Seems Panerai has been reading all this online chatter about the yearning for a bona-fide 6154. They're listening, but they're also inching towards the target milking as they move
PAM 572 review by QP Magazine
So, after the recent "misses" that were the 512 (too small and unbalanced dial) and the 514 (unbalanced dial, and a bloody date?!?!), shocks o' shocks, they're actually going to release a 45mm 1940 case with a dial that includes a seconds hand without disturbing the balance of the 3-6-9-12 dial.
Why is a balanced dial so important? That's because that's how the original vintages were. Even in the face of innovation with more advanced movements such as the Angelus 8-day movement that has a second feature, the 3-6-9-12 balance was never disturbed; the small second dial just appeared on the right of the "9" instead of completely replacing it.
I see the 572 as the "what if" vintage model that never was. What if an automatic movement were available in the 1940's? Panerai would swap out the Rolex manual wind movements for this new one in a heart beat, just as they did when the Angelus movements became available in the 1950's. They would take stock models, drill a small hole next to the "9" for the seconds hand, and instead of the word "8 giorni", they would slap the words "automatic" or "auto wind" or "self winding". This is exactly what the 572 embodies.
The right size, the right dial, and hopefully released at the right price point, I reckon the 572 would do for the 1940 case what the 372 did for the 1950 case.
PAM 572 review by QP Magazine
So, after the recent "misses" that were the 512 (too small and unbalanced dial) and the 514 (unbalanced dial, and a bloody date?!?!), shocks o' shocks, they're actually going to release a 45mm 1940 case with a dial that includes a seconds hand without disturbing the balance of the 3-6-9-12 dial.
Why is a balanced dial so important? That's because that's how the original vintages were. Even in the face of innovation with more advanced movements such as the Angelus 8-day movement that has a second feature, the 3-6-9-12 balance was never disturbed; the small second dial just appeared on the right of the "9" instead of completely replacing it.
I see the 572 as the "what if" vintage model that never was. What if an automatic movement were available in the 1940's? Panerai would swap out the Rolex manual wind movements for this new one in a heart beat, just as they did when the Angelus movements became available in the 1950's. They would take stock models, drill a small hole next to the "9" for the seconds hand, and instead of the word "8 giorni", they would slap the words "automatic" or "auto wind" or "self winding". This is exactly what the 572 embodies.
The right size, the right dial, and hopefully released at the right price point, I reckon the 572 would do for the 1940 case what the 372 did for the 1950 case.