SIHH 2019: Panerai and the year of the Submersible

With the release of their smallest watches ever last year during SIHH 2018 in the form of the Panerai Luminor Due, some were probably afraid that Panerai would continue to go down that road.

No need to worry as the brand has so far introduced the 47mm Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition PAM00982 as a pre-SIHH announcement a few weeks ago and today, on the first day of SIHH 2019, the brand has unveiled the rest of their novelties and 2019 seems to be the year of the Submersible for Panerai. Needless to say that fans of larger Panerai watches and diving watches will surely be pleased.

Panerai Submersible Luna Rossa PAM1039

This new PAM1039 serves as the announcement of the new partnership between Panerai and Luna Rossa Challenge, the sailing team named as the Challenger of Record of the 36th America’s Cup.

The new PAM1039
The new PAM1039

If you are unfamiliar with the America’s Cup, it’s a sailing match race between two sailing yachts, the defender and the challenger, each representing their yacht club. The defender is the holder of the America’s Cup and is assured a place in the final match race. The challenger is the yacht club which challenges for the cup.

Immediately after winning the 35th America’s Cup in 2017, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, represented by their sailing team, Emirates Team New Zealand, accepted the challenge from Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Italian yacht club represented by Luna Rossa Challenge. The Italian team being the first to challenge the defender thus becomes the “Challenger of Record” for the 36th America’s Cup which will take place in 2021.

The Luna Rossa team representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia
The Luna Rossa team representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia

To celebrate Panerai becoming the official sponsor of Luna Rossa, the brand will create a series of watches which will be worn by crew members of the Luna Rossa sailing team and inspired by the technologies and materials used in the America’s Cup.

To begin with, we find in the new Panerai Submersible Luna Rossa a case and unidirectional bezel made of carbotech, the high tech material made of carbon fibre which was previously used in the PAM00616 and which also indicated the use of carbon fibre to build the hull of the Luna Rossa AC75 yacht. Flip the watch over and you’ll find the Luna Rossa engraved on the caseback along with the team’s logo and the America’s Cup profile. Expect the watch to be light and resistant to corrosion; the perfect companion for a skipper.

The new PAM1039

My favorite part of the timepiece has to be the dial, which contains pieces of sails of the Luna Rossa applied on the dial giving it a rougher and sportier look. Powering the watch is the in-house calibre P.9010/GMT giving a three-day power reserve to the watch.

Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech
PAM00979 and PAM00961

The second big announcement from Panerai is the Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech which comes in two versions and gives a nod to the historic partnership that the brand has had with the Italian navy.

PAM00979
PAM00979
PAM00961 Limited Edition
PAM00961 Limited Edition

Of the two versions, the PAM00979 is a non-limited model. The watch is made of carbotech just like the PAM1039 mentioned above, and also in a 47mm case. The carbon fibre based material is lighter than titanium and stronger than stainless steel which makes for a great diving partner on the wrist. Due to the manufacturing process of carbotech – consisting of thin layers of carbon fibre bound together by a special polymer – the end result means that each watch is unique in appearance. The look of the watch is further enhanced by the dial made of carbon where the grey SuperLuminova and skeletonized hands sit.

PAM00961 Limited Edition

The PAM00961 is a very limited version of the Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech, with just 33 examples, and comes with a special experience in the box: a training session with Comsubin, the Diving and Commando Group of the Italian Navy.

Visually the watch is distinguished by its overall green colour theme found with the strap, hands and luminous markers but remains in the same 47mm Carbotech case. In both watches you will find the in-house P.9010 calibre powering the watches for three full days.

Panerai Submersible Mike Horn Edition
PAM00984 and PAM00985

Continuing their relationship with one of the greatest explorer alive today and an active protector of our planet, Panerai unveils the new Submersible Mike Horn edition featuring a 47mm case made of EcoTitanium produced with recycled titanium. The material is also found in the bezel and crown guard. To minimize the environmental impact, the watch also comes with a black strap made of recycled PET and the box in which the watch is sold is also made of recycled materials.

Submersible Mike Horn Edition PAM00984
Submersible Mike Horn Edition PAM00984
Submersible Mike Horn Edition PAM00984

Two models were unveiled, the standard PAM00984 which is non limited and the PAM00985 which is a limited edition of 19 pieces giving the owner the opportunity to go experience a few days of intensive training with Mike Horn himself among the ice floes of the Arctic to learn more about the dangers that our ecosystem faces every day. The limited edition version differs with a blue strap and blue luminous material on the dial. Both model feature the same in-house P.9010 calibre with the three-day power reserve.

Limited edition PAM00985
Limited edition PAM00985

Panerai Submersible Carbotech
PAM00960 and PAM1616

I wrote at the top of this article that 2019 will be the year of the Submersible, I should also say that it is the year of Carbotech. The lighter than titanium and highly resistant carbon fibre based material has been seen in almost all the new releases from the brand, and since Carbotech gives each watch a unique character, it’s just like Panerai came to SIHH with only unique pieces in its suitcases.

The new Panerai Submersible Carbotech are true professional diving instruments available in either 47mm size (PAM01616) or a smaller 42mm case (PAM00960). The watches feature and black overall look and black dial, making the superluminova pop and extremely legible when diving in darker environments.

PAM 960
PAM 960
PAM 1616
PAM 1616
PAM 1616

Panerai Submersible BMG-TECH PAM00799

Still building on the Submersible collection but this time stepping away from carbotech-only watches, Panerai unveils the Submersible BMG-TECH. This innovative material is obtained from an alloy consisting of zirconium, copper, aluminium, titanium and nickel and a process that “shocks” the atoms into chaos. The end product is a material that is not only stronger but also more resistant to corrosion, external shocks, and magnetic fields.

PAM 799
PAM 799
PAM 799

Were you already missing carbotech? Don’t worry, you’ll find it in the bezel of the PAM00799, just like the SuperLuminova giving extreme legibility while underwater and the in-house P.9010 calibre and its three days of power reserve.

Panerai Submersible PAM00683 and PAM00959

We finish up this round-up of all the Panerai novelties for SIHH 2019 with two dive watches in stainless steel.

PAM 00683
PAM 00683

The PAM00683 features a black rubber strap, black ceramic bezel and black dial with white luminous markers which contrast well with the metallic hue of the stainless steel.

PAM 00959
PAM 00959

The PAM00959 combines an ocean blue color scheme found with the ceramic bezel and strap but complementing the very attractive shark grey textured dial.

Panerai has been very busy preparing this year’s releases and I can’t wait to see them slowly appearing on collectors’ wrists in the coming year.

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