Despite offering a list of PAM-numbered references that could fill a phonebook, Panerai has long been defined by just two major families: the Radiomir and Luminor, with the rugged, dive-ready Submersible models mostly regarded as offshoots of the Luminor 1950. As of this year, however, the Submersible ? whose design inspiration can be traced back to the L’Egiziano model made for the Egyptian Navy in the 1950s ? has become a family in its own right, with only the word “Submersible” rather than “Luminor Submersible” on the dials. In building out the new collection, Panerai has used the Submersible to showcase some of its innovative new high-tech materials and to highlight its latest partnership with an icon of the extreme sports world. Panerai Submersible Pam982 – side
Headlining the new collection, unveiled this week at SIHH 2018, is the Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition 47MM, a timepiece celebrating Panerai”s new collaboration with Guillaume Néry, the French free diving champion who broke four world records and is now known worldwide for his stunning underwater photography and videos. The case, water-resistant to a professional-level 300 meters, is made of titanium, with a unidirectional rotating dive-scale bezel made of blue ceramic (Despite Panerai’s well-known history as a supplier of watches to Italian naval divers, the Submersible is the only Panerai model that would pass muster as a real diving watch nowadays, ...