The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech watch hands-on

Its name is Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech and I believe it to be the most interesting new product presented by Panerai during a press conference which strengthens once more the public image of a brand that is unrivalled in terms of coherence and simplicity in its means of communication.

What is Carbotech? Think of a Luminor Submersible, substitute its titanium case which, including the crown and its protective bridge device measures 47mm in diameter, with a composite material made of carbon fibers, whose extremely thin layers of carbon fibers are pressed at a controlled temperature and at high pressure with a polymer, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), the alloying agent which is used to create the composite.

Panerai chose to employ long carbon fibers, to combine their exceptional resistance with a certain aesthetic uniformity: the various layers are overlapping and pressed together so that the orientation of the fibers in each layer is out of phase from the one just above, and the one just below.

The Carbotech in the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech is lighter than titanium and more resistant than ceramic, practically combining both materials’ advantages, whilst also adding an absolute resistance to corrosion, as Panerai claims.

It looks like a special corps military watch (it would deserve an exclusive line dedicated to Navy Seals), very easy to wear despite its dimensions and aesthetically speaking its design exceeds the limits of the total black watches line by far.: details are not enhanced.

Panerai associated infact a blue Carbotech writing with blue luminous seconds’ indexes, and the historical logo OP on the soft rubber band to the black case and dial. The caliber is the in-house P9000 which, if I’m not mistaken, is based on the first in-house automatic movement developed by Panerai in 2003, when he was developing his R&D dedicated centre in Neuchâtel.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter®