Panerai Revives the Radiomir California
Perhaps the most distinctive of all Radiomir designs, the “California” was nonetheless absent from Panerai’s catalogue for some time. Now it makes a comeback as the Radiomir California PAM01349. Essentially a cooler (and more expensive) version of the new Radiomir “Otto Giorni”, the PAM01349 preserves the signature features of the design, including the dial and blue hands, but works in a few concessions to modern tastes, including a smoked green finish for the dial as a scaled-down, 45 mm case. Initial thoughts The California has long been my favourite Radiomir so I am glad it is making a comeback. While it looks slightly vintage, the PAM01349 is clearly not a vintage reissue, which is a good thing. The combination of a green dial and aged case is an appealing one. However, the PAM01349 costs about 20% more than the Radiomir models with the same movement, a premium that isn’t grounded in any tangible features and thus hard to justify. Romans and Arabics The dial is classic “California” with Roman numerals on its top half and Arabic numbers on the lower half. Originally designed for legibility so each half of the dial is easily distinguishable from the other, the California dial was synonymous with the Radiomir. The PAM01349 preserves the original design, but the texture and colour are contemporary. Like most other recent releases, the dial has a grained surface and smoked finish, both in keeping with current tastes. The dial treatment gives the watch a vin...
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