Panerai’s transition from military supplier to luxury, civilian designer is well documented. One of the most significant years in their more recent history is 1993 when the brand was relaunched primarily in the civilian sphere. At that launch, Panerai presented three watches, the civilian Luminor ref. 5218-2021/A and Mare Nostrum 5218-301/A as well as a military exclusive Luminor ref. 5218-202/A produced for the Italian Navy. Now, more than three decades later, Panerai are presenting the new Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218, inspired by that original military exclusive timepiece.
The watch is being launched to celebrate the opening of the “The Depths of Time” exhibition in Panerai’s Florence flagship boutique. The exhibit explores the brand’s history as a military watch producer up to the year 1993, featuring archive materials that have never been on public display before, such as correspondence between Panerai and the Marina Militare, technical drawings and early catalogues. The exhibition opens today and runs for two months, it will also tour sites in the US, China and Europe.
As a sort of culmination to the exhibit, the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218 brings the legacy and history of Panerai right forward to the modern day. Reinterpreting that first military exclusive watch of Panerai’s ‘new era’ for public consumption for the first time. It measures 44mm in steel with a black DLC coating. 44mm is actually a very significant size in this instance because the 1993 Luminor ref. 5218-202/A was also a 44mm watch, whereas previously 47mm had been the military standard. Showing that Panerai was adapting towards civilian needs even in their military watches during that time period.
The DLC coating is a tougher, more robust option compared to the black PVD treatment of the original. DLC standing for Diamond Like Carbon, making it as durable and scratch resistant as natural diamond. The shape of the case is your classic Luminor design with a cushion design and the signature crown locking mechanism that prevents accidental adjustment during vigorous activities such as navy diving.
Looking to the dial, it’s also based on the 1993 original right down to the smallest detail. For one thing, the numerals use the 1993 typography and construction method, which means that it’s a single layer dial with hollowed hour numerals that are filled with lume as opposed to the multi-layer sandwich dial we know today. There’s another detail that can been seen when looking at the lume and that’s the fact that the hands and numerals are slightly different colours – with greenish hands and brownish numerals. This is an artificial recreation of the aging seen on vintage models of the original watch. A varnish that was applied to the dial but not the hands caused the two sets of lume to age differently, which is now a highly collectible trait in vintage Panerais.
Beneath the dial is housed the P.6000 calibre, a manual movement with a 72-hour power reserve. It’s protected by a solid caseback that helps to maintain the 300m water resistance of the watch and is also decorated with the vintage Officine Panerai logo. Interestingly there’s also an engraving marking its annual production, which denotes that while it isn’t strictly a limited edition, it will remain exclusive. Though it’s actually one of the more reasonably priced watches by Panerai standards at £7,200.
Price and Specs:
More details at Panerai.
