ReviewHands On Review: The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech

Materials never played a key role in the watch industry until recent times. Though watches that have aesthetically ‘pleasing’ materials like gold & silver are still a core focus for every major brand, luxury watchmakers themselves haven’t really embraced exotic materials with open arms. The first major brand that comes to our mind when we talk about the art of mixing materials would probably be Hublot, the brand that sort of invaded the luxury watch industry with their Big Bang collection – a collection that has seen some bizarre combination of materials. And let’s not forget the fruit of their ‘art of fusion’ brought rubber straps to the world of watches.

Unconventional materials today are becoming popular among watch lovers who are not just looking for something different, but something exclusive. Brands like Omega (the Meteorite watch), Romain Jerome (Titanic DNA) and Oris (Carl Brashear) have only recently started experimenting with precious materials because they too have realized that the new era of luxury watches isn’t only about ‘inherent value’. So there’s no reason why Panerai, one of the oldest and most prestigious brands in the world, would want to be left behind. In a bold move to give one of their iconic models – the Submersible, a facelift, Panerai has used Carbon fibre composites, a material that has never been used in watchmaking before. Panerai’s Carbotech is indeed pure Panerai in terms of mechanics, but it’s what’s on the outside that’s new and exciting. Let’s find out more about this rare watch and what makes it so special:

‘Carbotech’ – Not just a name:

Carbotech might sound like a fancy name given to a watch as a marketing gimmick, but it’s a lot more than that. The tech involved with this particular timepiece is a lot more complicated than it seems. Panerai developed the Carbotech – a bonded carbon material never before used in watches, entirely by themselves. Layers of carbon fibre are stacked on top of one another and bound together to form one solid material. From there, solid blocks are cut and shaped to form the classic submersible case. The entire process involving this material is obviously a lot more difficult to work on than something like gold or even stainless steel.

The Carbotech material wasn’t a random choice by Panerai. The brand recognized the benefits of using carbon fibre compounds to enhance both the aesthetics and performance of the watch.  According to Panerai, the new material is both lighter and stronger than ceramic or titanium and is hypoallergenic.

The Case – An Icon gets a facelift:

The case design takes queues straight out of Panerai’s original Luminor of the late 1940s  – a watch worn by commandos of the Italian Navy. The Submersible collection was actually an off-shoot of the original Luminor, meant to be a professional 300-meter divers watch, which, until now was only available in titanium.

Though a whopping 47mm wide, the case wears better than you would expect, with its short lugs giving it a perfect fit on your wrist. Adding to the benefits of the material – Carbotech is obviously much lighter in weight compared to steel or gold and thus adds to the Submersible’s comfort. The case back of the watch, however, is done in black-coloured titanium, which allows the watch to achieve water resistance up to 300m.

The inclusion of Carbotech also means none of the cases are the same as each layer is compressed in a non-uniform pattern (which is visible around the case). So in addition to the benefits that the material brings, each Panerai Carbotech is going to be truly unique to its owner.

The Dial:

A black dial with a matte finish compliments the Carbotech case, and features luminous dots marking the hours, except at 12 and 6 o’clock which have luminous Arabic numerals. A subsidiary small seconds display occupies the 9 o’clock position with a blue luminous hand. The small seconds counter also features blue dots for 5-second graduations, and luminous indexes marking 15-second graduations. There’s a date display at 3 o’clock as well.

What protects the dial is a slightly convex sapphire crystal glass.

High-Quality Rubber strap:

Securing the case is a really high-quality traditional diver’s strap with “springy” ends for additional comfort and a blue-coloured “OP” Panerai logo on it.

Movement:

Though it’s the outside that takes most of the attention, the mechanical heart of the Carbotech cannot be ignored. The P.9000 automatic caliber is an in-house movement, developed and made by the Officine Panerai manufacture, with a great power reserve of 72 hours; hence the “3 Days” mentioned in the model name “Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3-Days Automatic”. The 3-day power reserve is courtesy two mainspring power barrels, which allow the watch to run autonomously for three days.

The P.9000 caliber, used in multiple Luminor 1950 and Radiomir models before, has an accuracy of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The movement also includes a device that completely stops the balance wheel while adjusting the watch, thereby maintaining the accuracy of the watch.

Final Thoughts:

For a brand so etched to its history, it’s great to see them finally embrace new materials. Rather than using carbon fibre components like every other brand, Panerai developed a brand new material (Carbotech) by themselves, something the big brands haven’t attempted to do yet. With a design inspired by the brand’s rich history – a true professional dive watch, and a material never used on watches before – carbon fibre, Panerai is offering the best of both worlds with this timepiece. Furthermore, the case itself is superb to look at with the unique patterns – different on each and every timepiece.

The Panerai Submersible Carbotech is a watch that surely doesn’t follow, but certainly sets a trend for watches to come. However, it comes at a price.

Price and Availability:

The Panerai Submersible Carbotech is priced at INR 11,77,000 in India and is available on special order at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

Do you like the watch? Drop a comment in the comments section below!