Panerai 1000m Submersible, Marina & Radiomir
INTRODUCTION
I’ve been collecting watches for over ten years, a regular on www.TimeZone.com for a little over three and a Panerai fan for more then two. When I mentioned to Glen that a Panerai watch would make for a great first review, little did I know I’d have to review three of them! I was told, that I’d be receiving the NEW Luminor Submersible 1000m, a 40mm Marina on bracelet and a 40mm white gold Radiomir. The last one being the one I was anticipating the most, after seeing it for he first time on www.orologi.it almost 6 months ago, I was looking very forward to being able to try it on. The Marina, with its intricate bracelet, was another on at the top of my list of “must have” watches. The Radiomir was a very nice classic watch, somewhat of an unusual case design, but a very beautiful watch nonetheless. This is how I entered PANERAI HEAVEN!
The UPS guy arrived at my office carrying a huge box; I signed for the release and carried it over to my desk. Many of my coworkers are used to seeing boxes arrive for me, always containing a watch or two, but this box was much bigger! After waiting very patiently, I brought it home in order to be able to open it at my leisure; the size alone of this box would have caused quite a ruckus in the office. Once opened, I had the pleasure of examining these treasures up close and to my surprise the Radiomir is now my favorite! I’d like to share with you my findings and how this exquisite watch won me over.
IS THAT AN ALARM CLOCK ON YOUR WRIST?
The Submersible is not a small watch by any means, with a diameter of 44mm, 54mm from lug to lug and a whopping 19mm thick compared to its smaller brother the Marina, it’s a monster! It is water resistant to 1000m, the case all mat finish stainless steel with polished accents on the rotating bezel, it also features the patented Panerai crown lever mechanism, an ingenious feature which keeps the crown pressed down to ensure maximum water resistance. There’s also an integrated helium release valve at nine o’clock, permitting dangerous gases to be discharged upon ascent after saturation diving. The case back is screwed down and it looks like a special 12-sided key is needed to open it. It is nicely engraved with brand name, model name, serial number and limited edition status. The smaller Marina is no slouch in the size department either, with a diameter of 40mm, 48mm from lug to lug and a hefty 16mm thick, it is still a large watch despite being the smaller version. This one is water resistant to only 300m (keeping in mind that a human in a wet suit can only withstand 145 feet of pressure) and its case is also mat finish with a highly polished bezel and crown lever mechanism. The case back is similar to the submersible and also has all the proper engravings. The Radiomir is also 40mm in diameter, 46mm from lug to lug and a slim 12mm thick making this the most comfortable to wear of the three. The Radiomir’s cushion shaped case is water-resistant to 100m; it’s made of solid 18K white gold and polished to high luster. Its wire lugs give it a very vintage look; the signed crown sticks out a whole 5mm and is screw-down. The screw down case back is fitted with a sapphire display widow, which exhibits the beautifully finished Zenith Elite movement. At each corner there are tiny screws, which when unscrewed allowing the owner to dismantle the lugs in order to replace the strap; quite ingenious actually.
THAT DIAL LOOKS CRYSTAL CLEAR!
The domed 5mm thick sapphire crystal of the Submersible is fitted with a reverse cyclops lens at three o’clock, this helps magnify the date and unlike Rolex it does not protrude from the crystal and therefor cannot get dinged on doorways or walls. The crystal is also coated on the inside for reflections, in has been my experience that a coating on the outside is more trouble then it’s worth, even though it eliminates almost all reflection, it gets scratched easily and most collectors eventually get rid of it. Because of the immense size of the case, you must be straight on in front of the watch in order to read the date correctly, kudos to Panerai for having the date white on black to keep in sync with the dial, well done! The dial is rather small only 30mm in diameter, the bezel seems to take up most of the space, but its clean lines make it extremely legible in all conditions. The tritium coated Arabic numerals are placed right on the dial, a strange contrast to the baton markers who are also tritium coated; yet applied to the dial. The skeleton style hands are tritium coated as well and are long enough to accurately adjust to the hash marks (I’m one of those anal types who likes it when the minute hand is exactly on the mark at 60 seconds). One of the things I really like about this dial layout is the seconds at nine o’clock. In my opinion, this truly helps balance the dial and gives it that Panerai look. The second hand is also tritium and fun to watch in the dark, the coating last all night and is evenly distributed. The unidirectional bezel has a tritium dot at 12 o’clock and is easily turned with or without gloves and it turns in one second increments, this being a professional dive watch, I believe it should have been a little bit tighter, but it is acceptable. The five-minute markers are raised and polished, giving it some nice accents, though I doubt they are big enough to be efficient underwater.
The Marina shares many of the great characteristics of its BIG brother, the Submersible, its domed crystal is not quite as thick, but also displays an inverted cyclops lens at three and is coated on the inside for reflections. The slim polished stainless steel bezel combined with the baton hands make this dial look a lot larger then it is, measuring 32mm in diameter. The date is black on white and since this watch is 3mm thinner then the Submersible, it’s much easier to read at different angles. The hour and minute hands are sufficiently long enough for my taste and because they’re thinner then the Sub’s skeleton hands, they don’t hide the sub-dial at nine from view when passing by. The Arabic numerals and hands are painted black with lumibrite coating on the hands and dots above the numerals. Unlike the Submersible, the Marina, as well as the Radiomir, choose to use this new high-tech substance, which glows brighter, but does not last as long. This black on white combination, makes for an extremely legible watch, at a glance you can tell the time and this makes for a nice change from the usual black faced watches we see so much of.
