Panerai Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition (PAM01244)
The aptly named Panerai Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition (PAM01244) is a fascinating sailing-themed timepiece. With its teak-deck dial and tasteful inclusion of bronze details, this watch may well appeal to amateur mariners. However, the watch also comes with a sailing experience upon the brand’s own period yacht, Eilean.
Last year, Panerai, the Italian-Swiss watch brand, released the Radiomir Eilean (PAM01243). Around the time it was launched, my colleague Carl Eady reviewed the model in detail. In his article, he looks at the history of the Eilean, a period yacht of 1936.
Now the luxury marque has returned to the Eilean theme, unveiling the Panerai Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition (PAM01244). While its forebear, the PAM01243, was limited to just 449 examples, this latest creation is even more exclusive, restricted to a mere 50 pieces.
This latest model perpetuates the design language of its older sibling. Once again, the sandwich dial makes an appearance. Again, the dial surface resembles teak decking, albeit it is now suffused with a blue tint. Likewise, the divided hour hand, a detail found on historic Radiomir models, also returns.
However, the case on the PAM01244 now pairs ‘patina steel’ with bronze. This latter alloy has close ties with maritime history, making it a logical material for a sailing themed timepiece. Furthermore, the Bronzo PAM382 is probably the most iconic bronze watch ever made, granting the luxury marque a notable degree of credibility when it comes to using the patina-prone alloy.
The caseband is engraved with the name of the historic yacht which inspired the model’s creation. The caseback is enlivened with a bronze medallion emblazoned with ‘Eilean 1936’. A hand-wound movement, the P.6000 calibre, sits at the heart of the watch and, assuming it is fully wound, will run autonomously for 3 days.
Eilean was acquired by Panerai in 2006 and was then subjected to an exhaustive restoration process which took place to complete. Its period styling brims with glamour and beauty. In fact, people of a certain age may recognise the yacht from the Duran Duran video ‘Rio’ (1982).
Should you be tempted to purchase the new Panerai Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition (PAM01244), there is another remarkable treat in store. Owners of the watch will be invited to step onboard Eilean and indulge in a spot of sailing close to the Amalfi Coast. And, should you so wish, you can even emulate the Le Bon look by wearing a pastel shade suit.
The brand’s press release
With an illustrious history as an early purveyor of precision instruments to the Italian Royal Navy that are inextricably wedded to the sea and underwater exploration, it is no surprise that Panerai has a penchant for vessels with a historic legacy. The classic yacht Eilean, a masterpiece designed and constructed by renowned boat builder William Fife and restored by Panerai to its original grandeur, is among them. It was built in 1936, just before Panerai introduced a prototype of one of its most fabled creations: the Radiomir case, the first-ever developed by the Florentine watchmaker.
The Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition (PAM01244) celebrates two legends of the sea, Panerai and the Eilean, with a limited-edition watch available in only 50 pieces. Its purchase includes a Mediterranean journey that is a tribute to the Italian design lineage and maritime legacy that is fundamental to the Panerai universe.
The Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition merges Panerai aesthetic and technical codes with details inspired by (or taken directly from) the Eilean. Measuring 45mm, the bi-material case in patina steel and bronze is a direct descendent of the original Radiomir of the 1930s; a thinner profile is one of the features that distinguishes the contemporary version from its ancestor.
The bronze found on the bezel, crown and caseback are remnants of repurposed metal salvaged from the Eilean during its restoration. With time, each bronze element will develop unique patination that will be wholly dependent on the conditions it faces; each watch will pay tribute to the continuing legacy of Eilean even as they begin new journeys of their own.
Enclosed by a sapphire crystal that preserves the distinctive surface the vintage bronze develops without inhibiting its evolution, the caseback is emblazoned “Eilean 1936.”
The role of the Eilean as muse extends to the blue dial with the iconic Panerai sandwich structure; its textured surface resembles the boat’s teak deck. Engraved along the side of the case is the same dragon emblem visible on the bow of Eilean, while the whipstitching along the soft leather strap mimics nautical knots.
A brand of the Eilean logo appears on the strap at 6 o’clock.
Traces of Panerai design history are apparent in subtle details, like the divided hour hand, which resembles those found on the earliest Radiomir models. Though the luminous material found in the dial is now Super-LumiNova™️ instead of the original Radiomir compound patented by Panerai, the numerals and indexes are a beige colour that glows green, as was the case almost a century ago.
Further reading