In conjunction with the opening of the exhibition “The Depths of Time”, held at Panerai’s flagship store in the brand’s birthplace of Florence, the brand unveils the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218, a faithful reinterpretation of and a tribute to the Luminor Ref. 5218-202/A, which was produced exclusively for Italian Navy personnel and introduced in 1993.

This subdued release is packed with details that recall its highly sought-after predecessor and the latter’s naval connections: the 44mm steel case is coated in wear- and corrosion-resistant DLC to replicate the PVD treatment of the Ref. 5218-202/A; the inscription “Marina Militare”, what Italy calls its navy, appears on the dial; the font for numerals and letters are redesigned to resemble the original typography of the 1993 reference; and even the mismatched colour tones between the numerals and markers and the hands, an accidental feature of some of the early batches of the 1993 reference that actually made those watches highly collectible, is recreated here with SuperLuminova in two slightly different shades.

Unlike the sandwich dial construction found on so many Panerai timepieces, here it is a monolayer with numerals and markers hollowed out and filled with SuperLuminova. Beating within the case is the manual-winding P.6000 calibre, which provides three days of power reserve. A screw-down caseback protects the PAM05218 to a depth of 300m, as expected of a watch with so much naval history. A vintage-looking golden-brown calf-leather strap completes the historical references.

A fitting occasion for the launch of the PAM05218, “The Depths of Time” exhibition, which ran for two months from September 10, delved into Panerai’s history with the military, spanning from the 1910s to 1993, during which Panerai watches were exclusive to military personnel. Through archival materials, technical drawings, early catalogues, original photographs, historical patents, and other materials, the exhibition traces how Panerai’s distinctive aesthetic code evolved out of practical and functional innovations developed for naval applications, as well as the brand’s history from family-owned business to watchmaking giant.