As part of the celebrations surrounding the launch of its new flagship boutique in New York City, Panerai has also released an exclusive version of the Radiomir to commemorate the occasion. The recently opened Casa Panerai boutique on Madison Avenue is the brand’s largest retail space in the world, and in addition to serving as a premier point of sale, it also offers an immersive experience where visitors can steep themselves in the world of Panerai and learn more about the brand’s history and its watches. To match the Casa Panerai boutique, the new timepiece had to be equally impressive, and the new Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 represents a premium and mechanically complex rendition of one of the brand’s most celebrated signature aesthetics.

Panerai was one of the first luxury watch brands to embrace bronze back in 2011 when it launched the original Bronzo; however, the metal has never become a core offering in Panerai’s catalog, and bronze has only been used for a relative handful of select models throughout the years. The majority of bronze Panerai watches have been based upon the Submersible platform, but since the brand is focusing on its Radiomir collection for 2023, it is the 45mm version of the classic wire-lug Radiomir that now gets the bronze treatment for the new PAM01284. The bronze case receives a brushed finish, while sapphire crystals are fitted to both the dial side of the watch and its screw-down titanium caseback. True to classic form, the new Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 features a signed cone-shaped winding crown at the 3 o’clock location, and it screws down to the case in order to help ensure the model’s 100 meters of water resistance. Lastly, attached to the wire lugs is a thick, vintage-style leather strap that features cream-colored contrast stitching and gets completed by a matching bronze trapezoidal pin buckle.

The classic dial color for bronze Panerai watches is a military green tone, but since the new Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 features a partially skeletonized display, the open-worked bridges of the movement that form the “dial” are finished with a dark olive green coating that is created by an aluminum oxide atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Large luminous hour markers are mounted to the outer chapter ring, and this gives them the appearance of floating above the surface below, while simultaneously providing the PAM01284 with the classic Radiomir appearance. A trio of luminous hands occupies the center of the dial, although since the running seconds is displayed by a sub-dial at the 9 o’clock location, the third centrally-mounted hand is actually an additional hour hand to provide the Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 with a secondary time zone display. To help differentiate between AM and PM hours, the additional hour hand receives a corresponding sub-dial at the 3 o’clock location, which features a 24-hour hand with a day/night indicator.

Powering the new Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 is the brand’s Cal. P.2015/T manual-wind tourbillon movement, which features its plates and bridges crafted entirely from titanium that has been given a dark green aluminum oxide ALD finish. Since the PAM01284 doesn’t really have a dial (in the traditional sense of the word), the mainplate accounts for a considerable portion of the watch’s front appearance. With that in mind, the front side of the mainplate has been given a coarse grain texture finish to help create a highly cohesive aesthetic, and it provides the new PAM01284 with an overall appearance that splits the difference between a traditional dial and a skeletonized display. Additionally, while the movement itself weighs just 15.30 grams due to its lightweight titanium construction, bronze is a fairly heavy material and the cushion-shaped case measures a sizable 45mm in diameter, so the new PAM01284 will likely still offer plenty of presence on the wrist.

Consisting of 256 components and running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz), the 27-jewel Panerai Cal. P.2015/T movement features two mainspring barrels running in a series, which provide the new Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 with an impressive four-day power reserve. To help track the rather lengthy duration of its autonomy, the reverse side of the Cal. P.2015/T is fitted with a power reserve indicator, which can be viewed through the sapphire display window in the watch’s caseback. Along with having a secondary time zone display that is accompanied by its own dedicated 24-hour day/night indicator, the Panerai Cal. P.2015/T also features a 30-second tourbillon, which rapidly rotates along an axis perpendicular to the balance wheel to create a highly dynamic display, which can be observed through both the dial side of the watch and its caseback.

Bronze Panerai watches are never among the brand’s most affordable models, and Swiss tourbillon watches are categorically rather expensive items, regardless of the specific manufacturer who produces them. As you might imagine, the Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284 is a premium option within the brand’s catalog, and it is accompanied by an official retail price of $166,500 USD. With this six-figure price tag, the new PAM01284 is now the second most expensive Panerai Radiomir currently available, and it is only behind the Goldtech Minute Repeater Tourbillon GMT PAM00600, which was announced back in 2016 and remains somewhat of a halo piece within the brand’s lineup with a retail price that is north of $400K. Between its bronze case and classic wire-lug profile, the new Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo offers a distinctly traditional overall form; however, its skeletonized display and green-finished titanium tourbillon movement ultimately make it a distinctly contemporary and tech-forward creation. For more information on the Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284, please visit the brand’s website.