Rolling in the deep with the Panerai Submersible BMG-TECH 47mm

James Robinson

It has been a big year for Panerai’s distinctive Submersible range, with the new and now standalone collection featuring heavily at the watchmaker’s 2019 SIHH showing.

The amphibious timepieces, while varied, have been a great opportunity for Panerai to show off some of their newest innovative materials.

Case in point is this Submersible, the BMG-TECH 47mm PAM00799.

The monolithic timepiece is somewhat of a flag-bearer, not only for the Submersible collection but also two of the Italian marque’s latest and greatest resources – BMG-TECH and Carbotech.

BMG-TECH is a complex amalgamation of things like copper, titanium, zirconium, nickel and aluminium, which form an alloy that is said to be highly resistant to magnetism, corrosion and shock while still maintaining a superior level of strength.

Carbotech is a composite-like material that shares a great many similarities with regular carbon fibre. Compressing thin films of carbon fibre together at a controlled temperature creates the pioneering material. Panerai was the first watchmaker on the planet to use the material on a wristwatch.

Both of these sci-fi materials have been used by Panerai on other models before; however, what sets the PAM00799 apart is it’s the first time we’ve seen these two materials feature on one watch, with the unidirectional rotating bezel being made from Carbotech, and the substantial case being hewn from BMG-TECH.

Inside the 47mm case you’ll find the P.9010 calibre movement. This in-house workhorse features self-winding, Glucydur® balance, 200 components, 31 jewels, an operating frequency of 28,800 (4Hz) vibrations per hour, Incabloc anti-shock device and three days (72 hours) of power reserve thanks to dual barrels.

And, of course, being a Submersible, this watch is water resistant to a respectable 300 metres, meaning that whether you’ve got a penchant for desk diving or saturation diving, this watch has got you covered.

Just like the watch’s oversized case, the price, too, is on the rather large side, with the Panerai Submersible BMG-TECH 47mm PAM00799 commanding a recommended retail price in Australia of $21,500.