PAM00992 Radiomir 8 Days 45mm New Model on Website

[carl]

Checking the Panerai website yesterday, ran across a new model I had not yet heard about. This one is really intriguing, in the same way I always liked the PAM00590 Luminor 44mm with the "8 Giorni Brevettato" (8 Days Patented) on the dial at 3 o'clock. This one has a polished "aged steel" case, and a black sandwich dial, with a sapphire crystal. I really like the slightly smaller and slimmer 45mm Radiomir, as well as I always have a soft spot for the 8 Day P.5000 movement, which I had in my PAM00562. I also really like the blued hands on this one, including small seconds hand at 9 o'clock.

At first, I wasn't sure about the dial, without the arabic numerals 3 and 9. However, the layout is symmetrical and there is a history of the small seconds in the Marina Militare models and also the 8 Giorni Brevettato (8 Days Patented), in some of the earlier models which were 47mm and had space on the dial for the 3 and 9. I love the blued hands, even the small seconds, and nice to see Panerai coming back with a sandwich dial on many of it's new models.

Apparently, the 992 has the second-generation P.5000 movement which has a full bridge covering almost all the back, where the other version has an open-worked bridge that shows part of the gear train.

Still not at the local Boutique, they say possibly early in the New Year.





Here is a pic of the previous or 1st generation P.5000 movement. I have no idea why they would have changed to the full bridge?



There are also two other variants of the P.5000 movement introduced this year: the P.5001 has a PR indicator on the back, like the PAM422 with lumed hand, and the P.5002 has a PR indicator on the dial.

I really happen to love the 8 Day manually wound movement, and had great success with mine in the PAM 562 Luminor 44mm Titanium, which i regret selling. Anyway, looking forward to seeing this one in real life. I think it looks great, and they did a great job with the leather strap as well.

Cheers,
Carl

[CHIP]

Simplicity equals lower manufacture cost.

Less cutting for the bridge, less bevelling, less finishing on the movement.
That change probably saves them a couple of hundred bucks a watch, as finishing and decoration requires a lot of manual labour.
That’s just my opinion, and I’m I often wrong haha.

I bet they won’t pass the savings to the consumer though lol

[carl]

No CHIP that does make perfect sense, although this particular model the most expensive of the 8 Days by over a grand. The Luminor 44mm models have either a P.5001 or P.5002 with PR indicator. It's odd they would cut corners on this one. Actually, with the bridge covering so much of the back, I sort of wonder why they didn't just put on a solid case back.

[CHIP]

Dec 2, 2019 19:49:39 GMT -6 carl said:

No CHIP that does make perfect sense, although this particular model the most expensive of the 8 Days by over a grand. The Luminor 44mm models have either a P.5001 or P.5002 with PR indicator. It's odd they would cut corners on this one. Actually, with the bridge covering so much of the back, I sort of wonder why they didn't just put on a solid case back.

What if you look at it from a different angle? It’s their most expensive 8 days watch, so likely over priced as it is. It’s very basic. Why not make it even cheaper to manufacture and drive the profit even higher?
The best margins are often found in the more expensive models.

[carl]

CHIP that does make a lot of sense. Funny, I was actually thinking of getting the basic Radiomir 8 Days, which is over 3 grand less! I'm selling both the Panerai I have right now, but I still want one Panerai, so I'm considering all the options.

[CHIP]

Timeless has a clean ten days gmt I like, but I’m completely out of funds. Hence my part time job at Timeless lol

[Baco Noir]

The dial symmetry is really nice and I’m good with just the 6 & 12 since they balanced out the small second and think it looks better without the 3. The blue accents are really nice too.

I do wish they would have kept the more open 3/4 plate look though.

[carl]

Well, now I have to confess that I have been a very bad boy! I got a call from the Panerai Boutique on Friday, to tell me that my PAM 931 Radiomir 47mm California had arrived. We had already discussed that, although, I had first refusal, if it wasn't to my liking, I would put the deposit toward a different model. It has been 8 months since I had decided on the PAM 931, and within that time I bunch of new models had been introduced. Including this 992.

I was pretty much convinced that I was either going to get the PAM 797 Luminor 44 Titanium, or wait until later in 2020 when a couple of updated Luminor 44 Titanium models are introduced. I had tried on the 797 previously.

