With a history reaching back to the times when Italy was founded, the Panerai Watches tell a fascinating story about longevity and how to navigate through history by creating state of the art pieces, keeping alive the passion for Italian design and Swiss watchmaking expertise.
Nowadays, many companies and organizations are working hard to provide solutions regarding the overexploitation of natural resources, one obvious method being the recycling of used products.
This is where Panerai already acts as a main player on the scene: by launching the Panerai Ecologico programme, the giant of the watchmaking industry intends to spread ecological awareness and become part of the solution.
Panerai Ecologico isn’t just about the products of the brand; rather, it reflects the policy of the organization as a whole. From the economizing of transportation by opting for video conferences to actually building an infrastructure in order to consume less energy, the promotion of ecological awareness has become Panerai priority.
Although watchmaking is not considered to be one of the main polluters worldwide, current CEO Jean Marc Pontroue says : "Still, I believe that, since we are exposed to the oceans, we all have a responsibility to do something. Panerai sees oceans as our natural playground, so I think the brand has a stronger connection to this concept than some others." Consequently, related to the fact that Panerai will have the dial of the watch being made with recycled fishnet.
So let’s take a closer look at their new products based on this concept.
The first highlight is the Submersible eLAB-ID.
„Submersible eLAB-ID™ is an unprecedented achievement in the history of the watch industry.
A total of 98.6% of its weight comes from materials which integrate a high amount of recycled elements. Its case, sandwich dial and bridges are made of EcoTitanium™, a recycled titanium alloy that is a lightweight aerospace-grade metal made of more than 80% pure recycled content. Submersible eLAB-ID™ is the first watch to use 100% recycled SuperLuminova™ on its dial and hands as well as 100% recycled silicon for its movement escapement. Both are obtained through intense, small-scale recycling processes that reuse raw material waste. From the sapphire crystal to the gold hands, most of the major components contain recycled material.
The end result is a concept watch planned to go on sale as a 30-piece limited edition in 2022. And the most impressive part of it is that there are no compromises made in its construction. It is a 44mm submersible with up to 300 meters water resistance as well as a case and dial made of aerospace-grade titanium.
While 30 exemplaries of a single model are most probably not going to have a big impact on statistics about pollution savings, promoting the suppliers might encourage ecological trends. Panerai is hereby setting an example not just for its own future models, but for other watch manufacturers. An example which needs to go full scale.
Quick Facts: Panerai Submersible eLAB-ID PAM1225
Case: 44 mm, EcoTitanium
Movement: automatic Caliber P.900e, 3 days power reserve, 28,800 vph/4 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Availability: expected in 2022
Price: €60,000
Panerai Luminor Marina eSteel
The greatest icons evolve over time, and the Luminor is no exception. It was originally the first model to feature their patented crown-protecting device, and it is now the first to feature our brand new eSteel casing. Polished dials reveal a gradient finish, coordinating with the colour of the recycled textile straps and trapezoidal pin buckle.
But, as with most recycling, the advantage is the reduction in energy usage and environmental impacts of the recycled material over processed newly-mined metals. Ore extraction and refinement consume a lot of energy, so melting down already created steels and working to carefully recreate alloys uses much less energy than refining from scratch.
Another nice feature on the Luminor Marina eSteel is the addition of a recycled strap made from PET plastics, a form of plastic most commonly found in plastic bottles for water, soda, and other food packaging. Since this represents a significant polluter of the oceans, a place we all know Panerai loves, this is an obvious choice to help (however small) reduce ocean plastic pollution.
Quick Facts: Panerai Luminor Marina eSteel
Case: 44 x 15.45 mm, eSteel
Movement: automatic Caliber P.9010, 3 days power reserve, 28,800 vph/4 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Price: €8,500/$8,700
Availability: October 2021
Women and versatility
Although the image of the brand is constructed on the outsized proportions of the case with a 47mm typical size, the Luminor Due 38mm model can be easily worn by ladies, thanks to the reduced thickness of the case which provides 30-meter water resistance. The model is an epitome of elegance, by keeping all the iconic elements of the Panerai Luminor: the minimalist sandwich dial, with only two Arabic numerals and a discreet small seconds counter at 9 o’clock.
There are eight versions of this model: three of stainless steel, with white, ivory or anthracite dial, one of titanium with Alligator Dark blue strap, and four versions of polished Goldtech™, with Alligator Black, Light blue and red strap. The precious gold alloy possesses a vibrant personality resulting from a significant percentage of copper (24%) and platinum (4%). In addition to its intense tone, the metal boasts heightened oxidation resistance.
The most impressive version is the Panerai Piccolo Due Madreperla, a versatile and eclectic expression of Italian taste, with interchangeable Alligator shiny red strap, enhanced by iridescent mother-of-pearl dial, a lustrous material that endows each watch with a unique character. It provides an elegant complement to the pink gold colour hands, applied numerals and date window that gleam with warm radiance and, furthermore, it reflects the light shed by numerals and indices filled by white SuperLumiNovaTM with green luminescence.
Photo credits: Panerai.com