TECHNICAL DIVERS
panerai’s Submersible has come into its own, and brings with it promises of exclusive experiences for collectors who manage to snag its limited editions
Panerai has restructured its product line-up, and the Submersible is now a standalone collection that sits alongside the Radiomir, Luminor and Luminor Due. The brand accompanied this revamp with a host of new Submersible models, which were unveiled at SIHH to further bolster the collection and make it a fully-fledged one.
The new Submersible collection consists of three sub-lines. The Divers Professional is the core collection, with staples such as the PAM683, a bona fide dive watch modestly sized at 42mm and rendered in steel with a ceramic bezel insert for robustness. Meanwhile, the hardcore Marina Militare line has what Panerai calls “survival instruments” meant for military professionals. Finally, there’s the Ocean Saving range of Submersibles themed on initiatives to protect the environment.
The new Submersibles were unveiled with special collaborations for each sub-line. What’s noteworthy are the rarer, more exclusive variants of each. The Marina Militare line, for instance, has the “regular” Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech ( PAM979) in carbon
composite. A special variant, PAM961, shares most of its specs, but comes in a slightly different colourway with green accents, and is available only as a limited run of 33 pieces. What’s different about the limited version is that the watch’s wearer will be offered a training session with COMSUBIN, the frogman commando unit of the Italian Navy.
In the same vein, the Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition from the Divers Professional sub-line has two versions: PAM982 and PAM983. The latter is limited to just 15 examples, and each owner of the watch will be invited to freedive with French freediving champion Guillaume Néry in Moorea.
The new Submersible timepieces aren’t radical departures from past iterations and will remain familiar to Panerai aficionados. The collection is more cohesive now though, which should allow the brand to flex its creative and watchmaking muscles even further. The introduction of exclusive experiences, previously offered by few other brands, is also an interesting development that may just herald the next stage in the evolution of the luxury market.