Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Panerai Deploys the Rugged Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738
A tactical tool watch rooted in Panerai’s heritage of frogmen instruments, bearing the name of their contemporary successors, the U.S. Navy SEALs
As a brand that pioneered rugged underwater tools with exceptional luminescence for Italian commando frogmen in the mid-1930s, Panerai’s partnership with the U.S. Navy SEALs makes a lot of sense. The modern successors to Italy’s pioneering underwater commandos of the Decima Flottiglia MAS, the Navy SEAL combat diver and demolition units engage in stealthy aquatic operations. Designed as a professional-grade tactical dive watch, the new PAM 01738 features beefed-up specifications in line with the elite force it is named after.
As a core, non-limited-edition model in Panerai’s military-inspired Navy SEALs collection, the new PAM01738 is built like earlier members of this elite corps to perform and function in the toughest conditions. Similar in size and build to Panerai’s Submersible Marina Militare references, the PAM01738 outdoes them with its powerful 500m depth rating.
Housed in a matte brushed 44mm stainless steel case with the signature crown-protecting lever and a black rubber-clad crown, the unidirectional rotating dive bezel to calculate immersion times features a scratch-resistant matte black ceramic insert with a blue luminescent dot at noon. The medallion of the 12-sided screw-down caseback is engraved with the American flag and Navy SEALs.
Luminescence is a Panerai hallmark, dating back to 1916, when Guido Panerai patented Radiomir, the name of a radium-based compound. Like the original Italian frogmen who needed luminous instruments to consult the time in murky Mediterranean waters, luminescence plays a key role here. The large indices, 20% wider than standard ones, and the hands are covered in Super-LumiNova X2. To identify immersion times, the all-important minute hand and the dot at noon on the bezel emit a blue glow, while the other markers and hands glow green. In daylight, the dial has a grey gradient with a grained surface. The deep-set rectangular date window at 3 o’clock has a black background and silver numerals; the small seconds indicator, shaped like a bull’s eye, is smooth with luminescent plots and hand.
Embracing the Navy SEAL’s maxim of getting “comfortable being uncomfortable”, the watch has undergone gruelling testing. These include 5,000g shock impacts, 19,000 bezel rotations, exposure to extreme thermal variations, 10,000 activations of the crown-protecting lever, and water-resistance tests exceeding the stated 500m specification by 25%.
Honouring the brand’s legacy of precision underwater instruments – vital allies for frogmen when detonating explosives or timing missions – the PAM01738 is equipped with the calibre P.980. An automatic movement manufactured by ValFleurier, Richemont Group’s shared movement facility, it features a stop-seconds function, allowing modern frogmen to synchronise their watches to the exact second before a mission. An automatic with a 3-day power reserve, the 4Hz movement is further stabilised by a transversal balance bridge and an Incabloc anti-shock system.
The tool-free quick-release system lets you swap between the tactical black rubber strap and the additional rugged grey canvas strap provided in the box. The Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738 will be available at Panerai boutiques worldwide from July 2026. It retails for EUR 12,100. More information at panerai.com.
