Model Panerai Radiomir Egiziano
Price 28,500 USD
Quantity A limited edition run of 300 units all in titanium.
Why A modern reinterpretation of an historic Egyptian Naval Panerai watch
www.panerai.com
This latest Officine Panerai timepiece should command a special place in the hearts of Arabs the world over as the watch represents a fresh interpretation of a special model created by the company for the Egyptian Navy back in 1950s.
The Egyptian Navy? Yes that’s right. Under King Farouk, and then later Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian Navy would often perform officer-training programmes with the Italian Marina Militare and it must have been during one such course that the Egyptians came to discover the quality of Panerai’s products.
According to archives, the brief was simple enough; the Egyptians wanted a watch that was strong to the point of being almost indestructible. Panerai complied with an outrageously oversized 60mm-diamter watch that was ultimately manufactured in just a limited run of 50 pieces.
This new reinterpretation of the Egiziano (meaning Egyptian in Italian) pays a close homage to the original. Also 60mm in diameter, the new watch features the distinctive Panerai crown security device inherited from the original. The dial indications look slightly aged due to their yellowed, patina-like shade and just like the original the titanium case incorporates a bi-directional rotating bezel.
The major differences can be found in the internal mechanics. Where the original model had an Angelus hand-wound movement offering an 8-day power reserve; the new interpretation of the watch accommodates the Officine Panerai in-house P.2002 calibre, maintaining the 8-day-power-reserve tradition with help of a special three-spring-barrel system.
The Radiomir Egiziano is a uniquely handsome watch and a great testament to Panerai’s long-standing Middle Eastern roots. The decision to re-launch the model must owe much to the importance our region plays in today’s world.
