Whether it is the fruit of the ingenuity of a maestro or whether it is born almost spontaneously from the function for which it is intended, a design classic is immediately recognisable for the strength and the naturalness with which it imposes itself on the collective imagination.

Officine Panerai’s Radiomir 1940 has the authority of a classic of modernity. Its simple, quintessential form tells the story of the years in which it was designed while maintaining its unchanging up-to-date character. Its design stands out for its functional rigour and the simplicity of its lines, free of decorative excess: features which in 1940 were related to a new way of life and a world of evolving values which in the following years would lead to the international recognition of Italian industrial design.

Created to satisfy the demanding requirements of the specialist underwater forces of the Royal Italian Navy, the Radiomir 1940 today still has the characteristics of solidity, endurance and reliability that are the hallmarks of a timekeeping instrument designed for military use. The design of the case and dial have the same overall quality and the identical iconic power as the original, demonstrating the great versatility of a classic which is today enriched with the highest technical content of luxury contemporary watchmaking from the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel.

RADIOMIR 1940 TOURBILLON GMT ORO ROSSO – 48mm

Tourbillon regulator, second time zone and a power reserve of six days: Officine Panerai presents an exclusive Special Edition in red gold for enthusiasts who are looking for a high level of technical content combined with the pure design and historic fascination of the Radiomir 1940 case.

Officine Panerai is the interpreter par excellence of an extraordinary union: that of Italian design and Swiss watchmaking expertise. The creativity, elegance and functionality of the Italian design find an exceptional consummation in the craftsmanship and skill of Swiss watchmaking in the Panerai manufacture at Neuchâtel, giving life to extraordinary, unique objects such as the Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso – 48mm, an exclusive Special Edition of just thirty units in red gold, destined for devotees of luxury sports watchmaking.

The Tourbillon regulator is one of the most sophisticated complications of high quality watchmaking, invented almost two centuries ago to eliminate changes of rate in pocket watches caused by the effect of gravity. In a traditional Tourbillon the balance-escapement assembly rotates continuously on its own axis to compensate for these errors of rate. In the Panerai P.2005 calibre, on the other hand, the cage which contains the balance and escapement rotates on an axis which is perpendicular to that of the balance instead of parallel to it, and a rotation is completed in thirty seconds, that is, at twice the speed of the traditional one. Thanks to these two simple but revolutionary innovations, the Panerai Tourbillon compensates better for inaccuracies, thus ensuring that the watch runs more evenly. Its fascinating rotation can be admired through the sapphire window set in the back and it is also indicated on the dial by a small indicator rotating within the small seconds dial.

As well as the Tourbillon regulator, the P.2005 calibre of the new Radiomir 1940 also has the GMT 24H function, which indicates the time in a second time zone by a special central hand, with am/pm indication on the auxiliary dial at three o’clock. The local time can be quickly adjusted by the system which enables the hour hand to be moved in jumps of one hour at a time, without interfering with the minute hand or the running of the watch. With three spring barrels connected in series, the power reserve of this hand-wound movement is a good six days, and the power reserve remaining is indicated on the back.

The Radiomir 1940 case with a diameter of 48 mm is made entirely of 5Npt red gold, a special alloy with a high percentage of copper which gives the gold a warm, elegant tone, and a percentage of platinum which helps to prevent oxidation. The lugs are milled from the block of the case and the wide polished bezel frames a sapphire glass crystal which protects the brown dial with satiné soleil finish; its design is of exemplary simplicity in spite of the richness of the indications. The legibility and clarity of the dial are also enhanced by its sandwich structure: the Super-LumiNova® which makes it visible at night is applied between two discs and its luminescence emerges through holes in the upper one corresponding to the hour markers.

The Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso – 48mm (PAM00558) is water-resistant to five bar (around fifty metres). It is supplied with a brown alligator strap, closed by an adjustable red gold buckle, personalised Panerai.