A quick look at the Iconic Panerai PAM00098 GMT Alarm Radiomir, produced from 2001-2006 with 500 released equally across the period there were 3000 made and it remains one of the most sought after and difficult to find pieces, especially full sets with booklet, thumbnail buckles or deployments. A watch that wears a little larger than its size suggests but doesn’t exclude the slimmer wrists like many Panerai do it is elegant and dressy whilst at the same time having that Panerai cool that’s sporty and fresh even 20 years later.
On the right of the case the twin winding crowns offer a range of functionality, the upper crown marked ‘OP’ will wind the watch and adjust both the time and 2nd GMT time zone whilst the lower, marked with a bell icon, winds and sets the alarm and provides an on/off function for using it. At this point we have to mention the ‘Alarm’. It is like a miniature old school alarm clock, rattling in a slightly muted chime and vibrating to alert you to an appointment or if you are a light sleeper to wake you from your slumber
The dial is luminous painted and has a gorgeous drop down framed perfectly under the 1.5mm sapphire crystal displaying Time, Date, Seconds, Date, GMT Time, & Alarm Time. The date window benefits from a magnification that is housed under the crystal making the dial smooth on the surface but functional and uninterrupted. As standard the watch came on the durable yet extremely comfortable brown alligator contrasted stitched strap with a thumbnail butterfly deployment or Panerai signed pin buckle, the butterfly being the sought after configuration that is almost impossible to find now.
Panerai’s use of zinc sulfide and radium bromide (given later the name Radiomir) to create the luminance gave them an unrivalled underwater legible dial that beams bright on land also. Where this watch breaks the Panerai tradition is in being 42mm. No surprise there you may say but back in 2001 this was not traditionally where Panerai had it watches, the 44mm & 47mm reigned supreme in the Radiomir range. This case is cast from 316L steel featuring the patented wire loop strap system via 4 screws is the classic cushion shaped case housing a modified Girard Perregeux Cal 59 automatic self winding movement decorated with Panerai parts clearly seen through the sapphire glass caseback and a 48hr power reserve. Although this has a 30m water resistant rating it probably isn’t one for the depths of the oceans. It is pretty to look at and whilst I cannot pretend to understand its capability I do understand it is based on the GP Traveller II.
As iconic Radiomirs go this is Top 5, and in my humble opinion a Top 10 must own Panerai.
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