It's not that often that a watchmaker dedicates a piece to its most loyal fans. But this is the fourth time that tribute has been paid to members of the international Panerai fan club!
Diehard fans of the watch brand are famed as the most influential luxury watch "mafia". The Paneristi community has been around for a decade, who mark their 20th anniversary this year. Panerai has not forgotten its devotees, and has surprised them with an anniversary gift — the Panerai Radiomir Venti (PAM2020). The model is designed for those who get butterflies in their stomach when they see archive Panerai editions, particularly the early Radiomir models from the 1930s. Radiomir got its name from the radium-based powder patented by Officine Panerai, which gives luminosity to dial markings. The new watch has moved away from early Radiomir models with its shape and the shade of gold used for the hands.
Panerai tried to give the watch a vintage look using a matte brown dial and beige-colored Super-LumiNova. A few nods to Paneristi's 20th anniversary have been worked into the exterior design, predominantly on the caseback, and the word "Venti" (It. "twenty"), has been engraved between the lugs. Housed in the watch is the Caliber P.6000, a manually-wound movement with a 72-hour power reserve.
The company received over 2.5 thousand orders when it released its Panerai 360 Luminor Limited Edition Paneristi 10th Anniversary a decade ago as a tribute to its fanbase. Despite the crazy demand for that anniversary watch, the release was kept to a limited edition of 300 pieces. In 2003, 200 special edition pieces of the Luminor Marina PVD Paneristi were released. Another model was released for the Paneristi to mark their 15th anniversary.
The Luminor Base Logo Acciaio PAM 00634 was limited to 500 pieces. The 45 mm Panerai Radiomir Venti was set to be released in 1020 pieces. More have already been confirmed, but there won't be enough for everyone who wants to get their hands on one.