Hands On With The 2026 Panerai PAM01733 8 Giorni

During the years in which Panerai was a supplier to the Italian navy, the company relied on several key movements, which had one thing in common: they needed to be sturdy, reliable, and capable in general of tolerating the rough handling that comes with being used in the field. One of these was a movement made by Angelus, which after a Quartz Crisis-induced hiatus is back in business (and making some great looking stuff, by the way). The movement in question was an eight day clock movement, caliber 240, which was made in both alarm and non-alarm versions and which was for an eight day caliber, surprisingly compact at 36mm) which Panerai began using in Radiomir-cased combat swimmer’s watches (like the 6152-1) in the 1950s, which is also the period in which Panerai introduced the distinctive crown guard and lever system seen on Luminor watches today. In 2005, Panerai launched the P.2002, the first eight day movement of modern era and Panerai has been in the eight day business ever since.

This year at Watches & Wonders, Panerai launched the PAM01733, which uses the eight day caliber P.5000, which was first introduced in 2013. It’s an eight day watch with quite a lot of personality.

By the numbers, it’s a Panerai, all right; 44mm x 13.1mm (vintage Luminors run to 47mm, which is not unexpected considering the advantages of large diameter for low light visibility, and considering the fact that the 240 was after all, an eight day clock movement). The case is stainless steel, but it’s finished with a PVD coating which is then hand-brushed to create a weatherbeaten effect. The technique at Panerai is called “brunito” (which is Italian for “burnished”).

Panerai’s used the technique in some other watches in the past as well, including the Luminor Venticinque.

The purist in me (or at least, I think it’s the purist in me) has always gravitated towards the Radiomir, but the crown guard in Luminor watches is and endless source of fascination so after 20+ years I’m still on the fence. The lever, when closed, presses the crown against the case gasket, sealing the watch.

Panerai has been having a bit of a return-to-its-roots year this year and in keeping with the history of the Radiomir as a tool for combat swimmers, water resistance for PAM01733 is 300 meters. This is not one of Panerai’s “Submersible” watches, which in addition to having 300 meter depth ratings, also have an ISO 6425-mandated unidirectional elapsed time bezel. However, while it’s not a dive watch according to the letter of the law (ISO 6425 is the international standard for “diver’s watches”) it can certainly go as deep as you like, and certainly much deeper than you can or should, unless you happen to be working as a professional saturation diver.

The worn finishing gives the watch a hard-men-in-hard-places vibe, but it also really highlights he contours of the case and makes it feel even more vividly muscular. It’s been applied very well too – carefully enough to create the desired effect, but not so consistently that it seems obviously artificial. Whomever did the final brush finishing had a fine sense of not going too far.

In keeping with the feel of the watch overall, the eight day movement looks (and feels, when you wind it) like a piece of sturdy equipment rather than an expression of fine Genevan watchmaking (it’s not that kind of watch, and Panerai’s based in Lausanne anyway). You’ll notice that the majority of the volume of the movement is taken up by the two mainspring barrels, whose jewels you can see next to, respectively, the words EIGHT DAY and SWISS MADE. It’s a burly boy at 35.7mm x 4.5mm but its job is to provide an eight hour running time with good isochronism, not entertain the eye with lovingly burnished anglage, and that’s what it does.

You like lume? You’re going to love PAM01733. The dial is blue-green emission Super-LumiNova, and it’s applied with a very generous hand, which means the dial charges very quickly and stays bright for quite a long time. With Super-LumiNova you do have to adjust your expectations that the glow will fade as the hours go by, but as far as modern lume sources that are not radiological hazards go, this is about as good as it gets.

I had a blast with this watch. Panerai at its best, has always been about creating a sense of adventure and the enjoyment of exuberant and unapologetically bold design. Maybe this is a little hifalutin, but one of my favorite quotes about cheering up is from John Ruskin, the 19th century British author and art critic who once wrote:

“When I begin to think at all I get into states of disgust and fury at the way the mob is going on (meaning by mob, chiefly Dukes, crown princes, and such like persons) that I choke; and have to go to the British Museum and look at Penguins till I get cool. I find Penguins at present the only comfort in life. One feels everything in the world so sympathetically ridiculous; one can’t be angry when one looks at a Penguin.”

It takes a little of the wind out of the quote when you remember that he was looking at taxidermy penguins, but you know what, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. One can’t stay down when one wears a PAM01733 8 Giorno. This watch is eight day fun on a strap, and you can’t put it on without feeling a little lift of sprezzatura. 

The 1916 Company is proud to be an authorized retailer for Panerai watches. Check out PAM01733 8 Giorno right here, and contact us for pricing and availability.