SpotlightWatches And Wonders 2021: Panerai Paves The Way For Sustainable Watchmaking
Panerai, the Italian brand of Swiss-made watches, embraced the eco-conscious route and showcased some path-breaking concepts at this year’s digital edition of Watches and Wonders, while also focusing on new iterations of the chronograph. With the successful implementation of a sustainable manufacturing process, the brand aim to churn out more environment-friendly watches in future
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As conversations and awareness around sustainability increase, brands and businesses are aligning their thought process and enterprise models around this ethos. Leading the way is Panerai—following through on their eco-friendly theme presented at Watches and Wonders 2021. The Florentine brand unveiled some ground-breaking concepts—aimed at largely reducing waste that’s generated during the watchmaking process. Panerai commenced their digital product presentation with a short film that focused on how the oceans—covering 70 percent of the earth’s surface—are being polluted by seven million tonnes of plastic dumped into their waters, each year. This, in turn, is affecting more than 800 animal species, with research pointing out that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean! Now one can only imagine the impact it will have on people’s livelihood and survival. And it merely doesn’t stop here. The oceans absorb the largest amounts of solar energy, and also release 70 percent of the oxygen found on our planet. So, it’s imperative that we build on saving this ecosystem.
And Panerai are determined to be part of the solution for a more sustainable future. During the session, CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué announced that the brand aim to create more eco-friendly watches for their business model, going forward. “Over the years, we have developed many calibres and introduced a lot of new materials, and once again we want to highlight that Panerai is a pioneer in the watch industry. We have been in the eco-titanium business and this new material is made of recycled titanium. It is more respectful of the planet and gives the watch its great lightness,” he explained and elaborated. “We brought the first LAB-ID five years ago—a revolutionary concept in terms of material, fitted with a calibre with a 50-year guarantee—and this year we bring the second concept called eLAB-ID that includes the highest percentage of recycle-based material in the watch industry.”
So one may ask if Panerai have decided to share this technology with other companies or plan to keep it exclusive. “We have been partnering since many years with 10 different companies; some of them for the first time in the watch industry, to be able to bring this innovation. And for a cleaner world in future, we have decided to make this technology available to as many brands in the world, not just our Richemont sisters and brothers, but also other competitors in the watch industry. This way, our partners will also be able to work for others, who will, in their turn, contribute towards making the world more sustainable than it is today,” said Pontroué.
Panerai have also partnered with UNESCO’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, an initiative to safeguard the oceans. With such a buzz around green initiatives and saving our ecosystem, let’s look at the highlights from the brand known for their robust watches and the famed ‘sandwich’ dial.
Submersible eLAB-ID
The flag-bearer of sustainability for the brand this year, with 98.6 percent of recycle-based material by weight, the Submersible eLAB-ID creates a model for circular watchmaking practices—employing small-scale recycling processes that reuse raw material waste. With this, Panerai aim to lead the way with more environmentally responsible watch production. The 44mm case, dial and bridges are composed of EcoTitanium—a recycled titanium alloy that is a lightweight aerospace-grade metal, composed of more than 80 percent recycled material. This is also the first watch to use 100 percent recycled Super-LumiNova on the dial and hands, and the same percentage of recycled silicon for its movement escapement. Panerai have even used recycled material for the sapphire crystal and gold hands. It is powered by an automatic mechanical, P.900e calibre, which measures 4.2mm in thickness, with 17 recycled jewels, and beats at a frequency of 28,800vph, offerings functions such as hours, minutes and small seconds. The case is also topped by a unidirectional-rotating bezel for the calculation of diving time, and is water resistant to 300m. This innovative concept is presented on a recycled grigio roccia (Italian for ‘rock grey’) fabric strap with light blue stitching and a trapezoidal EcoTitanium buckle.