The sapphire crystal on the Radiomir is much less domed and does not appear to have any anti-reflective coating, which makes this one the easiest to read at all angles. Even though it has the smallest case, this watch has the largest dial of the three, measuring 33mm in diameter; this is due to the extremely slim polished white gold bezel. The date is discretely placed at 4:30; this one is also white on black making it less of an eye sore then it could have been if it were black on white, why so many other companies cannot get this right is beyond me. The sub second is also situated at nine o’clock, but is reduced in size; this is probably due to the fact that this watch does not make use of the same movement. The dial is beautiful jet black, the hands are also batons shaped just like the Marina, but they’re silver instead of black, same goes for the hour markers. The luminescent coating is lumbrite and glows like there’s no tomorrow, but does not last through the night. One of the things I like best about the Radiomir is that there’s absolutely no useless information on the dial, it is as clean as can be.
WHAT MAKES ‘EM TICK?
The Submersible and the Marina both use the same movement; it’s based of off the tried & tested Valjoux 7750. I’m a firm believer that a large watch should use a large caliber and in modern watch movements, they don’t get much bigger then this! Here are the basic specs for the 7750:
Diameter: 30.00mm (13 1/4''')
Thickness: 7.90mm.
Jewels: 25.
Frequency: 28,800 alternations/hour.
Rotor: Central rotor on ball bearings.Power-reserve: 44hours
Winding: Automatic, in both directions
Panerai goes through a lot of trouble to disengage the chronograph function on this movement and finishes it up with beautiful engraving. Both of these test watches are running very accurately, unfortunately, I will not have enough time to give it more testing.
Unlike its mammoth brothers, the Radiomir uses a more elegant movement, the award winning Zenith Elite. Here are the general specs for the Elite:
Diameter: 25.60 mm (11 1/2''')
Thickness: 3.28mm
Frequency: 28,800 alternations/hour.
Jewels: 26 (with small second) or 27 jewels (with center second).
Rotor: Central rotor on ball bearings.Power reserve: more than 50 hours.
Winding: Automatic, in both directionsThis movement is very nicely finished, with circular graining and gorgeous “Panerai” engraving; it can be admired through the sapphire see-through back. Unfortunately, like the other two watches, I did not get a chance to really test it, but it has been running very admirably so far.
HOW D’YOU KEEP ‘EM TIED DOWN?
The rubber strap on the Submersible is much more supple then it appears; at a whopping 24mm at the lug width it tapers down to a still very large 22mm at the buckle. The buckle is mat finish stainless steel and is signed “Panerai”. Because this watch so head heavy, you must wear it strapped snug, wearing it loose can get uncomfortable really fast. A Velcro nylon strap is also provided as well as the tool needed to make the change, I didn’t take the opportunity to try it on, but the yellow and black combination will look really good around this enormous watch. The bracelet on the Marina is superbly finished, very flexible and can easily be adjusted via screws; mine even has a half link for micro-adjustment. It’s surprisingly comfortable and the awesome heft helps balance the weight of the watch evenly. Unfortunately I had a little trouble with the hidden butterfly clasp; I found it little small and that the lack of a push-button release was a disappointing. I’ve never been one to admire leather straps; most of my watches are on stainless steel bracelet, but the light brown alligator strap on the Radiomir is simply incredible! It is thickly padded, yet supple enough to form comfortably around my wrist. The tang buckle is made of polished white gold and signed on the tang “Panerai”. To tell you the truth, I would have preferred a deployant clasp, but the fit and finish is so outstanding that I can accept the regular tang.
NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, BUT IN THIS CASE…
The Marina and Radiomir both came in identical presentation cases, heavy hardwood boxes with hinges, beautiful velvet interior and nice oval velvet pillow. The Submersible 1000m comes in a much larger version of the same box, which can even be locked. All three boxes have a compartment underneath which hold the instructions and warranty information. The Sub also comes with 2 certificates, a Velcro strap, a changing tool and a nifty wallet, which contains the manual and warranty info. Very impressive!
SO WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Overall, I have to say that the Submersible is as impressive as I expected! It is literally larger then life, I’ve spent many an evening staring at it, never thought I’d get this close. This is not a watch for everyday wear, it will not fit underneath a shirt cuff, its purpose is strictly casual and it does not try to hide that fact. Some may find it too big, but after wearing it for a while, everything else just seems too small… The Marina is a superbly finished watch. For those worried about 44mm being to large, but you still want a Panerai, this is the perfect compromise; at 40mm it’s still a large watch by any standards and of the three it’s the one my wife likes the best. What can I say; the Radiomir has taken my breath away! I wasn’t expecting anything when I received it, to tell you the truth, I didn’t know much about it and now I want one. The finish, craftsmanship and attention to detail rival many watches in its price point and if you’re looking for a interesting watch with an impressive history, the Radiomir just might be what you’re looking for!
I’d like to thank Glen Bowen & InSync for this opportunity, www.TimeZone.com for everything that I’ve learnt over the years and www.paneristi.com a new site dedicated to Panerai watches. Its run by Guy Verbist, a good friend and just like Ferrari enthusiasts are called Ferraristi, Panerai enthusiast are called Paneristi. I look forward to the next review, until then it’s Time2watch!
Thank you for reading,
Marc
