Remember that rather stunning-looking Radiomir PAM604 with the hand-engraved case that we showed you hands-on last April? Well, if you thought that was cool, then you’ll be glad to hear that Panerai is upping the ante with the new Panerai Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM672, a new special edition of just 99 pieces announced today, that now boasts both a hand-engraved stainless steel case as well as a laser-engraved in-house movement.

Almost all adornments on the Panerai Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM672 are dedicated to Firenze (Florence): the dial, the case profile, the largest movement plate, and even the straps feature the Florentine Lily, which has been present on Florence’s coat of arms for almost a thousand years – worry not, I don’t just know these kinds of things; I Googled it. Panerai takes this dedication one step further by making the PAM672 exclusively available in the brand’s Florentine boutique.

The 316L stainless steel Radiomir case is a hefty 47 millimeters wide and is spec’d to have 100 meters of water resistance – I’m looking at you and your measly 30 meters, Luminor Due! The engraving is performed by the same engraver all over the case and takes the master craftsman one week to complete the decoration of a single Panerai Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM672.

In fact, the case appears to have the exact same patterns as did the PAM604 we mentioned in the opening – and if this is correct, it makes us wonder where the bottleneck in the process of coming up with something new might have been. At a time when many who buy a more powerful version of a luxury car expect it to have easily identifiable aesthetic elements that testify to their, well, extended financial dedication, it seems a bit baffling that for the extra €8,000 over the PAM604 you don’t get to enjoy the craftsmen’s work in a unique display.

Anyhow, the satiné soleil (satin Sun) finished sandwich dial boasts gold-filled engravings of Radiomir Panerai at 12 and the lily as well as the word “Firenze” above the 6 o’clock position. Here, the lily is a new addition over the previous version.

So what’s actually really new, aesthetically at least, is the decorated Panerai P.3000 caliber – and we must say it does look rather amazing. The bridges and cocks feature a heavily decorated ring on their outer edges, while the inner segment of the movement tries to keep aesthetic balance with geometric lines and a large lily symbol in relief. Contrary to the case, the movement’s parts were engraved not by hand but by laser.

The result is an interesting contrast between the visual effects achieved by hand and by modern technology. The overall design of the movement’s decoration appears to nicely complement that of the case, with alternating brighter, brushed upper surfaces and darker, frosted recessed surfaces. It probably goes without saying that the performance of the P.3000 hand-wound movement remains unaffected: it still runs at 3 Hertz or 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour and offers 3 days of power reserve thanks to the combination of two mainspring barrels.

The Panerai Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM672 appears to be a great follow-up piece for the PAM604, the engraved movement really completes this stunning and intricate look. The apparently unmodified patterns on the case still work beautifully with the classic lines of the Radiomir case, but not offering something new may come across as a missed opportunity for some – and perhaps as welcome consistency for others. The intricately decorated movement demands a hefty premium over the previous model, as the price for the Panerai Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM672 is €25,000, or €8,000 more than its predecessor. Again, the PAM672 is limited to just 99 pieces and will be exclusively available in Panerai’s historical boutique in Florence, Italy. panerai.com