Officine Panerai

Panerai is making a new version of the Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic Acciaio with a bracelet that features the design of the company’s signature “lever bridge” (crown protector) as part of the links. The first bracelet offered by Panerai, in 1999, had the same design. According to Panerai, the bracelet is, “strong and robust but much lighter than those previously developed by Panerai, the new bracelet is made of AISI 316L stainless steel, the same as the Luminor 1950 case.” The case features a brushed finish with a polished bezel that contrasts the matte surfaces. A case that Panerai calls slim and light thanks to the svelte dimensions of caliber P.9010, which is just 6 mm thick. A sapphire caseback offers a view of the movement which boasts a three-day power reserve, wound by a bidirectional oscillating weight.

We can talk about the 42 mm Panerai re-edition of the Mare Nostrum, and how it is based on the first chronograph ever produced by Panerai, back in 1943, for the Italian Navy. It’s limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Faux lume. Blue strap. Wooden presentation box in the shape of an Italian Navy Destroyer. You know the spiel. But honestly, all we really want to know is what you think about the movement being used in the context of the retail price which is $10,200. The movement in question is a COSC-certified ETA 2801-2 with a Dubois-Dépraz chronograph module, and some Panerai finishing. No special functionality, extended power reserve, 21K gold rotor, or anything like that. Just a very basic hand wound, 4Hz, 17 jewels, 42-hour power reserve ETA movement. A cursory search on eBay brought up a bunch of

Created by Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee, the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech 3 Days features a carbon fiber composite case, a completely new deep black dial, and a movement needing no lubrication for 50 years. The 49 mm carbon fiber case, referred to as Carbotech, has already been in use on previous models, such as the Luminor Submersible 1959 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic that we reviewed in 2015. The 49 mm Luminor 1950 case has the same dense, uneven black surface, which is composed of very thin sheets of carbon fibre that are pressed together at a controlled temperature under very high pressure. What is all new, is the dial which is covered in carbon nanotubes, and the movement which works perfectly without any lubrication for 50 years, according to Panerai. The dial has Panerai’s the classic sandwich construction, with a

This week Panerai unveiled a new, thinner version of their iconic Luminor timepiece. Four models were introduced, with up to a 40% reduction in case thickness, making for a lighter, more comfortable wearing experience. Let’s face it, the proportions of a watch make a significant difference in how it wears. Everything from length, width, thickness, case shape, and weight, factor into the timepieces comfort on the wrist. And so, Officine Panerai, the king of oversized watches, decided to make their Luminor timepieces a bit more comfortable, while maintaining the signature Panerai features, such as the crown lever bridge, cushion case, and sandwich dial. For the debut, Panerai introduced two models, the Luminor Due 3 Days - 42 mm and the Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic - 45 mm, both in steel or red gold. With a thickness of 10.5 mm,

Early this week, Panerai unveiled the Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT which features the unusual combination of a decimal repeater – and the ability to chime the time for two different time zones. This remarkable feature can be activated by an ingenious design that works by slightly rotating the crown until a black indicator dot can be seen on the side of the crown. Once it is in the position where the dot can be can be seen from the front, the wearer can then press the push-piece in the center of the crown, toggling the system between HT/LT with each push. A status indicator at 8 o’clock shows which time zone is currently active. Once the crown is returned to its normal position, so the black dot is not visible from the front of the watch, the

Last week, during Madison Avenue Watch Week, we stopped in to preview all of the new Panerai SIHH 2016 timepieces at the brand’s flagship New York City boutique, located at 703 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10065. The photos below show off our favorite new pieces as seen during the visit. Store front at 703 Madison Avenue Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio special edition - click for previous coverage Panerai Luminor 8 Days Set - click for previous coverage Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 42 mm - click for previous coverage Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio - 47 mm Radiomir 1940 3 Days GMT Power Reserve Automatic Acciaio - 45 mm Most of the SIHH 2016 Panerai introductions Radiomir 1940 3 Days GMT Power Reserve Automatic Acciaio - 45 mm Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT

At the annual Geneva Watch Show (SIHH) last week, Officine Panerai debuted a new set of watches inspired by two pre-Vendôme era references, from the early days when Panerai was acquired by Vendôme, part of the Richemont Group, in 1997. According to Officine Panerai, “in 1996 Panerai made a few small series of watches commissioned by Sylvester Stallone. The new Luminor 8 Days Set takes two models originally created for he American actor: a Luminor Black Seal, here presented for the first time in a left-handed version, and a Luminor Daylight with an original, extremely rare white dial with blue markers and numerals. The two watches are supplied in a box inspired by those used for vintage Luminor watches, made of pear wood with a teak base and containing a model of the human torpedo (Siluro a Lenta Corsa –

At SIHH 2016, Officine Panerai debuted the Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio special edition, dedicated to Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician, Galileo Galilei, whose discoveries laid the foundations for the development of mechanical timepieces. Highlighting the hours, minutes, small seconds, GMT with am/pm indication, a power reserve, and a tourbillon – is a uniquely manufactured 47 mm titanium case and a newly developed titanium version of Panerai’s manufacture caliber P.2005. In addition to using titanium for the case, which is already approximately 40% lighter than steel, Panerai used an innovative technology which enabled them to hollow out the case internally, without sacrificing the structural integrity and maintaining a water resistance of 100 meters. “The technology used is called Direct Metal Laser Sintering: this process builds up a 3D object layer by layer by means of a

In January, one of the new models that Panerai will launch at SIHH 2016 is a new white dial version of the Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio. Presented in a stainless steel Radiomir 1940 case, the watch measures 42 mm x 10.93 mm and has a fully polished finish. The steel crown is also polished and features a relief engraving marked “OP.” Water-resistance is 100 meters. Large black printed Arabic numerals stand out against the bright white background of the dial, enhancing legibility. And at night, the generous amount of (vintage-colored) luminescent material further enhances the hour, minute, and small seconds hands, as well as the hour markers. A clear caseback offers a view of the tungsten micro-rotor, industrial-style brushed bridges, regulating assortment, screws, and various components of the caliber P.4000 in-house movement. Twin mainspring barrels, in series, are

Overview First developed in the late 1940s, the original Panerai Luminor was made to be worn by commandos of the Italian Navy. And then for the Egyptian Navy in 1956, which eventually inspired the Luminor 1950 design. The Luminor Submersible 1950 47 mm, is a more robust professional 300-meter version of the Luminor 1950. In January, at SIHH 2015, Panerai debuted the Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic 47 mm, made with a new high-tech material designed to for its unique aesthetic and performance characteristics, called Carbotech. The case According to Panerai, Carbotech is both lighter and stronger than ceramic or titanium, as well as being hypoallergenic. No two cases are the same due to each layer being compressed in a non-uniform pattern, so in addition to performance benefits, each piece is visually distinctive from one another. As the