Previously available in much larger cases, the 2009 Panerai Radiomir PAM 336 has become both smaller and thinner. At just 42 millimeters in diameter (well, actually in width since the gadget sports the brand’s traditional cushion-shaped body) and just 12.5 millimeters high, the new timekeeper doesn’t look like an expensive metal hamburger stuck to your wrist. Instead, you get a jewelry item that, while still being massive, is at the same time elegant and even refined, in a restrained, masculine way. Thank the in-house P.999 caliber for that!

According to official specs, the new in-house Caliber P.999 hand-wound movement is only 3.4 mm thick and just 12 lines in diameter, which roughly translates into 27.07 mm.

Built of 154 parts 19 jewels and featuring a Glucydur balance wheel, the movement beats at 21,600, which is traditional for Panerai.

Manufactured in-house, the mechanism also significantly increases the collectability of the timepiece making it stand out from hundreds of thousands of other Panerais powered by redecorated versions of run-off-the-mill movements made by ETA or some long-gone company like, say, the Radiomir Titanium PAM349 with a Minerva-based caliber.

A more compact movement allowed for a more compact body, which is now just 42 millimeters wide and sits almost perfectly on a normal wrist. Guys with skinny hands maybe not be as lucky (but that’s purely a matter of personal taste), but the better part of the population is probably more or less safe to order this beauty online even without trying it first in a “real” shop: something especially convenient for those living two hundred miles away from the nearest Panerai boutique.

Crafted from an 18-karat rose gold alloy, the satin-finished cushion-shaped case looks especially elegant in contrast with its perfectly polished round bezel. Relatively thin, the bezel also leaves a lot of space for the dial opening, which, in its turn, allows for a clean, easy-to-breathe dial layout.

Of course, like other models from Panerai, the new timekeeper still preserves that overwhelming scent of masculine presence.

The dial features the signature dial layout with a well-known and much-adored layer-cake structure when a layer of SuperLuminova is sandwiched between inner and outer pieces of metal with big, bold Arabic numerals and stick-shaped hour markers milled in the upper painted sheet of brass(?).

The long hour and minute hands, as well as the small subsidiary seconds hand, which is positioned at its usual place at 9 o’clock, is, too, covered with green Superluminova, so good nighttime legibility is guaranteed.

All in all, it is yet another piece of brilliant design from Panerai.

WWR Verdict

Originality 4.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Photo: Panerai

Panerai Radiomir PAM 336 specification

Price range: $19,000 (MSRP)
Movement: Caliber P.999 hand-wound movement, in-house, Swiss Made
Functions & Complications: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
Power reserve: 60 hours
Case: Rose gold, 18-karat
Size: 42.00 mm
Case height: 14.00 mm
Dial: Chocolate brown
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Brown alligator strap and 18 ct. polished rose gold buckle.
Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Back: Sapphire