Following the success of their Carbotech™️ Submersible line, Panerai has released a new Luminor Marina in the same material. The colours and robustness of the material bring some life to a brand that has played things a little too safe. There are still plenty of Panerai wearers, but we’re a long ways removed from the Panerai glory days of around two decades ago.
This is a good step for Panerai, who has largely rested on a look that has gotten a little too familiar, to move towards being a more competitive option for people who would otherwise look to other brands. I don’t like to see all watchmakers take the same steps, but adding a dark material and having blue accents does seem to be a trick that works very well in revitalizing a watch line. It definitely has worked with this new iteration of the Luminor.
The Luminor Marina is a much better option to display this new look than the Submersible line. This version retains the classic Panerai look and avoids some of the chunkier characteristics of the Submersible range. This also hits the perfect mark between the Submersible’s 42mm and 47mm offerings by coming in at 44mm. It’s smaller than the often overwhelming 47mm size, but retains the Panerai “feel” that can be lacking in a 42mm PAM. This is my favorite release by Panerai in a long time.
The Panerai reference PAM 1661 is priced at 12,800 USD.