Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403
The Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403 is housed in a 47mm Titanium DMLS case. In addition, the avant-garde styling extends to a Carbotech™️ bezel and an openworked dial. Angus Davies explores this latest dual-branded creation from the Italian-Swiss watch brand and the Bottrop-based firm.
Panerai – something for everyone
In recent years, Panerai has substantially enlarged its product portfolio, encompassing an array of sizes, colours, complications and materials. No longer is Panerai the preserve of the meaty male wearer, it now makes watches befitting female wrists too. Moreover, the brand’s repertoire extends to highly desirable complications such as the annual calendar, equation of time and tourbillons. It is all a far cry from the firm’s military-issue watches of yesteryear.
Panerai Luminor Base Logo PAM01086
Despite being a luxury brand, something evident with the impressive execution of its models, Panerai makes some relatively accessible models. For example, peruse the brand’s catalogue and you will discover the handsome ‘Luminor Base Logo’, aka PAM01086, priced at £4900. Conversely, it makes watches that come with six-figure pricing. Indeed, unlike an actor starring in a TV soap opera for years on end, nobody could accuse Panerai of being typecast. Quite simply, Panerai is a highly versatile performer.
Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Black OPS Edition PAM01240
Back in 2020, the Italian-Swiss firm released the Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Black OPS Edition PAM01240. Created in collaboration with luxury mobility brand BRABUS, the model measured 47mm and was housed in the watch firm’s Carbotech™️ case. This cutting-edge material is lighter than steel or titanium and yet ‘highly resistant to external shocks and corrosion’. The model was endowed with the Calibre P.4001/S, featuring a micro-rotor and free-sprung balance. Limited to just 100 pieces, all examples were soon snapped up by watch aficionados and Paneristi alike.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
Now, there is a new lightweight BRABUS-themed watch to tempt horophiles, the Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403. It shares some details in common with the PAM01240 of 2020, but, most notably, it wears a new suit of clothes. The case, again measuring 47mm, is made of Titanio DMLS.
Once used for prototyping, ‘Direct Metal Laser Sintering’ (DMLS) is a form of 3D printing and is increasingly used for making production-quality parts for a variety of applications. After designing the case using a CAD system, the 3D drawing is sliced to form a series of two-dimensional slivers of case. In this instance, titanium powder is dosed onto the bed of a special 3D printer to form a base layer. A high-power fibre optic laser draws a cross-section of the case, forming a 2D cross-section or slice, onto the powder. The floor of the bed drops slightly, allowing another layer, just 0.03mm in depth, to be applied on top. The process is repeated many times to form the desired case.
By using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology, a technique rarely used by other watch brands, Panerai is able to produce a strong case that is 30% lighter than its standard titanium case.
Skeleton watch
The Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403 is also a skeleton timepiece. Traditionally, an artisan would use a combination of handsaws and files to remove extraneous material. Employing extreme care near the jewel beds, screws as well as areas near the gear train, metal would be removed leaving said parts untouched. Moreover, the process needed to consider the torsional rigidity of the movement, ensuring it was preserved to avoid any undesirable flex.
Calibre P.4001/S
Panerai, a brand synonymous with innovation, has used cutting-edge technology to design the openworked skeleton movement, eschewing surplus material while ensuring the construction remains stable and reliable. The resultant movement, the filigreed Calibre P.4001/S is highly precise and reveals a plethora of parts performing a choreographed dance.
Tungsten micro-rotor
The movement is endowed with a tungsten micro-rotor that energises both barrels (the Calibre P.4001/S has two). Creating sufficient inertia from a micro-rotor is difficult, hence most watch firms avoid using the modestly-sized oscillating weights. However, Panerai is one of only a few companies that has surmounted all technical obstacles. Unlike a regular, full-size oscillating weight, a micro-rotor sits flush with neighbouring bridges, conferring unhindered views of the finishing as well as mitigating movement depth.
Free-sprung balance
Panerai has also equipped the Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403 with a free-sprung balance. Unlike most watches, which are fitted with an index-regulated balance, the effective length of the hairspring at the heart of the regulating organ remains fixed. The rate is altered by adjusting the screws fitted to the rim of the balance wheel, thereby altering the moment of inertia. This approach confers superior precision while small impacts are less likely to affect the regulation of the watch.
Patented polarised date
The hour, minute and GMT hands are plump, prominent and bi-coloured, standing out from the stealthy black backdrop. The patented polarised date, positioned at 3 o’clock, fanfares the prevailing date while the remaining date values are hidden behind the latticework dial.
Additional useful features include a small seconds display with a stop-seconds function, an AM/PM indicator and a power-reserve indicator to the rear of the watch. Upholding its divers’ watch roots, Panerai has endued the Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403 with a unidirectional rotating bezel. However, consistent with this model’s neoteric remit, the bezel is formed of ultra-modern Carbotech™️.
Supplied with two straps and limited to just 177 pieces, this latest Panerai BRABUS model, once again, fuses Swiss know-how and Italian flair with ein wenig Deutsche brillanz.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Titanio PAM01403
- Case: Titanio DMLS case and Carbotech anti-clockwise rotating bezel with graduated scale, diameter 47mm, water resistance 30ATM (300m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition caseback.
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, polarised date, GMT, am/pm indicator, power reserve indicator on the back
- Movement: Calibre P.4001/S; automatic movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz); 31 jewels; power reserve = 3 days
- Strap: calf rubber bi-material black, T/T, 26/22, BA, STD
- Price: £43,900 (RRP as of 29.6.2023)
- Limited: 177 pieces