Panerai Submersible Azzurro 42 mm PAM01209 Watch Review (2020)
The Panerai Submersible Azzurro 42 mm PAM01209 is a new, limited-edition model for 2020. It upholds some of the design codes first seen on the military-issue watches, supplied to the Egyptian Navy in 1956. However, this new model is slightly more genteel with its exquisite blue unidirectional bezel and modest case diameter of 42mm. The model is endowed with the Manufacture Calibre P.900 automatic movement and is limited to just 500 pieces.
Panerai is based in Neuchâtel
As the Panerisiti and legions of horophiles know, this is the year of the Luminor. Panerai, the prestigious watch brand based in Neuchâtel, has released numerous versions of the iconic 1940s divers’ watch.
Only a few years ago, the Luminor Submersible was a sub-collection of the Luminor family with models featuring the words ‘Luminor Submersible’ on the dial, positioned below noon. The Panerai name was located at 6 o’clock accompanied by the word ‘Automatic’. These modern-day creations were based on a historic model supplied to the Egyptian Navy in 1956. This military-issue watch was equipped with an 8-day Angelus movement and featured a small seconds display at 9 o’clock and a rotating bezel with prominent reference markers.
Today, the Panerai Submersible is a collection in its own right, however, its likeness to the ‘regular’ Luminor models is clear to see. The new Panerai Submersible Azzurro 42 mm PAM01209 is limited to just 500 pieces. The bezel of former Submersible models has transitioned from the utilitarian item of yesteryear to a sumptuous unidirectional bezel with blue ceramic inlay. This latter material is proving increasingly popular on high-end models as it is scratch resistant and does not fade.
However, some things never change. The crown remains protected, courtesy of the brand’s legendary bridge device, the hour and minute hands are partially openworked and high-performance luminosity abounds. The watch is equipped with the brand’s own Calibre P.900 automatic movement and is presented on a hydrophilic rubber accordian-style watch strap.
Panerai Submersible Azzurro 42 mm PAM01209 – the brand’s press release
Having first built its reputation on mastery of the specialized diving watch category, Panerai returns to its origins with the development of a new professional instrument: Submersible Azzurro – 42 mm (PAM01209), made in only 500 pieces and available exclusively on the panerai.com ecommerce platform.
Developed to merge technical performance and substance with proven know-how, the new Submersible unifies its aesthetic and functional dimensions by displaying a fitting colour on the opaque ceramic disc of the bezel: blue, a hue that instantly evokes the sea.
Since the very beginning, water has been the brand’s distinctive element and blue has been Italy’s unofficial national colour since its unification, a milestone reached just a few months after the opening of Giovanni Panerai’s first historic Florentine shop.
Calibrated to meet the demanding specifications required of watches intended to withstand extreme pressure, the new Submersible Azzurro – 42 mm features a unidirectional rotating bezel, screwed case back and the iconic bridge device to protect the crown. Luminescent indexes, hands and dots glow in a green-blue hue for ease of underwater legibility.
Developed to adhere to equally rigorous mechanical standards, the model employs the P.900 Caliber, designed and developed entirely by the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel.
Accurate, resistant and high-performing, it is the first proprietary self-winding Panerai movement of its diameter and thickness (4.2 mm) to combine the date function and three-day power reserve.
Waterproof up to 30 bar (about 300 metres), the new Submersible Azzurro – 42 mm features a black rubber strap with a trapezoidal pin buckle in brushed steel. A second strap in Sportech velcro black is also included, along with a tool for changing the straps and a screwdriver to remove the buckle.