Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Military-Inspired Panerai Marina Militare Submersible PAM01757 & PAM01758 (Incl. Video)
Honouring its past, Panerai expands the Marina Militare collection with two solid Submersible dive watches.
The connection between Panerai and the Italian Navy goes back a long way. It’s a well-known fact that the brand has developed and supplied the Marina Militare with precision instruments (depth gauges and compasses, among others) to be used during missions since the 1910s. The watches came later, but have quite frankly become iconic due to their stout, utilitarian design. Honouring its past, Panerai now expands the Marina Militare collection with two new and solid dive watches, part of the Submersible sub-line. Meet the Destro PAM01757 and GMT PAM01758, two watches that share the same overall design, but differ more than you’d think.
Contrary to the mid-century Luminor and Radiomir, the Panerai Submersible line is a much newer spin-off. It was introduced in 1998 with the PAM00024 Luminor Submersible Automatic Acciaio, and many have followed since. The defining feature of the Submersible line is the presence of a unidirectional rotating bezel, making it an even more professional diving tool. It’s perhaps the most masculine, rugged expression of Panerai’s military-inspired watchmaking endeavours, and one that pays tribute to the brand’s historic collaboration with the Marina Militare.
One of the most notable design cues shared by this duo of Marina Militare Submersible models is the black bezel insert. At first glance, you might not think much of it, but it takes us back to the PAM00389 from 2012. And while there have been others after it, it’s still not too common for a Submersible to have a black bezel insert. And now we have two new ones, as Panerai introduces the Marina Militare Submersible Destro PAM01757 and Marina Militare Submersible GMT PAM01758.
The Marina Militare Submersible Destro PAM01757
Let’s kick things off with a new left-handed, Destro model – sort of a speciality for Panerai. This new PAM01757 measures 44mm in diameter and 13.94mm in thickness, and thus quite large and very present on the wrist. Regardless, switching the crown and hallmark crown-protecting bridge and lever to the left side does keep it from prying into your wrist, so it actually wears pretty comfortably… If you’re right-handed, that is.
The whole concept of a Destro, which means “right” in Italian, is to flip the crown position to make it easier to wear and use for left-handed people. The iconic cushion-shaped case is made in stainless steel with a fully brushed finish. On top, the unidirectional rotating bezel, a distinctive element of the Marina Militare Submersible collection, is fitted with a matte black ceramic insert with raised markers for the diving scale. On top, there’s a sapphire crystal, and the back is solid steel. The water-resistance is rated at 500 meters.
The dial of the Marina Militare Submersible Destro PAM01757 is as clean as ever, with a grained black texture and applied hour markers all around. The small seconds subdial is recessed into the main dial and shares a similar design. The hands and markers are finished with beige Super-LumiNova, including the lume pip on the bezel. Some will like the retro look; others might have preferred a different colour combination. Regardless, the dial is extremely legible, which certainly helps in a dive watch.
The PAM01757 relies on the automatic P. 980 calibre that we’ve also recently seen in the new Luminor 42. Produced at ValFleurier, it runs at a 4hz frequency and boasts a 72-hour power reserve from a single barrel. It’s hidden from view by a solid caseback engraved with the classic silhouette of the famous Silura a Lenta Corsa, also known as the Maiale, the small submarine used by the Royal Italian Navy commandos during WWII.
The Marina Militare Submersible GMT PAM01758
The Marina Militare Submersible GMT PAM01758 shares the same design codes as the Destro PAM01757; however, there are differences beyond the positioning of the crown. First, it’s smaller, at 42mm in diameter and 14.38mm in height. That means it wears a bit more easily on the wrist, despite being slightly thicker. The case is made of steel with a fully brushed finish once again. The bezel is again fitted with a black ceramic insert, with the same layout for the timing scale. Here too, the back is closed, and the water-resistance is rated at 500m.
For the PAM01758, Panerai utilises the same set of styling cues as its Destro sibling. The grained matte black dial also has a recessed small seconds indication, yet it’s now flipped to the other side given the orientation of the movement and crown. It’s accompanied by a bevelled date window at 3 o’clock and an angled inner flange with a 24-hour scale. As expected, there’s an additional GMT hand with an orange and beige triangular tip. Note that the PAM01758 is an office/caller-style GMT watch, with the 24-hour hand adjusted independently.
Inside the case is the calibre P.900/GMT24H, using the same base as above, but with the additional 24h GMT function. It runs at 28,800 vibrations/hour and has a power reserve of three days, or 72 hours, on a single barrel.
Straps, Availability & Price
The new Panerai Marina Militare Submersible PAM01757 and PAM01758 are delivered on “ponte vecchio” gold-brown vintage leather straps with a trapezoidal brushed steel pin buckle. A second black accordion-style rubber strap is also included.
The prices are set at EUR 12,300 for the PAM01757 Destro, with the GMT PAM01758 retailing for EUR 12,700. The caseback on both is engraved with “Annual Production”, which indicates these are not limited by number but rather by an annual production cap. Overall, they are solid as a rock as ever, with that typical beefy Submersible look. The decidedly retro appearance might not be for everyone, but it has Panerai’s DNA written all over it. For more details, please visit www.panerai.com.
