Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm “White Sandwich” PAM01314

A few months ago, we introduced to you a new and important model for Panerai, the revamped Luminor Marina 44mm PAM01313. Classic in its execution with a steel case and blue dial, it mostly marked the comeback of the Luminor Marina collection, with a new direction for this emblematic model. No vintage accents, no complex movement, just a simplified and essential design focussed on functions and modern style. Next to this blue model, there was a second watch launched, and surprisingly we’re talking about the first-ever “white sandwich” Luminor watch… We take a closer look at the PAM01314.

Since his arrival at the head of Panerai, Jean-Marc Pontroué has worked to clarify Panerai’s collections. There was indeed a lack of consistency and legebility, with some models hardly identifiable as a Luminor or a Radiomir, some watches with diving credentials, some watches with modern design… The idea has been to refocus Panerai’s collection around four fundamental pillars; the elegant Due, the vintage Radiomir, the robust Submersible and the essential Luminor. Along with this segmentation, the brand has also started to clean up the collections and will continue in this path to bring more visibility and harmony inside the sub-collections.

More focused, simpler, functional, and modernly designed (understand, no fauxtina, no vintage elements), what you see here is the new style for the Luminor Marina. The idea is to bring a more accessible model with functionality, essential design and straightforward colours – black, blue or white. While the real entry-level model to the world of Panerai remains the Luminor Logo (priced around 5k), the Luminor Marina becomes the classic automatic and aquatic model of the brand. This also means the presence of the iconic sandwich dial. When it was developed in the early 1950s, the name “Luminor” indicated the presence of a new luminous material designed to replace the Radiomir used in WWII watches. According to Panerai, the new Luminor Marina follows this development with the integration of “high-performance Super-LumiNova.” This means that the brand goes back to making Luminor Marina watches with a contemporary look, and no fake patina luminous material.

The case of this Luminor Marina PAM01314 is everything you’d expect from a Panerai. At 44mm, it is large but this “oversized” concept is somehow part of Panerai. And with a height of 15.65mm, don’t expect this to slide under a cuff. It is a Luminor after all. The cushion-shaped case is the modern version of this emblematic design, with sharper angles and while the centre case is brushed, the bezel is polished. On the right side is the signature Safety Lock device protecting the crown, which together with the screwed caseback guarantees a 300m water-resistance. The Luminor Marina is a true aquatic model, but not a proper diver’s watch due to the lack of rotating bezel – this is the Submersible collection’s mission.

The overall execution of the PAM01314 is solid and clean, as you’d expect from a watch in this price range. It is here worn on a dark brown, casual-looking Scamosciato leather strap with white stitchings, closed by a brushed pin buckle. An additional black rubber strap and the tool to change it are also included in the presentation box.

The most noticeable aspect of this edition of the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm is its dial. At first, you’d think it looks pretty familiar but, in fact, this is the first white sandwich dial ever done by Panerai. The brand has done multiple white dials in the past, mostly with this design – meaning printed Arabic numerals all around the dial and luminous dots – but never with its iconic two-layer construction. Here, we have a pure, clean and fresh white upper plate with a grained texture. The cutouts reveal the Arabic numerals and hour markers, as well as the lower plate coated with grey Super-Luminova, thus offering better contrast during the day, and great luminosity at night.

The display remains, however, classic with central hours and minutes – with polished baton hands – and a small seconds positioned at 9 o’clock. There’s also a date window, explained by the more contemporary, daily-use orientation of this Luminor Marina PAM01314. While I certainly understand its use here, the integration itself could have been refined. It’s a bit too rough, not enough “integrated” within the rest of the dial. However, the use of a white dial is rather pleasing and adds a new dimension to the classic dark look of Panerai watches. It’s lighter, fresher and less instrumental.

Under the screwed steel caseback is the brand’s classic automatic movement, the calibre P.9010, developed and manufactured in-house. Thanks to a twin-barrel architecture, this 4Hz movement can store up to 72 hours of power reserve when fully wound. A practical feature of this calibre is the quick setting of the hour hand, which can be moved in steps of one hour forwards or backwards, while simultaneously adjusting the date – especially practical when travelling.

Availability & Price

The Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm “White Sandwich” PAM01314 is part of the permanent collection and is now available from boutiques and retailers. It is priced at EUR 7,700 or USD 7,700. More details at www.panerai.com.