News
Introducing the Panerai Platinumtech Luminor Marina (PAM01116) – 70-Piece Limited Edition
The watch was made to bear the silhouette of the historical ref. 3464, featuring an unabashed, clean sandwich dial, pencil hour and minute hands, the Radiomir case, onion crown, welded lugs. But, as opposed to the historical 3646, the PAM 21 had a display caseback. Also, as opposed to the historical 3646 in steel, the PAM 21 was in PT950, platinum.
Watch forums from the era record that the 60-piece limited edition PAM 21 was sold out within the matter of two weeks. Quite the feat when you consider that this was pre-Y2K, while the Internet was still only accessible by means of a 56-kbps dial-up modem (cue modem dial tone; cue angry screaming household member who was on the landline; cue 90s kids’ nostalgia).
Over the course of decades past, some Panerai collectors have raised questions about the truth of the nature of the Rolex 618 movements used for the PAM 21. You can read about these, here. None-the-less the halo effect of the PAM 21 and a utilitarian Radiomir case in platinum is one that will endure multiple lifetimes.
At long last, we come to the subject matter of this article, the fresh-out-of-the-oven, Panerai PlatinumtechTM Luminor Marina (PAM01116), limited edition of 70 pieces. Getting right into it, the watch’s 44mm is formed in PlatinumtechTM, which in Panerai’s own words is, “an alloy reformulated and perfected by the Panerai Laboratorio di Idee, it is harder than conventional platinum with enhanced physical properties.” Suggesting that the material, in essence, is hardened platinum, which results in it being — again, according to Panerai — “more difficult to work [with] and polish.”
Moving on then with the dial of the watch, we see an uncommon combination of colors. The dial of the watch is in olive green, finished with satiné soleil decoration. The sandwich dial’s Arabic numerals and hour markers are filled with beige Super-LumiNovaTM, which glow green in the dark. Perhaps it’s the blue hour, minute and running seconds hands that really seem to stand out against the olive green satiné soleil dial that makes the aesthetics of the watch unique unto itself.
Movement
Mechanical automatic, Caliber P.9010; 6mm thick; hours, minutes, small seconds, date; GlucydurTM balance wheel, IncablocTM shockproof device; two barrels with 72-hour power reserve
Case
44mm polished Platinumtech case; 13.4mm thickness; polished Platinumtech bezel; Safety Lock crown protection device, lever and crown in brushed Platinumtech; twelve-sided screwed caseback in brushed Platinumtech, sapphire crystal display caseback with the “70 Years Warranty” logo applied by a metallization process; water-resistant to 50m
Strap
Alligator leather in dark brown with ecru stitching, with brushed Platinumtech trapezoidal pin buckle; additional strap selected at the request of the customer at the time of purchase in the boutique
Price & Limitation
USD 36,900; 70-piece limited edition
More information: panerai.com
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