Taking another look at the Panerai Luminor Due PAM00943

James Robinson

Editor’s note: Panerai are known for many things – a rich Italian heritage in watchmaking that dates back to 1860, steep aquatic history providing watches for the naval forces of many countries, most notably Italy and Egypt, and a quintessential design language that has spanned the better part of a century … the list goes on.

What Panerai is not known for is making watches to pair with a suit-and-tie combo. In fact, something like a 47mm Submersible Bronzo is about the farthest thing away from what we’d want to don at a black tie event.

However, Panerai’s Luminor Due is a collection of watches that can do just that, thanks to a diverse range of case sizes that start at just 38mm.

Anyway, Time+Tide’s own Felix Scholz went hands-on with the versatile timepiece earlier this year, and if you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth a read.

It would be easy to dismiss the Luminor Due — Panerai’s latest fully fledged line — as a collection oriented towards women. After all, it’s the collection that houses 38 and 42mm watches. But the fact that I am on record as being more than a little partial to the 42mm model aside, there are the larger members of the Due family, PAMs 943 and 944 respectively. Both are 45mm steel cases, which sees them aimed firmly at the fellas.

If the larger size wasn’t enough of a giveaway, the more subdued colour palette should cinch it. Gone are the playful blues and fashion-forward strap options, in favour of stunning, shimmering anthracite. And really, this is a watch where the dial shines over the details. Don’t get me wrong, the details are good — classic Panerai design codes rendered in rich ecru lume, with a smidgen of text and a date window thrown in for good measure — but they don’t compete with the richness of the dial texture. This is one of the dressiest Panerais I’ve had the pleasure of wearing, and that’s absolutely OK.

This is a Luminor Due, after all. And while the dive watch heritage is there, this watch is intended less for immersion and more for the office (it’s rated to only 30m). But what it lacks in depth rating, it more than makes up for in style. We’ve already covered off the dial, while the brightly polished steel Luminor case adds a charm all its own, and the dressy brown alligator strap, with contrast stitch, completes the suit-worthy look.

Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic Acciaio (PAM00943) Australian pricing

Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic Acciaio (PAM00943), $13,700