First time in recent memory I have had a Radiomir 45 on my wrist. Soon as it was on my wrist, I knew it would be the one. Just fits like no other, including my PAM 673 and PAM 721 (which is being sold as I write this). I think they have done an outstanding job on the "aged steel". It doesn't look like a brushed metal, either titanium or stainless steel. It just has a nice matte patina to it, and I like the extra weight over the titanium, although it's not a heavy watch.

It is not a revival of any vintage piece. Rather a blend of various elements from vintage pieces, and of course faux patina dial and case. So, it is definitely not a purist's model. But I make no apology for that, as I really love how all the elements have been brought together. Even the distressed leather strap is a first for Panerai, and the overall look they achieved is definitely something appealing to me, and a look I have never seen before on a Panerai.

And they have updated the P.5000 movement. To quote directly from an Sjx review: 

Quote
"The P.5000
As with all Panerai in-house movements, the P.5000 is cleanly designed and plainly finished. While the front of the watch is made up of cleverly assembled retro elements, the back doesn’t hide the fact that it’s modern and industrial.
All of the decoration is simple and done by machine, while the construction is streamlined. As a result, the look is mechanical and fuss-free, but appropriate for the style and price of the watch.
Importantly, the movement is built for good timekeeping, especially this specific version. It is a second generation P.5000, which has one primary improvement over the earlier version – the addition of a free-sprung, adjustable mass balance wheel.
The other obvious changes appear to be geared towards easier production and finishing; one example is the smaller and simpler aperture that reveals the third wheel of the gear train. As a result, this version of the P.5000 is especially plain, because almost everything is covered by a full bridge that leaves only the small balance wheel and the third wheel exposed."

Not quite as plain as I thought it would be from my above photo:



Another bonus is the addition of hacking seconds. I found that out quite by accident the first evening I was adjusting the time.

I am very glad to have an 8 Day movement again, and really prefer the look and feel of this Radiomir on my wrist, over the Luminor. Although I still do have my 673 at 47mm.

So, another slew of photos from the past few days. Hopefully giving a good idea mainly of the finishing on the case, and the tang buckle. As this will likely end up being my only Panerai, I am very satisfied with the choice I made!























They must have improved the movement quite a bit. I previously heard some horror stories of the horrible accuracy, or lack thereof. And stories about how the movement would surge at times up to almost a minute fast during the first day, then gradually settle in. Fortunately, my 562 was not like that, and I was quite satisfied with the accuracy. At the end of the 8 Day period, it ran about 60 seconds fast. This 2nd generation seems to be vastly improved. After 60 hours, or 2.5 days, it is running 7 seconds fast or less than +3secs/day. It will be interesting to observe the accuracy after a week or so.

Thanks for looking at my post.

Cheers,
Carl

[aerome]

Still have one on my radar although I know nothing of the breed. Which are the titanium models? I think that's my new gold.

[carl]

Dec 23, 2019 20:49:28 GMT -6 aerome said:

Still have one on my radar although I know nothing of the breed. Which are the titanium models? I think that's my new gold.

Currently, the titanium models are the 797 (most recent), and 562 and 564, which are both being discontinued. They will be replaced in 2020 with two new titanium models, now with the iconic sandwich dial. One will have the small seconds at 9 o'clock and the other will not. Instead of being labelled "8 Days" they will be named "8 Giorni". As far as I know, there will not be any titanium models with the 45mm Radiomir case. Hope this is some help!

Cheers,
Carl

[Baco Noir]

That’s really nice carl. I think the blue hands help play down the patina added elsewhere so as not to be overdone. I like that one a LOT and think you chose well. Congrats.

[carl]

Dec 24, 2019 21:27:28 GMT -6 Baco Noir said:

That’s really nice carl . I think the blue hands help play down the patina added elsewhere so as not to be overdone. I like that one a LOT and think you chose well. Congrats.

Thanks, Roger. I think since it will likely be my only Panrai, it ticks all the boxes. I just find the 45mm size so much more comfortable, even though there is only 2mm difference. If it had been polished stainless steel, I might not have gone for it, and chosen a Luminor 44mm titanium instead, as there are no titanium Radiomir 45mm models.