Panerai SIHH 2014: PAM 518 / 519 / 520: The Epitome of Panerai Chronographs?
amanico
When I first saw the new Radiomir 1940 Chronographs ( Ref 518: Platinum / Ref 519: Rose Gold / Ref 520: White Gold ) I immediately wondered if it could be seen as the dign heir of the holy monster Mare Nostrum, the " Madre " of all the Mares...
PAM 518:
PAM 519:
PAM 520:
The Mare Nostrum prototype:
The Mare Nostrum Pre Vendôme:
The Mare Nostrum Vendôme, PAM 300:
Well, all is in the name of this Chronograph: Radiomir 1940... It cannot be another thing than a fiction, and certainly not a Mare, for two reasons.
First, we had to wait till... 1943 to see the birth of the Mare Nostrum. So, it would be quite anachronic to call it Mare.
Then, the Mare is not a Radiomir.
THOUGH, even if this Watch has to be considered as a fiction in the Panerai History, this is a very pleasant and convincing one!
AND, there is something which, in the spirit, goes very well with the Brand from Firenze.
First, the case, one of my favourite from the Panerai collection, certainly one of the nicest. Strong, sensual ,full of charm and character.
The size is perfect for most of the wrist, with a 45 mm diameter.
A crown without its usual protector, for the purity of the design. I would have preferred a monopusher integrated in the crown, for that reason, instead of these two pushers, but this is not a detail which would refrain me about loving this Watch.
Then, a dial, and what a dial! Well, three dials, in fact.
The one I less like is the California dial of the rose gold version, because it " pushes " a bit too much the reference to the past, and " loads " a tad too much the design, while the two others are really cool, with a preference, though, for the black dial of the white gold version, a sandwich dial, in this last case.
I quite like a lot the 2533 typical style of the 518 and 520, mixing round and bar indexes!
For the reminder, the Vintage 2533, the first Radiomir ever! ( Credit picture: Auro Montanari )
The hands are the only stylistic evocation of the Mare Nostrum, by the way.
Cherry on the cake, a superb movement, the Cal OP XXV, which is, in fact, a Minerva movement, Cal 13-22, a manual wound one, nicely decorated with Cotes De Genève and anglages, which beats at the pace of 18 000 vibrations per hour, and offers a satisfactory 55 hours of power reserve, and a swan neck.
Funnily, this is the same movement we find on the Mare Nostrum PAM 300 re edited in 2010, while the original from 1943 housed an Angélus, if I remember correctly...
Minerva 13-22:
I will certainly not complain about having such a nice and great movement!
The glass is a plexy, 1, 5 mm thick, while the case back has a sapphire glass.
Don't even think about swimming with it, as its water resistance is only 50 meters, though.
Yes, I definitely love this mix up of different styles, organized in a very seductive way.
The things I less love:
- The fact that it is a limited edition, but since it houses a Minerva movement I guess that it was unavoidable.
- The Retail: At a bit more than 60 000 Euros for the platinum version, it is an expensive Watch. The market will tell if it is too expensive, or not.
Here are the few pictures I could take at the Panerai Booth, during the SIHH:
What do YOU think?
Best,
Nicolas
This message has been edited by amanico on 2014-05-05 00:02:51 This message has been edited by amanico on 2014-05-11 02:45:00
Comments:
tudorctin May 5th, 2014-02:06
It's a tough question It depends how you perceive the brand. If you consider Panerai as a tool watch why on earth would you spend such amount of money even if there is a Minerva movement inside? Why not buying the original? If you are open-minded there is a chance although in ...
amanico May 5th, 2014-02:42
I think you covered most of the plausible answers, Constantin. ;) It will all depend on the level of affection and love for the brand. This Chronograph, in these 3 different metals, is a summary of Panerai styles through years, and houses a superb movement. Will it be enough to pay it at the retail? Most certainly yes, ...
i_am_Sam May 5th, 2014-07:04
Great write up Nicolas! Thank you! I've been waiting to hear your thoughts regarding these new Panerai At first I reacted strongly against it, as I had too much expectation on Panerai, re-issuing Mare Nostrum in a more wearable size 45/47, and the fact that they mixed these hist...
Spellbound May 5th, 2014-08:59
Not to mention That these are much more expensive than the recently released Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph with the Minerva Cal 13-21. Which is the better watch? My head says the Montblanc as the movement fits better the 41mm case and I prefer the caseback ...
amanico May 5th, 2014-08:59
That is exactly what pleased me. I had the feeling to go 14 years back. The retail is another thing, indeed. But the Watch... Hmmm. Nicolas
P@trick@Belgium May 5th, 2014-08:22
like them to ... ... I prefer the rose gold and then the white gold at a short distance, but don'l like the platinum one, maybe if the dial had a cream color i'd go for it. All this is nice but certainly not at that price point !! you can buy a Lange chrono for that also ...
amanico May 5th, 2014-09:03
Thanks for your input, Patrick. Agreed on the white gold choice.
emcquillan May 5th, 2014-19:00
Love the pt version Thank you for the write up. Movement, dial, proportions, case - it has it all. I find this piece perhaps the most captivating offer from 2014. The only thing I don't like is the price, especially considering the alternatives in the same range. I'm sure it...
amanico May 5th, 2014-22:17
I think it is already sold out. But we can love without owning, cannot we? ;)
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