Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Watch Review
The Panerai Submersible Marina Militare is offered in two case options, steel (PAM01697) and Carbotech (PAM01698). Both references are crafted in partnership with Aviazione Navale, an elite band of sailors who operate fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. These new models embrace a military inspired colourway and bear various insignia, while delivering Panerai’s customary blend of practicality and Italianate style.
Panerai x Aviazione Navale
It is a testament to Panerai that its Submersible watch is not just the legend of the deep that so many enthusiasts recognise but also a dive watch entrusted with much loftier duties. The watchmaker enjoys a partnership with one of the world’s very few naval air forces capable of launching fixed-wing and rotary-wing (helicopter) aircraft from its fleet of carriers. Indeed, the Aviazione Navale’s AV-8B Harrier II and F-35B Lightning II are capable of taking off from short runways and can even ascend vertically when called upon.
Panerai’s instruments are ideally suited to the demands of flight and prove indispensable when experiencing the crushing pressures of the abyss. The Submersible watch, initially belonging to the Luminor series, now occupies a space of its own within a dedicated collection. With oversized luminous hour markers, each reference promises superior legibility. The watches also deliver practicality, courtesy of their robust case construction, and sometimes come equipped with useful complications such as a GMT or chronograph. In recent years, Panerai has brought this connection with aviation to the forefront of its watchmaking endeavours, releasing special editions featuring dials inspired by naval flight gear.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare – PAM01697 & PAM01698
The most recent additions to the Submersible collection, a collaboration between Panerai and the Italian naval aviation branch, consist of two Marina Militare references. The first reference, PAM01697, is housed in steel, while its sibling, the PAM01698, is presented in a lightweight and incredibly strong Carbotech case.
Both models follow in the footsteps of the limited edition Submersible Chrono Marina Militare released just a few weeks ago. That model gave 35 lucky collectors the chance to partake in a once-in-a-lifetime, three-day experience where they could immerse themselves in military training activities. The so-called ‘Xperiences Program’, launched in 2019, comes with a select few special edition watches provided with the help of its longstanding partner, the Italian Navy.
Though the new Submersible Marina Militare models lack said three-day experience package, they are nevertheless infused with the same DNA. Indeed, they successfully manage to weave the marine world with those of aviation and horology.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare – case
Both versions of the Panerai Submersible Marina Militare are generously proportioned, measuring 44 mm in diameter. In yesteryear, these dimensions were not an aesthetic choice, but rather a practical one. With their notable breadth and heft, they were designed to encircle the wrist of a wetsuit-clad diver. Today, however, Panerai specialists find new ways to show off the Submersible’s unyielding strength, especially where the Carbotech™ model is concerned.
Carbotech is Panerai’s proprietary composite material. It’s made from thin sheets of carbon fibre that have been compressed under high pressure and temperature and combined with a polymer named PEEK. The ‘quasi-isotropoc’ structure formed as a result of this process is shock resistant and strong. Carbotech is also extremely light, heightening wearer comfort.
Being a member of the Submersible crew, the cases of both Marina Militare models are equipped with the brand’s iconic crown protection device. Moreover, they are endowed with the dodecagonal screw-down case back (which on this occasion bears the Aviazione Navale’s wing emblem). Both features ensure each reference is water-resistant to 300 metres and have been the drivers behind the popularity of Panerai’s watches since the brand first opened its designs up to the general public in 1993. Suffice to say, the descendants of the original Luminor and Radiomir models have lost nothing in the way of charm and functionality over the decades. The new Submersible is so distinctive in shape and style that it can be picked out from across a crowded room.
The steel version, PAM01697 is presented in brushed and polished 316LVM – 1.4441 steel. Often termed ‘medical grade’, the alloy is produced using a process called vacuum arc remelting, imbuing the material with a high level of purity and notable strength. The case is paired with a steel unidirectional rotating bezel incorporating a military green ceramic insert. The Submersible Marina Militaire Carbotech PAM016968 is equipped with a black DLC-coated titanium caseback.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare – dial
Both versions of the new Panerai Submersible Marina Militare indicate the time against a deep green-grained backdrop that melds into a black gradient effect around the edges. This colour is not accidental. The military-inspired hue matches the colour of the flight suits, helmets and tactical equipment used by Aviazone Navale. The matte-grained dial surface prevents glare – a crucial feature for any pilot.
Prominently positioned on the dial is the ‘Marina Militare’ wording, serving as a constant reminder of Panerai’s connection to the Aviazione Navale. Speaking of which, the 9 o’clock small seconds function features an anchor discreetly incorporated within its surface.
Nocturnal lume drenches the plump hour and minute hands, along with the circular and pill-shaped hour markers – all of which are faithful to the classic Submersible DNA. Super-LumiNova treatment also extends to the small seconds hand at 9 o’clock and the luminous pip of the bezel’s zero marker, too. Lastly, a date resides at 3 o’clock, opposite the subsidiary seconds hand, conferring balance.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare – movement
These latest versions of the Panerai Submersible Marina Militare are powered by one of the brand’s slimmest movements that features extensively throughout the firm’s catalogue. Measuring just 4.2 mm in thickness, it fits within slender models such as the Luminor Due and Quaranta models. Yet, despite its svelte profile, the movement has a prodigious three-day power reserve.
The balance operates at a frequency of 28,800 vph and the movement comprises 171 components, including 23 jewels.
Both the Carbotech and steel versions of the new Submersible Marina Militare are presented on a green, highly durable canvas strap made from technical fabric, a further nod to the uniforms worn by Aviazone Navale personnel. Each version also comes supplied with an additional black rubber strap. The latter option is resistant to the corrosion typically caused by salt water and secures to the wrist with a steel or black DLC-coated titanium pin buckle for the steel and Carbotech models, respectively.
Closing Thoughts
The Aviazione Navale plays a critical role in monitoring naval activity, gathering intelligence and providing search and rescue assistance to vessels in distress. Such activities require the toughness of a tool watch like the new Panerai Submersible Marina Militare.
While the luminous dial of the Submersible watch will no doubt prove its aquatic worth tenfold, its substantial power reserve, rotating bezel and 300 m of water resistance also prove useful attributes. Both versions of the Marina Militare watch are steeped in history and serve as a fitting tribute to those who have chartered a course inside the cockpit of the Aviazione Navale’s famous silent sentinels of the skies. They fuse naval and aviation heritage with their green-grained, anchor-adorned dials and casebacks engraved with the Aviazone Navale wings. Every element speaks of unyielding strength, a characteristic that makes each reference perfectly suited to everyday life, whether that’s at sea, in the air or upon terra firma.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Panerai Submersible Marina Militare
- Reference: PAM01697 – 316LVM – 1.4441 steel
- Reference: PAM01698 – Carbotech
- Case: diameter 44 mm, water resistance 30 ATM (300m), sapphire crystal to the front, solid caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time, stop second.
- Movement: P.900 calibre, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 23 jewels, power reserve 3 days.
- Strap: green canvas with T/T stitching strap, trapezoidal steel pin buckle (PAM01697) or trapezoidal titanium DLC pin buckle (PAM01698). Additional black rubber strap.
- Price PAM01697: £10,300 (RRP as of 5.8.2025)
- Price PAM01698: £16,800 (RRP as of 5.8.2025)