Panerai is known for its military watches, with its two lines made exclusively for the armed forces: Radiomir and Luminor. But over the past few years, it has been steadily adding functionality to both, with new complications, a flashier design ethos and more wrist-friendly sizes.
While the original Panerai watches were purely functional (hence the large dials and digits, to be easily read underwater, in a crisis, etc.), its latest are increasingly design and complication lead. For an example, look no further than the all-new Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT.
The timepiece boasts dual time zones, a tourbillon, a decimal repeater, and several functions never before seen on a Panerai. The in-house movement is the same calibre P.2005 that was introduced in 2007, but boasts some unusual features that keep it bang up to date.
While most tourbillons rotate in the same plane as the movement plate, the P.2005 rotates at right-angles. This is to minimize the amount of time the balance wheel spends in any position where its variation rate (which can affect accuracy) would be most extreme.
The most unusual aspect of this timepiece, however, is the chiming system. It is a decimal repeater, which sounds the hours and then the minutes in 10-minute intervals past the hour, and then the number of minutes after that. A conventional repeater chimes the hours, then the quarters past the hour and then the minutes (up to 14).
Panerai Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT has dual-time zone function, meaning it can show the times of two locations on the watch face.
Rather more interestingly, it can also chime either of those times, as well. How does it work? Panerai isn’t letting anyone know for the minute, keeping the secret behind this innovative minute-repeater.
Panerai intends to produce the Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT in a wide range of customization options. Customers will be able to select their case metal (it’s not limited to red gold, as seen here) as well as strap.
Of course, it’s a very expensive watch. Base price will be around US$395,000 – but that price will vary according to which option a client chooses.
