Panerai Submersible 42 Carbotech

This is the year of the Submersible collection and the Carbotech material for Italian watch maker Panerai, and the two watches you see here set the tone for the brand’s SIHH 2019 releases. Utilizing Panerai’s trademarked Carbotech material, the Panerai Submersible Carbotech 42mm PAM 960 and 47mm PAM 1616 watches come in a new “modern” color scheme to capitalize on the contrast provided the unique material. Also welcome is an option in a notably smaller size to reach enthusiasts without Stallone-like wrists.
My first crash course on Panerai’s Carbotech material was Ariel’s hands-on look at the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech, and I really loved it, practical or not. The basic premise is that Panerai compresses really thin sheets of carbon fibre and melds those together with high heat and a polymer they call PEEK. This, according to the brand, chemically bonds the composite and creates a tougher material that is corrosion resistant and lighter than titanium – not to mention cool-looking with a unique industrial black color and textured matte finish.
The blue indicators fit the watch really well, and are a welcome step away from the tan color schemes we saw on the previous Carbotech Submersible model – a colorway I found dated the watch, despite the modern materials. While this isn’t new to the Carbotech collection – the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech shared the same color scheme – the bubbly nature of the indices and handset for the Submersible really draw on the dive influence it’s going for. The Super-Luminova is blue on most of the watch, save for the minute hand and bezel pip which glow green even though they appear the same blue color in the light – according to Panerai’s press images here.
I’ve always enjoyed the Submersible line from Panerai, as it’s really the only dive watch offering from the brand, but have found most of the offerings at their traditional 47mm sizing far too large for my wrist. Because of that, I’ve oft looked towards those less readily available 42mm versions, so it’s exciting to finally see a Submersible option in Carbotech at 42mm, and I feel this will open up a new possibility for those material-conscious enthusiasts looking to add something a little different to their collection.
We can be honest here, this will definitely not be for everyone and that’s okay. What this watch is, is a simple addition to a subset of Panerai watches utilizing the unique Carbotech material. Ariel mentions in his article above that the material was originally used in automobile brakes, and to me anyway, that’s a pretty interesting material to modify and use in a watch case. It’s very Richard Mille-esque, and I love seeing brands branch out into non-standard materials and provide plenty of options within them. Overall the Panerai Submersible Carbotech PAM00960 and the PAM01616 are simply solid additions to a cool collection. We will update with prices when they are disclosed.