Haute Watch of the Week: Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Paneristi Forever

October 2 was “P-Day” for the dedicated group of Panerai timepiece enthusiasts known as the Paneristis. Every year for the past 12 years, lovers of all things Panerai meet for a day (usually stretching to a weekend) of festivities, culminating in a gala dinner. This year, 200 Paneristis came from as far away as Australia, Israel and the Philippines to the 12th annual event, held in Montreal, Canada. To mark the occasion, Panerai created a special watch in a limited edition of 500 pieces. The Radiomir 1940 3 Days bears the inscription “Paneristi Forever” on the caseback.

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The Radiomir 1940 case is a hybrid, combining elements from Panerai’s first Radiomir case, launched in 1936 as part of a test prototype for the Italian Royal Navy, with the more robust Luminor case design that launched a decade later. The 47mm case is DLC coated steel, and the black sandwich dial bears the image of a Siluro a Lenta Corsa, the human torpedo on which the commandos of the Italian Navy carried out their epic attacks with Panerai instruments on their wrists. It is water resistant to 100 meters and fitted with a natural untreated leather strap. The movement is the hand-wound mechanical Panerai caliber P.3000. The reference number is PAM 00532.

The watch is one of only two limited editions Panerai has dedicated to the Paneristi. The first (PAM 360) one was created in 2011 for the Paneristi’s 10th anniverary. The Paneristi club is independent of Panerai, but the brand did sponsor a pre-dinner cocktail party at the Montreal event. North American Panerai president Rafael Alvarez was in attendance. The Paneristi special edition was on display along with other highlights from the 2013 collection. The gala dinner on Saturday evening was held under the skyscraper atrium at the Centre de Commerce Mondial in Montreal.

The Paneristi community was formed in September 2000 by an English watch enthusiast. Over the course of the last decade, it has grown into an active and friendly community of worldwide lovers of Panerai. P-Day 13 will be held next year in Venice.

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