Panerai is well known for their history of dive watches, but they are also pioneers when it comes to innovative materials, or doing something no one else has done so far. Let me share some of them with you. I will especially zoom in to the Panerai Luminor.
The Paneristi
In September 2000 a group of Panerai enthusiasts created Paneristi.com, a forum dedicated to the brand, their heritage and their watches. The Paneristi community goes way beyond posting just within the forum, it’s also about friendship and deep relations around the globe.
P-Day
If you are familiar with the Paneristi community, you might have heard about the famous P-Day, an annual event which is held every year in a different city and country. Here the community celebrates the brand as well as their global friendships, and also invites Panerai officials to the event.
The first forum, dedicated to a watch brand
Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué attended the last two P-Days, which have been held in Hongkong and Amsterdam. The first P-Day took place 2002 in Cologne, Germany. On top of that, several Paneristi special edition watches have been created in cooperation with the Paneristi and Panerai.
Even though Panerai is not officially involved or sponsoring the forum, it’s another pioneering moment as it was the first forum especially dedicated to a watch brand.
The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo
Panerai is known for their deep history with the sea and dive world. In 1938 Panerai delivered the first Radiomir watches for the Royal Italian Navy. During that era, the dive helmets were made out of bronze, a material well known in the nautical world.
The first bronze watch ever produced
So it was a coincidence that in 2011 Panerai set a milestone with the launch of the first bronze watch ever produced, the famous PAM00382.
The Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo develops a unique patina over the time. This gives a fantastic aged look which just looks stunning. The Bronzo is one of the most iconic watches within the Submersible collection.
The new EcoTitaniumTM is fully obtained from recycled titanium
Safeguarding our Planet
In 2019, the Laboratorio Di Idee raised the bar again during SIHH. The presentation showed new materials which are completely made out of recycled resources. The new EcoTitaniumTM is fully obtained from recycled titanium, a process unique within the watchmaking industry.
Also the strap from the PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE MIKE HORN EDITION is made out of recycled PET. Panerai aimed to minimise the environmental impact. For sure, this is the perfect watch for the greatest living explorer on earth, Mike Horn. These two innovations will help to protect our planet and its oceans.
70 Years of Luminor
Luminor, a name that is deeply embedded into the DNA of Panerai. 70 years ago Panerai introduced the tritium based luminous substance Luminor, a name which also became an iconic line within Panerai.
To celebrate the anniversary Panerai launched a new Luminor collection, including new innovations and a 70 year warranty, the longest offered in the business.
Panerai Luminor FibratechTM 44mm
One model that stood out for me, is the PANERAI LUMINOR FibratechTM 44 MM PAM01119. Not only because of its new revolutionary material which I will explain later, but also because of it’s new innovative Super-LumiNovaTM X1.
The Super-LumiNovaTM X1 is a consequent further development of the original Luminor. Going a step further, not only the markers and hands, also the name, the safe guard the inner bezel ring and even the stitching on the strap are now visible in the dark. I’m really looking forward to see this cool feature in person.
FibratechTM, a new high-tech discovery by Panerai
After introducing the already mentioned EcoTitaniumTM, Panerai presents us another groundbreaking new material, the FibratechTM which is used in two of the newly launched Luminor models.
But what is FibratechTM and how is it produced? This is how Panerai describes it like this:
“FibratechTM is made from unidirectional mineral fibres produced by the fusion of basalt rock; these fibers, binded with polymers, become thin layers which are superimposed in a precise orientation and then consolidated through a pressure and temperature controlled process”.
FibratechTM is 60% lighter as steel, very robust and highly resistant to corrosion. This marks another milestone for Panerai and once again they show their passion and commitment to go one step further as well as their ingenuity of the Laboratorio di Idee.
Discover the year of the Luminor collection and the new materials below.
About Panerai
Founded in Florence in 1860 as a workshop, shop and school of watch-making, for many decades Panerai supplied the Italian Navy in general, and its specialist diving corps in particular, with precision instruments.
The designs developed by Panerai in that time, including the Luminor and Radiomir, were covered by the Military Secrets Act for many years and were launched on the international market only after the brand was acquired by the Richemont Group in 1997.
Today Panerai develops and crafts its movements and watches at its Neuchâtel Manufacture.
The latter are a seamless melding of Italian design flair and history with Swiss horological expertise.
Panerai watches are sold across the world through an exclusive network of distributors and Panerai boutiques.
