2020 Watches & Wonders Shanghai Haute Horlogerie Show Born in 1860, Panerai’s tough watches, professional performance and exquisite watchmaking expertise have won the hearts of many watch enthusiasts. The Luminor, designed in the early 1950s and named after tritium, the replica Panerai watches luminous material used to replace radium during the Second World War, will undoubtedly be the star of the Panerai 2020 collection, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the iconic Luminor. The Marina 44mm, another new Panerai creation, was unveiled at the Shanghai Haute Horlogerie Show. (Watch Ref. PAM01314)
The new Luminor Marina 44mm, with its cushion-shaped AISI 316L steel case, its crown-guard bridge mechanism and the sandwich dial that is essential to the new Luminor Marina Luminor collection, is a certain innovation that combines tradition and modernity, highlighting the brand’s time-honored design principles.
The 44 mm diameter case is made of AISI 316L brushed steel, a material with an extremely low carbon content and a high resistance to corrosion that will extend the life of the watch. The cushion-shaped case, with its clean lines, is a testament to the forward-looking design of Panerai’s Luminor watches of the 1990s. The case extends down to the lugs, which are made of the same material as the case to ensure the integrity of the watch, and the lugs are curved to provide the wearer with the strongest possible comfort. The bezel made of the same material is delicately combined with the square case to achieve a delicate square-round balance that gives the watch its distinctive character.
The dial is cream-coloured, a colour that is strikingly new. Its sandwich construction, inspired by Panerai’s design of the late 1930s, consists of two overlapping plates, the upper of which is skeletonized in the position corresponding to the hour-markers, to give the brand’s signature its fullest. The dial has a traditional layout with a date window at 3 o’clock and a small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. The Arabic numerals and hands are adorned with luminescent grey material, giving the watch a minimalist look. This luminescent material emits a greenish glow in the dark, ensuring excellent readability.
A dark brown crocodile leather strap with beige stitching adds a touch of refinement to the watch, as do the details of the strap. The Luminor Marina Luminor 44mm watch is powered by the P.9010 self-winding movement, which maintains the Panerai characteristics of reliability, robustness and practicality that have always characterized Panerai movements. Designed and developed by the Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel, it has a fast-adjusting hour hand, which can be adjusted in both directions, as well as a synchronized date, making it particularly useful when travelling. This watch, presented at the 2020 Shanghai Salon de la Haute Horlogerie, is a tribute to classic Panerai aesthetics and is a perfect example of the brand’s excellence.