To tribute to the brand’s birthplace,Panerai presented the Radiomir Firenze. This watch is a limited edition which only limited to 99 pieces.
The Panerai Carbotech was responsible for a lot of virtual ink being spilled earlier this year. And sure, it’s one face of Panerai – the brutish, hulking face. But Panerai is more multifaceted than that, as their special edition Radiomir Firenze demonstrates. There are artisanal, artistic roots to the brand in proportion to the surging Italian testosterone. 
The watch is stunning. It takes as its base the regular 47mm Radiomir, and turns it into a work of art. The Radiomir Firenze is completely hand engraved by a single engraver, and each case takes over a week of work to complete. Engraving like this is a highly skilled and nerve-wracking task, as a single slip of the burin (that’d be an engraving tool) means the entire case is a write-off.
The design of the engraving, and indeed the whole watch, pays homage to the city of Florence – the case bears the Florentine Lily, the city’s coat of arms. The other motifs are inspired by Firenze’s rich renaissance architecture. The engraving is made more striking and legible by the filling of
black lacquer. Another nice touch is that the ‘Firenze’ on the dial is in the typeface of vintage Panerai watches.
