Panerai's 2021 main themes are the "There is no planet B" campaign supporting their project to introduce partially or fully recycled timepieces and the return of a long-gone classic in the Luminor offering during the early 2000s: the Chrono. Although the embargo ends today, the Internet was flooded with pictures of all the new models more than a week ago. However, please consider we stick to Panerai's official embargo; you'll therefore find additional models as soon as the brand is taking the curtain off the new models along the way.
To sum things up, the brand's primary focus is the Luminor, with the addition of a limited edition Radiomir and some flagship or limited edition Luminor and Submersible here and there. Please find below the updated list by collection:
The Panerai Luminor Chrono is a welcome addition to the collection. The Luminor chronograph is missing from the brand's catalog for a long time now. Unlike its predecessor, the 2021 Luminor Chronograph mimics a Luminor Flyback or a Luminor Regatta, hence with the Chrono pushers placed on the case's left-hand side. Available in four options, it features a 44 mm case, which is 15.65 mm high and is powered by the caliber 9200, a code name identifying a re-worked externally sourced caliber, quite a strange choice if we consider how extensive it is Panerai's offering of in-house developed mechanical movements. As far as we have been told, it is a Sellita-based caliber with a Dubois Depraz module on top, capable of running for 42 hours, with the addition of a Glucydur® balance wheel and Incabloc shockproof device.
The base options are the reference PAM 1109, on a black dial, and the PAM 01218 with a white dial and a matte finish instead, both glowing green in the dark. There is a third option, the PAM 01110, matching a blue dial with a blue sunray finish to a steel bracelet whose links are in the shape of the signature crown-protecting bridge. It is proof positive of how the brand is trying to explore the full-steel watch theme further. All the standard Luminor Chrono models come with a pin buckle.
On top of this proposition, Panerai is adding a 1000-piece limited edition model named after Luna Rossa's partnership. The Panerai Luminor Chrono Luna Rossa combines "Luna Rossa" tones and writing with an innovative rubber and fabric strap with trapezoidal-shaped and brushed pin buckle; you can swap with a white one as a replacement, in case.
Please find below the new Panerai Luminor Chrono's official price list.
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Luminor Chrono PAM 1109 and PAM 1218: 8900 Euro
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Luminor Chrono Luna Rossa PAM 9100: 9100 Euro
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Luminor Chrono all-steel PAM 1110: 9700 Euro
Panerai is the first manufacturer in the industry to turn "green", and the 2021 Luminor eSteel, whose case is made of recycled steel, is the "bread and butter" of the new portfolio of ecologically manufactured timepieces. The 58.4% of the entire watch, in weight, comes from recycled steel; in brief, the case and the dial result from a recycling process. We have no details concerning the recycling process, which is the main discussion topic. From what we can see, by scrolling the specs sheet, the case is thinner than the standard one (15.45 against 15.65 mm, according to our data), while the case measures 44 mm in width. Powering the new steel Luminor watches is the in-house caliber P9100 boasting three days of maximum power reserve.
I can't wait to see the new references PAM 1157, PAM 1356, and PAM 1358 with a blue, green, gray two-tone dial, respectively, in the flesh. Since they adopt the same template as the standard AIS316L models, I'm curious to find out how they compare to a standard Luminor like for like. Also, bear in mind the green PAM 1356 will be available exclusively through the brand's boutiques. Finally, the strap and the pin buckle are also the result of a recycling process; the strap, especially, is made of PET. Each new Luminor eSteel will retail for 8500 Euros.
Panerai's industrially green-based approach has reached its pinnacle with the new Submersible eLAB-ID™ PAM 225 officially listed as "Concept Watch" yet retailed at 60,000 Euros. It is the most challenging achievement so far when it comes to making a timepiece out of a recycling process, involving several new partners outside the industry's standard supply chain. The outcome is a timepiece whose percentage of recycling is close to 99%.
The case, the sandwich dial, and the bridges are all made of EcoTitanium™, an alloy of recycled titanium. The Panerai Submersible eLAB-ID™ is the first-ever watch to adopt 100% recycled Super–LumiNova™ on both the dial and the hands and 100% recycled silicon to make the escapement. Both come through small-scale recycling processes by reusing raw material's waste.
From the sapphire crystal down to the gold hands, most of the main components are made from recycled material. Panerai has thus challenged conventions and aims at revolutionizing the industry's standards, as Toyota did twenty years ago or so with the hybrid technology revolution, as an example. I'm curious to find out how the watchmaking industry and the community will answer to Panerai's new approach to making luxury watches.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Panerai)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
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