Panerai Radiomir Venti 45mm PAM02020 Watch Review
The Panerai Radiomir Venti 45mm PAM02020 is a limited-edition watch, created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paneristi.com. This online community sates the needs of self-respecting horophiles who have a love for all things Panerai. Moreover, this latest creation is achingly beautiful with its brown dial and period details.
Paneristi
There are certain watch brands or particular timepieces which seem to attract obsessive collectors. This phenomenon transcends merely liking a product, it causes grown men and women to worship models with an almost religious zeal. These obsessive horophiles often possess an encyclopedic knowledge of reference numbers, production dates, minuscule dial and case details as well as a brand’s history.
Obsessives gravitate to certain models or brands, including Rolex sports models, Omega Speedmasters, various Patek references and, of course, Panerai watches. In the esoteric world of watch collecting, the term ‘Paneristi’ has gained widespread awareness. These individuals comprise a group of brand obsessives willing to walk barefoot on broken glass if it meant they could procure that must-have PAM reference.
The term ‘Paneristi’ can be traced to a website established 20 years ago, paneristi.com. It is a forum, an unofficial source of information and a platform for buying and selling the brand’s products. Over the years, the web community has attracted legions of like-minded individuals from all over the world, all sharing a fondness for Panerai.
Panerai Radiomir Venti 45mm PAM02020 – marking 20 years of paneristi.com
Now the luxury watch brand has recognised the loyalty of the Paneristi by creating a limited edition model endowed with a brown satinée soleil dial, a 45 mm stainless steel case with wire lugs and a highly desirable OP branded crown.
With only 1080 examples, ‘non-obsessives’ will have to use their elbows to fight off the clamouring hordes of Paneristi as they are a determined bunch.
Panerai Radiomir Venti 45mm PAM02020 – the brand’s press release (October 2020)
The joint project was conceived and executed to recognize a powerful emotional bond. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the authoritative web community Paneristi.com, a recognized point of reference for collectors and enthusiasts the world over, Panerai will release a special edition reference, Radiomir Venti – 45 mm (PAM02020), made in a limited edition of only 1020 pieces.
The new Radiomir Venti – 45 mm is the result of an intense creative process involving close collaboration between the Laboratorio di Idee, Panerai’s technical and creative team, and the Paneristi. Both timepiece and tribute, it celebrates a group of loyal connoisseurs and admirers whose engraved insignia the watch bears on both its dial and caseback.
The model reinterprets with a contemporary sensibility the expressive vocabulary of the first Radiomir, which dates to the second half of the 1930s and is a quintessential Italian design that retains its appeal after almost a century. Elements of the revamped model include beige Super-LumiNovaTM and a brown dial with a finish that simulates the effects of time on original specimens that have survived to this day.
Devised to evoke the glorious past of the brand, the Radiomir Venti – 45 mm also stands out for the use of sword-shaped gold colour hands, a typical element of the original models. Additionally, the presence of AISI 316L steel finished with a matte, almost weathered patina on the bezel and case and “VENTI” engraving between the lugs at 6 o’clock pay further tribute to the Paneristi.com community.
The Radiomir Venti – 45 mm conforms to the mechanical specifications of models dating back to the dawn of the brand. It features a manually-wound mechanical movement, entirely conceived, designed and developed by the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel. Resilient and stable thanks to the presence of a bridge with dual supports, Caliber P.6000 is equipped with a device that stops the balance wheel when the crown is pulled out and features a three-day power reserve provided by a single barrel.
Water resistant up to 10 bar (about 100 meters), the new Radiomir Venti – 45 mm is accompanied by a beige strap in calfskin suede with tone-on-tone stitching and a hot-stamped “OP” logo. In vintage style, it features a trapezoidal pin buckle in steel with an aged patina effect.