WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech – 47MM


The Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech is at the technical vanguard of Panerai’s re-branded Submersible collection. We found this rugged timepiece, engineered for combat diving, makes a sharp statement on dry land as well.

Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech front reclining
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech – 47MM

Many Paneristi, especially those who also count themselves among the ranks of diving enthusiasts, likely applauded the company’s recent decision to spin off its Submersible series – traditionally a sub-brand of the Luminor family – into a more independent, stand-alone collection within the Panerai portfolio. As I had the opportunity to tell then-newly minted Panerai North America Brand President Philippe Bonay, during a brief encounter at the Geneva Airport, both of us exhaustedly awaiting a flight home after SIHH 2019, I believe it allows the brand to tell a new story that it frankly, and somewhat oddly, had not been telling much in its modern incarnation. Quite simply, while Panerai’s roots are firmly planted in military diving – going all the way back to the 1930s and the first watches the Florentine firm provided for Italian naval frogmen – it had been quite a while since Panerai timepieces had really been regarded as “dive watches” in the way that, say, the Rolex Submariner or Blancpain Fifty Fathoms or Omega Seamaster are.

Part of the reason for this was Panerai’s vaulting to its current identity as a masculine luxury item rather than a tool watch (thank you, Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger); another was the incontrovertible fact that most modern Panerai watches, which do not include a unidirectional rotating divers’ bezel (the Radiomir models, based on the company’s earliest pieces, don’t even have the patented crown protecting device that helps ensure waterproofness), don’t actually pass muster as ISO-approved dive watches today. The only ones that would are the erstwhile Luminor Submersibles, which are equipped with both a divers’ bezel and a crown protector and boast an unapologetically militaristic, utilitarian look, but these models had been emphasized less in recent years than the two main families. With Submersible as its own collection, Panerai can both embrace its nautical past and – this, Bonay agreed, was key – establish itself as a brand for serious divers and those engaged in other active outdoor adventures.

Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Front
The watch’s case is made from Carbotech, a material Panerai introduced to watchmaking.

All of which is an admittedly long-winded way to introduce this close-up look at the first of the 2019 Submersibles we were able to get our hands on at WatchTime, the Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech – 47MM, a jet-black bruiser of a timepiece that nevertheless looks really sharp under a dress shirt cuff (so long as it’s not buttoned too tight, of course; the watch has a fairly substantial girth in addition to its wide proportions). Released as one of the flagships of the revamped Submersible collection, which are distinguished on their dials by the use of “Panerai Submersible” at 12 o’clock rather than the previous “Luminor Submersible Panerai,” is the latest model with its bezel, case middle, lugs and even the patented crown-protecting bridge made of Carbotech, a material that Panerai introduced to the watch world in 2015.

Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Profile
The barrel-shaped case middle has the textured pattern of Carbotech.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Profile - Lever
Panerai’s patented locking bridge device helps secure the watch’s water resistance to 300 meters.

Drilling down a bit on Carbotech: its structure is designed to optimize both the aesthetics and the performance of the material. To form the plates that give it its distinctive look, thin sheets of carbon fibers are compressed at a controlled temperature under high pressure together with a high-end polymer, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), which binds the composite material, making it even stronger and more durable. The carbon fibers used are very long, to ensure aesthetic uniformity, and the sheets are superimposed and pressed together in such a way that the fibers of each layer are set at a different angle to the ones above and below it. The resulting material boasts mechanical properties much higher than those of similar materials used in watchmaking, such as ceramics and titanium. Carbotech, according to Panerai, is lighter than both and more resistant to corrosion as well as being hypoallergenic. Aesthetically, the material has an uneven, matte-black appearance with an almost wood-grain-like texture that varies according to the cutting of the material. This means, in essence, that each object made of this material is a unique piece.

In its use of this material for its outer shell, the Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech succeeds admirably in each of the areas it is engineered to enhance. The light weight makes it comfortable on the wrist despite its imposing size and one gets a sensation of both hardness and smoothness running one’s fingers up and down the barrel-shaped case middle. Interestingly, “in the metal” (or should that be “in the material?”) as opposed to in the many photos Panerai has released of its Carbotech models, the wavy, layered texture is fairly subtle – again, a positive trait if you want to wear this Submersible as a dress watch. The lugs are sharply curved, the caseback is flatter than I tend to prefer but still nestles nicely on the wrist, and the bezel produces a pronounced clicking – precisely 60 clicks, one for each minute of dive-scale time – that is likely to echo quite audibly throughout the room.

Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Dial - Index
A luminous double index marks the 12 o’clock position on the carbon dial.
Panerai_Submersible_Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - bezel
Studded relief dots appear on the bezel at the 15-minute markers.

The bezel’s design is one of the most defining elements that separate it from other dive watches (and not only because this one bears the signature swirling pattern common to Carbotech). The studded relief dots that rise from its slightly curved surface are punctuated by a luminous-filled dot at 12 o’clock, tiny numbered dots at the 15-, 30- and 45-minute markers, and blank dots at the other 5-minute points. These dots are a throwback to the now-famous historical Panerai watch that inspired the Submersible design: the so-called L’Egiziano, a massive 60-mm divers’ watch commissioned by the Egyptian Navy in 1956. In that watch, the studded surface served a utilitarian purpose, using the numbered points to indicate immersion time and allowing hands in thick dive gloves to grasp the rotating bezel from the front; in this incarnation, they are largely ornamental, superseded by the grooved edges.

