Following on from Panerai’s introduction of their Luna Rossa Submersible watch back in August, the brand now presents three new Luna Rossa timepieces for your perusal. One of the best things about Panerai watches is that they are explicitly designed for repetitive use in their respective fields both at a functional level and a design level. There’s no mistaking these watches for anything other than hardcore sporting watches, which is precisely what they are.
Following from reference PAM01039, the Submersible we saw at SIHH, the new Luna Rossa watches had to keep the same design elements. The most notable of these is the dial, which is made of sailcloth rather than pure metal. Usually, sailcloth is reserved for the strap on watches like these, so seeing it become a part of the watch itself is quite exciting.
Of the three new models, the simplest is the Luminor Luna Rossa GMT ref. PAM01036. It features a 44mm black DLC titanium coated case with their signature crown lock. The dial is quite simple in its colouration but gets two spots of colour in the form of the seconds hand and the tip of the GMT hand. The sandwich dial also features green SuperLumiNova to give the watch the effortless legibility that Panerai watches have always been known for. Inside the watch is the automatic P.9010/GMT calibre, which is made of 199 components and has a 4Hz beat rate. A 72-hour power reserve is provided by two spring barrels, and the watch is water-resistant to 300m.
Next up is the Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono-Flyback ref.PAM01037. Unlike the Luna Rossa GMT watch we’ve just seen, this one makes full use of ceramic, a Panerai speciality. These watches are particularly large, and this one is no different with a case diameter of 44mm and a massive thickness of 18.4mm, you’ll notice this despite the lightness. Inside is the P.9100 calibre, which features a column-wheel flyback chronograph with a vertical clutch as well. The P.9100 was Panerai’s first crack at their own in-house automatic chronograph movement, and it has been received very well. Interestingly, the tachymeter scale on the bezel of this one is in knots, useful for the Luna Rossa sailing team.
Finally, we get to the big boy, the Luminor Luna Rossa Regatta PAM01038 watch, which is even bigger and more mental than the chronograph. This monster goes all-out on both the inside and the outside, with a case made of Panerai’s signature material: Carbotech. Due to the way Carbotech is made, by pressing carbon sheets together and then subjecting them to heat and pressure, no two Carbotech cases are ever alike. The case of this one is 47mm in diameter and 19.94mm thick, I got to try the steel version of this on when I went around the Panerai factory, and the size was overwhelming, obviously designed to be worn over waterproofs. Inside the monster case is the P.9100/R calibre, an extension of Panerai’s P.9100 calibre. Using the pusher at 4 O’clock, you can push the minute hand back until you reach the required start time (sailing yachts don’t exactly start like Usain Bolt), then you use the pusher at 10 O’clock to activate the chronograph. Complicated and a little confusing to the uninitiated, but so cool.
That pretty much sums up Panerai watches in general. If this is the first article you’re reading at the start of your journey down the horological rabbit hole, all I can say is welcome to the Thunderdome.
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