Nearly all modern Panerai watches are based upon one of the brand’s two historic designs (the Radiomir and the Luminor), although some models are more vintage-inspired than others. As its latest release of 2023, Panerai has dipped into its archives and created a limited-edition timepiece that pays tribute to the first Radiomir prototype from 1935. While the new Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is constructed using modern materials and manufacturing techniques, its appearance is inspired by an archival receipt dated October 24th, 1935 that represents the birth of the first Radiomir, and the new model makes its appearance as an e-commerce exclusive offering with a limited-edition production of 300 pieces.

Crafted from polished stainless steel and measuring 45mm in diameter, the case of the new Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 appears in the collection’s signature cushion-shaped form with a thin fixed bezel and wire-style lugs attached to either side of its case. As you will find elsewhere within the current-production collection, a sapphire crystal sits above the dial, a solid screw-down caseback is fitted to the reverse side of the watch, and on the side of the case at the 3 o’clock location is a cone-shaped winding crown that is signed with the brand’s “OP” logo, and it screws down to the middle case to help create 100 meters of water resistance.

The dial of the Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 appears in a light brown/taupe color, and it features a sandwich-style construction with beige Super-LumiNova showing through the cutouts for the hour markers. A small running seconds register sits at the 9 o’clock position, while Panerai’s characteristic oversized Arabic numeral hour markers occupy the remaining three cardinal points, and the only text on the dial (aside from the small Swiss Made signature at the 6 o’clock location) are the words “Radiomir Panerai” that are printed below the 12 o’clock marker. Sitting in the center of the dial is a pair of hands for the hours and minutes, with the luminous section for the hour hand appearing in a segmented format that has become one of the defining traits of the Radiomir that can trace its origins back to the original prototypes from the 1930s.

Powering the new Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is the Caliber P.6000 manual-wind movement, which is one of the brand’s standard entry-level offerings that consists of 110 components and runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with three-day power reserve. While the Panerai Cal. P.6000 isn’t especially decorated, it is hidden behind a solid stainless steel caseback on the new Radiomir Officine PAM01385, and the Cal. P.6000 is also the movement that the brand trusts to power nearly all of the other standard time-only models in both its Radiomir and Luminor collections.

Fitted to the wire-style lugs of the new limited-edition Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is a brown calf-leather strap with beige contrast stitching that complements the largely brown and tan colorway of the dial. The strap itself tapers from 27mm at the case down to 22mm on the lower side of the wrist, and like Panerai’s other two-piece straps, the brown leather strap that comes with the new Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is completed with a trapezoid-shaped tang buckle made from polished stainless steel. Additionally, since the new PAM01385 uses the same wire-style lugs as other models from the full-size Radiomir lineup, it is compatible with the wide variety of other straps that the brand produces for the collection.

Panerai is hardly a stranger to limited editions, although rather than being positioned as a premium offering within the brand’s catalog, the e-commerce exclusive Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385 is one of the brand’s entry-level offerings with an official retail price of $5,400 USD. The only Panerai Radiomir currently less expensive is the brand’s base-level model, which features nothing more than two hands for the hours and minutes, and even lacks a running seconds indicator. While the heavily vintage-inspired aesthetic of the new Radiomir Officine PAM01385 may not necessarily be to everyone’s personal preferences, it is still highly encouraging to see Panerai creating interesting limited-edition models that exist firmly on the affordable side of its catalog. For more information about the Panerai Radiomir Officine PAM01385, please visit the brand’s website.