If you asked most lay-people, they’d probably say that Panerai hasn’t changed much since their days in the Italian navy. Oh, there have been some variations here and there, but the early cushion-cased dive watch is still just as much a Florentine beauty as it always has been, the quintessential Italian-styled timepiece. But when Panerai decide to hold a mirror up to those early archival pieces with the new Luminor Marina PAM01759, the differences become apparent.
‘New’ is a bit of a misnomer here because, although it’s a 2025 release (getting in there right at the tail end), it’s a throwback to the OG Panerai models. It’s not quite back to when they were equipped with Rolex movements and rode torpedoes, but at the very least when they switched from poisonous radium to Luminor – and added the collection’s signature crown protector in the process.
That’s mainly notable on the sandwich dial, which instead of 12, 9 and 6 with baton cut-outs for the rest of the hours, has oversized cardinal numerals, with smaller numerals in-between. It’s a much more charming look, a bit less practical maybe but with a look that feels vintage. It’s a subtle change, but for a brand all about subtle changes, it matters.
Those numerals are read under a domed sapphire crystal – another throwback element – and magnifies those smaller numerals so they’re much more readable. The crystal also makes the new Luminor Marina feel more like an old, weighty diving instrument rather than a modern watch.
Fortunately, it is a modern watch, and that means 300m water resistance (although it’s tested to much more than that) and a 44mm case made from solid stainless steel. Unlike some of the modern Radiomir models, this is a proper diver. The P.9010 calibre with its 72-hour power reserve and shock absorption is also a world away from what earlier Panerai was capable of.
To round things off, the watch is finished on a chunky dark brown leather strap, complete with a gloriously simple pin buckle. I don’t care how much safer or more practical deployant clasps are, I love a pin buckle. If you plan to actually dive, it also comes with a black rubber strap, too.
The Luminor Marina PAM01759 isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s not doing anything we’ve not seen before. But it is the kind of greatest hits of archival Panerai that’ll have the Paneristi flocking. It’s good then that at £8,400 and a not-so-limited edition of 1,000 pieces, there will be plenty to go round.
Price and Specs:
More details at Panerai.
Maybe it’s me, but I really don’t get the whole Panerai navy thing, yes, it all harks back to its history in supplying the Italian navy, but surely, some things just need to consigned to well, history, and reinvention is not always bad. The Radomir, well yes, I do get that, it has it own flair whilst being true to it’s origins, but the overly large case dimensions and hideous crown protector of this new (non Radomir) is just wrong, and now they top it off with a bulbous crystal that is just begging to get damaged when your arm drops suddenly due to the weight of the whole watch, and your arm gets tired.