BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
A lot of the Richemont brands have been on a roll with their watches this year. Perhaps they knew they’d face a lot of competition at Watches & Wonders Geneva, so they decided to really go for it. Panerai returns with a new version of their smart-looking Luminor, it’s called the Luminor Goldtech Calendario Perpetuo, and the reference number is PAM01269 (stop sniggering at the back!).
The most immediate thing you’ll notice is the dial which is mostly transparent. It seems that Panerai took a trick from their Richemont sister brand A. Lange & Söhne and used a dark tinted sapphire crystal disk to reveal some of the watch’s inner workings. Obviously, neither brand is the first to do a semi-opaque dial, but the calendar disks so evident behind the markers make one wonder.
Reading this watch should be a doddle. All Panerais have top-notch legibility, thanks to their simplistic designs. Integrated into the seconds subdial is an AM/PM indicator. Precisely how useful that is to you remains to be seen. The main calendar functions are the date and day of the week, which are set in disks with gold-surrounded windows to view, making reading easy. The day of the week is written in Italian as Panerai loves to remind us of its roots. The big blue hand extending from the centre of the watch is the month indicator is a second 12-hour hand for in case you need a second 12-hour hand, I guess? I have no idea what this is for, but it’s cool that it’s there.
Powering this is the calibre P.4100. Unlike most movements, some of the indications spill over to the caseback. Visible under a sapphire crystal is the solid gold micro-rotor, along with a disk indicating both the month and the leap year and the current year in numbers, much like IWC does. I like that Panerai put these on the back, you’re much less likely to need to check them as often, so there’s no reason they need to be on the dial. The movement has a 4Hz beat rate, 3-day power reserve and enough anti-shock devices to make it as durable as any Rolex.
With a 44mm diameter case made of GoldTech (Panerai’s proprietary blend of tarnish-resistant rose gold), this watch will cost you £69,000, including VAT.
Visit Panerai here.
