Last year Panerai’s annual release schedule revolved entirely around the hard-core underwater beast that is the Luminor Submersible. Now it looks like the once-Italian watchmaker is diversifying the Luminor name further with a host of new Marina models slated for the next year, with new materials, layouts and limited editions around the same central design.
So, let’s take a look at it…
Panerai Luminor Marina PAM01117 Limited Edition
The first new Luminor Marina celebrates where the name originally came from: the tritium-based lume that covered a good part of the dial. Lume’s come a long way since then and this new edition uses a low-light glowing material that lasts up to 70 years, and using it plentifully. It’s not just restricted to the usual hour markers, numerals or hands.
The watch’s name glows and there’s an impressive ring of it around the bezel to really illuminate the dial. Further out, there’s a touch of lume outlining the Luminor’s signature crown protector and even the stitching on the strap outlines in that ghostly green.
When you’re not reading in the dark, the models a lot more staid with a blue dial and matching Sportech strap against a 44mm titanium case. It’s a lovely piece in the day; it’s something else entirely in low-light – and it’s not the only watch in the new collection that embraces the night.
Case: 44mm diameter x 15.65mm thickness, micro-sandblasted titanium | Water resistance: 300m (30 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Panerai SportechTM, blue with luminous sewing with additional strap in blue rubber | Price/availability: $19,000, limited edition of 270 pieces, boutique exclusive
Panerai Luminor Marina Carbotech PAM01118 Limited Edition
In a similar vein to the titanium version, this blacked-out edition of the Panerai Luminor Marina embraces all things luminescent, with the material amply ladled onto the dial, strap and signature crown protector.
The main difference here though is that it uses Panerai’s own take on all those forged carbons and carbon fibres out there, Carbotech. It’s light, strong and the grain is even more striking in the light of that lume.
It’s powered by what has become Panerai’s workhorse, the P.9010 calibre automatic movement, with it’s 72-hour power reserve and reliability fit for a big ol’ diving watch, a necessity at its maximum depth of 300m. Down there, you’ll really need that lume, too. Still, with a limited edition of 270, only available from Panerai boutiques, it’s not exactly regulation diving gear quite yet.
Case: 44mm diameter x 14.5mm thickness, Carbotech | Water resistance: 300m (30 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Panerai SportechTM, black with luminescent sewing, with additional strap in black rubber | Price/availability: $16,000, limited edition of 270 pieces, boutique exclusive
Panerai Luminor Marina Fibratech PAM01119 Limited Edition
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen some new, cutting-edge material but once again Panerai has that particular brand of horological innovation locked down tighter than a Luminor crown. Following their own takes on gold and carbon fibre, now we have Fibratech, a unique material based on basalt.
This is Panerai’s biggest news of the year. Through some weird alchemy, they transform raw basalt rock into fibres which are then bound into thin layers, laid into a workable shape and fired at incredible temperature and pressure. The end result is incredibly durable and has a grain similar but not the same as the watchmaker’s own Carbotech, complete with a subtle grey hue.
Here, it’s paired with an anthracite sunray dial, black strap and all the X1 lume of the previous two watches, from logo to crown to strap. Otherwise, it’s powered by the same movement and limited to the same number (270) as the titanium and Carbotech models.
Case: 44mm diameter x 14.5mm thickness, FibratechTM, anthracite dial with sunray finish | Water resistance: 300m (30 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Panerai SportechTM, black with luminescent sewing, with additional strap in black rubber | Price/availability: $19,000, limited edition of 270 pieces, boutique exclusive
Panerai Luminor Marina Fibratech PAM01663
This is pretty much the culmination of the previous three models. It takes the 44mm Fibratech case, adds on a Carbotech bezel and finishes with the same blue dial and strap as the titanium model. It goes without saying by this point that it also has the same strokes of lume across dial, crown protector, strap and logo and is powered by the same P.9010 calibre automatic movement. In short, it’s the previous three models combined.
It’s more than the sum of its parts though. The combination of the two cutting-edge materials makes for a contrast of colour and grain that’s a subtle evolution of the design. It’s not too much of one or the other and takes the benefits of both.
Funnily enough though, this is the only non-limited edition of the four. Only 270 will be built of the titanium, carbotech and fibratech models; this will become part of the collection proper and will actually be available elsewhere than Panerai boutiques. For once, they’ve not kept the coolest watch to themselves.
Case: 44mm diameter x 15.65mm thickness, FibratechTM | Water resistance: 300m (30 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Panerai SportechTM, blue with white sewing, with additional strap in blue rubber | Price: TBC
Panerai Luminor Marina Goldtech PAM01112
It wouldn’t be Panerai without a full-gold diving watch, practicality to the wind, and if it means they can show off yet another of their own in-house ‘-tech’ materials, all the better. Rose gold case in point, the Luminor Marina Goldtech 44mm.
The material itself is a unique alloy of rose gold, using a high percentage of copper with a touch of platinum for a more resistant material with an intense reddish colour. It’s still gold, so it’s still to be handled with care, but corrosion will be lessened so it’s a better long-term proposition than most precious metals.
Unlike the previous four, this model doesn’t have the lume-drenched crown, inner bezel and strap, but it is a new addition to the regular collection, just in case you fancy an impressive weight of gold strapped to your wrist. Just please, despite the diving style, don’t go swimming with it; it’s water resistant to just 50m.
Case: 44mm diameter, brushed Panerai Goldtech™ blue dial with satiné soleil decoration | Water resistance: 50m (5 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Alligator leather, blue with beige stitching, with Goldtech™ pin buckle, with additional strap in blue rubber | Price: TBC
Panerai Luminor Marina DMLS PAM01662
And finally we come full circle, back to titanium. Though this isn’t your grandmother’s light-weight, hard-wearing, hi-tech material. This is Direct Metal Laser Sintering. I know, sexy. In layman’s terms that means 3D printed, but while allowing a hollow cavity inside. That makes it even lighter as there’s just less material, despite having the same overall structural integrity. And nothing gets us off like structural integrity.
Like the Goldtech, it’s lacking in lume compared to the key models of the new collection. It does however come equipped with a Carbotech bezel for a dash more interest. Otherwise it’s a cool, blacked-out stealth diver, equipped with a P.9010 calibre movement and 300m water resistance. It’s also unlimited, so expect to see a few of these bad boys out and about in the future.
Case: 44mm diameter x 14.2mm thickness, sandblasted DMLS titanium, Carbotech bezel, crown and lever | Water resistance: 300m (30 bar) | Movement: Calibre P.9010, in-house, automatic, 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 3 days | Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date | Strap: Panerai SportechTM, black with anthracite stitching, pin buckle in titanium with black DLC coating, with additional strap in black rubber | Price: TBC
More details at Panerai’s website.
