Panerai Radiomir 1940 Oro Rosso PAM 513 Luxury Watch Review

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Panerai understands that the bulkier Radiomir 1940 case isn't suitable for every wrist; the Panerai Radiomir 1940 PAM 513 is Firenze's solution for those desiring a more discreet "1940."

With its 42mm 18-karat rose gold case, the Panerai Radiomir 1940 PAM 513 is the rare Panerai that can rub shoulders with blue-blood dress references from the haughtiest of Swiss maisons. Thin (11.5mm thick), elegant (chocolate and rose gold), and spare (three-hand time, no date), the PAM 513 is the James Bond of Panerai: an ex-Navy man who cleans up with impressive panache.

Every Panerai Radiomir has roots in the military heritage of the brand, and the PAM 513 is no exception.

But this Radiomir 1940 references its "mil-spec" history with refinement and discretion. The "dirty dial" simulated patina of the dial features is a nod to the desirable ecru fade of weathered vintage Panerai divers, but it plays as a subdued and deft addition to the basic color palette of the PAM 513.

While the Radiomir 1940 case represents Panerai's engineering link between the wire-lug 1930s models and the tank-like 1950s 6152 (today's Panerai Luminor case), the bold milled lugs of the standard Radiomir 1940 do not suit every wrist. Panerai's solution with the PAM 513 has been to pare the case dimensions to a more reasonable 42mm. It still wears large and rivals any contemporary 40mm Rolex Submariner for wrist stance, but the milled lugs lose the overbearing qualities of the conventional 47mm Panerai Radiomir 1940.

Inside the slim case, Panerai employs a suitably slim in-house movement. The caliber 999 is, at 3.4mm thick, Panerai's slimmest movement of all-time, and its beauty is evident in its simplicity. If ever there was a movement whose elemental mechanics served as a free tutorial in watchmaking 101, the Panerai cal. 999 is that movement. The manual-wind 999's flow of power from stem to mainspring barrel to drivetrain to escapement is unobscured by winding rotors, accessory bridges, or fatuous complications.

This is traditional watch movement architecture at its best, and it is this elegant simplicity that fully warrants the 999's glorification beneath a sapphire case back. With a superior 60-hour power reserve, the owner of a Panerai Radiomir 1940 PAM 513 will spend far more time admiring the movement than winding it.

See this thin, fine, and refined Panerai Radiomir 1940 PAM 513 in high-resolution images on www.thewatchbox.com.




Video and content by Tim Mosso