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Watches & Wonders 2015The Radiomir 1940 - Sophisticated technical solutions

With its timeless design and the sophisticated technical solutions created by the new Manufacture in Neuchâtel, the Radiomir 1940 is the main focus of the new Panerai collection presented at Watches & Wonders 2015.

References to history, contemporary high-end watchmaking, Italian design and Swiss manufacture combine to create unique and immediately recognisable timepieces, to be presented to the public in an international preview at the main Asian exhibition of high-end watches, taking place in Hong Kong from 30 September to 3 October 2015.

The Radiomir 1940 is the watch which recalls a fundamental moment in the history of Panerai: the transformation of the traditional cushion case of the first Radiomir (1936) into the imposing Luminor 1950 case, fitted with the iconic crown-protecting device. This transition came about to meet the needs of the Italian Navy, which wanted to provide its commandos with a water-resistant watch, that was extremely robust and mechanically reliable, with a dial that would be perfectly legible even under very poor lighting conditions in the dark and underwater: the characteristics which made the Panerai watch the first military diver’s watch in history.

The lines of the Radiomir 1940 illustrate the exemplary purity and simplicity of the Panerai design, a simplicity which is the result of a complex process of design and manufacture. The orderliness of the form and appearance of both the case and the dial is closely linked to the function which the watch was to fulfil. The equilibrium arises from a design in which high quality materials and technical perfection made any decorative details superfluous.

The design of the Panerai watch is an example of the international style in the Thirties and Forties. The emergence of the Modern Movement had already revolutionised architecture and design, and Italy’s significant contribution to this revolution was due to the architects and designers who took part in the remarkable phenomenon of Italian rationalism. Thanks to these masters, in the 1930s and 1940s timeless masterpieces were created in Italy, objects and buildings which communicate purity, knowledge and wisdom, in the best tradition of the Italian style and in perfect harmony with what was happening in the rest of the world. Like other icons of its time, the Radiomir 1940 is a classic of modernitywhich, many decades after its creation, continues to fascinate enthusiasts of watchmaking and design.