Luminor Marina eSteel
One of the most recognisable watches from Panerai, and the first to feature the patented crown-protecting device, the Luminor Marina model has been at the forefront of the brand’s technical innovations and is now the first to be offered in eSteel—a trademark recycle-based material. With this, Panerai continue to strengthen their commitment towards a greener planet as it reduces the need for virgin material extraction. About 58.4 percent of the total weight of the watch (152.4g) is attributed to 89g of recycled material. The Luminor Marina eSteel features a 44mm brushed case with a polished bezel, a rubberised crown, with the crown-lock lever is personalised with the eSteel logo. The timepieces are available in three dial colours: blu profondo (deep blue), grigio roccia (rock grey), and verde smeraldo (green), which is exclusive to Panerai boutiques and e-commerce. Each version features a polished dial, with a dark-to-light gradient, and the eSteel logo at six o’clock. The timepieces are powered by calibre P.9010—an automatic movement with a three-day power reserve, designed and developed entirely at the Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel. The movement features a rapid-adjustment system that moves the hour hand forward or backward in increments of one hour, entirely independent of the minute hand, which helps with time-zone correction when travelling. Water-resistant to 300m, the Luminor Marina eSteel models are presented on recycled textile straps that coordinate with the dial colour, an additional strap, and a storage box also made of recycled material.
Luminor Chrono Luna Rossa
Panerai are also focusing on the chronograph segment this year, since they have been making them since 1943. The Luminor Chrono Luna Rossa presented at Watches and Wonders 2021, celebrates the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team—an Italian sailboat racing organisation. Extremely sporty, this timekeeper is available in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and, like serveral other chronographs from Panerai, is a complete opposite of conventional chronograph watches, since the start, stop and reset pushers are placed on the left. This gives ample room for the crown protecting bridge on the right, while also balancing the symmetry of design. It showcases a deep-blue sandwich dial, with sporty graphics and a tachymeter scale on the flange, designed to extend its use on land. There are also red and white details on the dial, adding to the aesthetics. This chronograph is equipped with a new self-winding P.9200 calibre, with a 42-hour power reserve that is delivered by the energy stored by a single barrel. The 44mm steel brushed case is water-resistant to 100m, and is available along with two bi-material bracelets with a rubber structure that ensures quality and durability, making it ideal for water sports.
Luminor Chrono
Another highlight is the Luminor Chrono, with the statement sandwich dial and crown-protecting bridge on the right side of the dial. Here, again, the pushers are on the left side of the case, enabling better control of the functions, while on the move or timing a sports activity. The watch is also equipped with a ‘base 1000’ tachymeter scale on the prominent flange, which allows the calculation of average speed over a predefined distance, in kilometres or miles. The Luminor Chrono is available in three versions: PAM01109 (black dial), PAM01218 (white dial) and PAM01110 (blue dial).
The first two models are presented on black leather straps, while the one with a blue dial is available in a stainless steel bracelet. However, all versions are equipped with an easy strap-interchanging system. They are powered by the new Calibre P.9200—an efficient, high-performance self-winding movement with a 42-hour power reserve, thanks to the energy stored within a single barrel. The 44mm stainless steel case of the new Luminor Chrono timepieces offers a water resistance of 100m.
Luminor Chrono Monopulsante GMT Blu Notte
Replete with a matt-black hardened ceramic case, a navy blue sunray dial and a matching calfskin strap, this new model is available in a limited edition of 200 pieces. The Luminor Chrono Monopulsante GMT Blu Notte (midnight blue) showcases Panerai’s expertise in crafting highly functional and modern chronographs, with pushers on the left and crown-protecting device on the right of the watch case. The blue dial displays Arabic numerals and indexes in white Super-LumiNova with green luminescence and striking looks, set within a 44mm sandblasted case. It is fitted with the P.2004 calibre, a tribute to the first in-house chronograph calibre developed entirely by Panerai. It’s a manually-wound mechanical movement, with an eight-day power reserve—quite the epitome of efficiency. The Luminor Chrono Monopulsante GMT Blu Notte (PAM01135) is a single-button column-wheel chronograph, which combines the start/stop/reset functions in a single push-piece. It is also equipped with the GMT feature, allowing the home time and local time to be displayed simultaneously. Water-resistant to 100m, the timepiece offers a high resistance to scratches, thanks to the case, and is also available with an additional blue rubber strap. There’s also a tool for changing the strap and buckle with ease, without the hassle of rushing to a store.