Fingertips of all sizes can easily grasp the grooved edge to turn the bezel in its counter-clockwise direction to set dive times. The screw-down crown is similarly fluted and easily turned (not as much so when it’s actually being worn on the wrist due to the large crown protector). It’s held in place securely by that patented protection device, also made of Carbotech, whose hinged locking mechanism extracts easily but firmly from its locked position to allow winding of the watch. After the watch is wound, simply push the lever back into place to firmly anchor the crown and thus secure the Submersible’s water resistance of 300 meters.

Panerai Submersible Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Dial - Seconds
The running seconds are displayed on a subdial with a luminous hand and markers.
Panerai Submersible Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Crown
The lever locks into place to secure the grooved crown.

The carbon dial continues the watch’s ebony-tinted “stealth” look, with an etched carbon particle pattern exposed nicely under a loupe (albeit with some glare in certain lighting). A double bar index marks 12 o’clock, a single one rests at 6 o’clock, and bubble-like white dots identify most of the other hour stops. The only exceptions are at 3 o’clock, where a date window sits – nice and small and subtle, with a white date numeral on a black field, an attractive detail that maintains the watch’s monochromatic charm – and a seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, with a small hand orbiting a circle of four tiny bar indexes and eight dots; all the hands and indexes are, judging by the powerful glow my review watch emitted in the dark after a day in the sun, all fairly drenched in Super-LumiNova. The little teardrop-shaped seconds hand traverses the subdial at what appears to the naked eye to be a slow, leisurely pace but nevertheless tracks the passage of time with admirable precision.

Panerai Submersible Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Lume
Super-LumiNova in two colors helps the watch glow brightly in the dark.

Behind the solid caseback, which is constructed not of Carbotech but of black-coated titanium but nevertheless looks perfectly coordinated with the ensemble, Panerai’s Caliber P.9010 does its duty. Produced entirely in-house at Panerai’s manufacture in the picturesque Swiss town of Neuchâtel, the movement is self-winding by means of a bidirectional rotor, and stores a power reserve of 72 hours, or three days, in twin barrels. Like other Panerai in-house movements, it is fitted with a device for stopping the balance wheel to more precisely synchronize the watch while setting it, as well as a system for quickly adjusting the hour hand forward or backward without interfering with the running of the seconds hand – a useful feature when changing time zones or in the event one needs to quickly adjust the date.

Panerai_Submersible_Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Caseback
The solid caseback is made of blackened titanium and features a rendering of a diver.

The caseback’s host of engravings includes the brand name, model name, water resistance level and, decorating the center circle, a rendering of a military diver with the Submersible collection’s new tagline, “Survival Instruments” – another indication that Panerai is attempting to imbue the series with a healthy dose of its military diving history. The watch is mounted on a segmented black rubber strap, emblazoned with the historical “OP” (Officine Panerai) emblem on both its top surfaces, and fastens (as previously noted) very comfortably to the wrist with a large pin buckle, presumably made of the same blackened titanium as the caseback, subtly engraved with a tone-on-tone Panerai logo.

Panerai Submersible Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Strap
The vintage “Officine Panerai” logo is inscribed into the rubber strap.
Panerai Submersible Carbotech_Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech - Buckle
A blackened metal pin buckle fastens this large watch firmly to the wrist.

The Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech – 47MM retails for $19,400. That’s a bit steep by almost any standard for a timepiece that proudly embraces a “tool watch” identity – by comparison, the steel-cased 42-mm Submersible starts at $8,900 – but the watch will certainly appeal to a segment of well-heeled Paneristi, especially those who appreciate the technical stride for the brand that Carbotech represents. As Bonay and his team have pointed out, Panerai’s history has been one not only associated with military diving but with innovation – from its invention of luminous material for deep-sea diving visibility, to the emblematic crown protector, to materials like Carbotech and BMG-Tech. And the Submersible, as in the past, remains the ideal template for showcasing even newer breakthroughs in the future.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Officine Panerai, Route de Pierre- à-Bot 87, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Reference number: PAM00979
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date
Movement: Manufacture Caliber P.9010, automatic, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels, stop-seconds function, rapid-reset mechanism for the date display via hour hand that jumps in hourly increments, fine adjustment via weight screws on the balance, Incaboc shock absorption, 72-hour power reserve, diameter = 31 mm, height = 6 mm
Case: Carbotech case with counter- clockwise rotating bezel, screw- down crown protected by patented locking bridge device, domed sapphire crystal, screw-down caseback made of blackened titanium, water resistant to 300 m
Dial: Carbon, with luminous hour markers and dots, date at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, luminous coated hands.
Strap and clasp: Black rubber strap with pin buckle
Dimensions: Diameter = 47 mm
Price: $19,400

This article originally appeared in the November-December 2019 issue of WatchTime.

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  1. Scott J Pedersen

    I would LOVE it if the dive watches would more typically include a GMT function in their watches. Most people don’t live in “dive” locales and are traveling there and it would be really useful for dive watches to have the GMT function.

    Seems like a simple ask…and happy to pay for the opportunity!

    Reply
  2. I think Panarai needs to rethink it’s market. This current release shows their arrogance with pricing. Too bad. A once sought after brand.

    Reply
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