Panerai Leans Into its Heritage With New Luminor PAM01628

Panerai is opening the year with a distilled and concentrated expression of its historical Luminor with a new reference: PAM01628. The watch is a nod to the brand’s extensive roots, and the early Reference 6152 models in particular, which set the template for the modern Lunimor collection as we know it. The foundation of that design goes back further still, with its DNA emerging from the 2533 and 3646 references. Today, the design is easily recognizable from across the room, and not just on account of its size. The newest member of the Luminor family taps into this most simple yet distinctive design, and places it within an old-school, 47mm “Patina steel” case. 

The new Luminor is a refreshing return to the core of Panerai’s strength: a beautiful and simple design with no complications in sight, an oversized cushion case, and a manually winding movement in tow. Panerai has successfully diversified its product range, and now offers a range of sizes, colors, materials, and complications across four different families of watches. However, the formula that evokes the vintage appeal of the brand’s early 1940s military dive watches is quite simple. This is precisely the formula that Panerai is returning to with the PAM01628, and the result is among the most compelling releases from the brand  in recent memory.

When most of us hear the word Panerai, it’s the typeface of the oversized numerals set into a sandwich dial that first springs to mind. The design is beautiful and effective, providing a highly legible experience, as was its original charge. A deft hand is required to bring balance to a dial this size, and somehow Panerai manages this aspect in a manner that would have many potential wearers second-guessing their ability to actually pull off a 47mm watch. 

The numbers only go so far here, however. Yes, this is a large watch, full stop. It is thoughtfully designed, though, and the lugs are rather short, making the on-wrist experience not quite as daunting as you might imagine. Still, it’s not for the faint of heart. But that is the classic design choice when it comes to this watch, and as far as large watches go, this one remains rather wearable, which is really the most important part. 

What’s notable here is the finish of that case, which utilizes a pre-patinated steel. The finish is achieved partially by hand, falling somewhere between brushed and satin, with an organic quality that gives the impression of being hard-earned through wear. The watch’s dial follows suit with a grey-grain finish that fades to black at the perimeter. The tan of the layer below shows through the numeral and hour-marker recesses. Finally, gilt hands and brand signage at the top of the dial bring the whole look together. 

This is a Tre Giorni Luminor, making use of Panerai’s Caliber P.3000 providing three days of power reserve. The movement is visible through an exhibition caseback, which showcases its large, horizontally brushed plates, broken up by polished chamfers defining their edges. It’s an industrial, but not unattractive affair, though I’d say a closed caseback may have felt better suited to the overall vibe achieved with the rest of the watch. 

No price information has been released yet, but this is exactly the type of release I’d love to see more of from Panerai, en route to embracing its history with accuracy.