwich dial is made up of a tinted lume lower plate and a black (factory aged brown) upper plate. The baton and dot hour markers are cut out allowing the tinted lume to show through, giving it an authentic vintage look. At 12 o'clock the text Radiomir Panerai is cut out showing through the tinted lume. The gold fence hands are infilled with the same lume. At 6 o'clock features a silhouette of the Panerai Blackseal icon in bas-relief. An open case-back allows us to see in full glory the inhouse Panerai Hand Wound Cal. P3000, 21 Jewels, 21,600 beats per hour, 3 Day power reserve, Glucydur® balance, Incabloc anti-shock, and made up of only 161 components. Fitted on a thick 24mm leather strap with a Panerai signed buckle.

Personal Note

If you have the wrist to support it, this is a seriously cool watch and looks INCREDIBLE! I have a 6 3/4inch and I believe if you have a 7inch wrist you can actually wear this watch, sounds crazy as it is a 47mm watch right? But the fact it is a cushion case and also features essentially no lugs, it is all case so it wears wide by short! Tons of history in this watch and this feels as true to the original as it should be, with some modern advantages like the movement!