There is something I really like about the recent trend in the watch industry. Watches finally are going back to smaller sizes and we are seeing many nice colourful dial variants compared to classic colours such as black, white or dark blue/green.
And it seems that Panerai is following these trends as well. The Italian-born watchmaker (with manufacture in Switzerland) has been known for their oversized “cushion-shaped” watches and these became a popular piece to have in the 90s, hugely thanks to Sly Stallone (The Editors’ note: In case you are lost here… Rocky, Rambo?!). But your wrist needed to be rather big to fit Panerai’s models: after all, we are talking here of case diameters from 44 to 47 mm.
Luckily, in 2018, Panerai came with a new model – Luminor Due in a 38 mm case. While it still kept the brand’s Luminor case style and dial, it made it more thin and wearable. And now the brand debuts with pastel-coloured dials for this collection, arriving in pastel light blue, pastel green and powdery pink. It’s a nice step for a watchmaker with such a niche loyal fan base to engage with a much wider audience.
Set in a polished, stainless steel case, the sandwich dial is filled with white Super-Luminova and is shaded with a luminous and gradient effect. This watch comes with an automatic movement with a power reserve of three days and every colourway is limited to 500 pieces per year.
The only thing I don’t get is that with its look of a proper tool watch and Panerai’s interesting semi-oval crown guard with a safety-lock system (a system that helps a watch be more water resistant), it is water resistant only to 30 meters. That means a splash of water is fine, washing your hands as well, even a rain shower, but no swimming. But these colours scream summer to me and I want to jump into the water wearing this watch.
C’mon Panerai.
