Solid as a rock –the Panerai Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM 1389)

Time+Tide

Editor’s note: This year, Panerai made the Submersible a line in its own right, and honestly, we’re wondering what took them so long. It’s a design that — as demonstrated admirably by the Panerai Submersible 1950 Amagnetic (PAM 1389) here — possesses equal parts brawn, bravura and beauty … 

Way back in 2013, Panerai released the PAM 389, a big, 47mm titanium beast with antimagnetic innards and an oh-so-sexy ceramic bezel. This powerful diver is a watch entirely in keeping with Panerai’s core values. Fast forward to 2017 and we’ve got a new and improved version of this Luminor Submersible, with an updated reference number to match — PAM 1389.

Functionally and aesthetically not too much has  changed, it’s still the same Luminor 1950 case, complete with that iconic crown guard. The bezel is still ceramic, with those excellent recessed interval markers and large lume pip at 12. But a few things have changed. Dial proportions have been given minor modifications — slightly fatter hour markers and a bright blue seconds hand, for example. The major change, though, is the one beneath the dial. This PAM is packing the latest in-house automatic movement, the P.9010, offering three days of power reserve across two barrels and an hour hand that can be quickly adjusted in one-hour increments. This movement is still safely ensconced behind a soft iron Faraday cage, as indicated by the Antimagnetic text on the dial.

These are all incremental modifications that improve the functionality and legibility of this Submersible without compromising the quintessentially Panerai aesthetics of the piece, which is good news all ’round. And while the trend has somewhat shifted away from supersized 47mm monsters like this, it’s an essential part of Panerai’s heritage and will always have a place in their collection, and in the hearts of their fans — especially when that case is made from lightweight brushed titanium.

Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM 1389) Australian pricing

Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM 1389), $14,950