Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition PAM00982

As part of the pre-SIHH 2019 introductions, Panerai is presenting a new version of its Submersible Chrono, which lays the foundations for a new collaboration with French free-diving champion Guillaume Néry. Knowing what this man does for a living, a professional dive watch makes a lot of sense. This new piece is aptly named the Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry edition or, in more technical words, the PAM00982. Bold and sporty, it features striking blue accents and an attractive shark grey textured dial. Read on for all the details, including expected pricing.

Panerai’s marketing literature makes a point of saying that the new PAM00982 is targeted at serious divers. The brand backs that claim up with a healthy water-resistance rating of 300m/1,000ft and a unidirectional rotating bezel in titanium with an applied blue ceramic disc. The bezel’s not the only thing made out of titanium, though. The entire 47mm case, including the solid caseback, is constructed from the lightweight but ultra-strong and corrosion-resistant material (relevant for a free-diving champ). Presumably, this means it will still wear comfortably on the wrist, despite its imposing dimensions.

On the right side of the case, Panerai’s trademark crown guard ensures the crown can’t be accidentally accessed during a dive. On the opposite side are two screw-in pushers at 8 and 10 o’clock respectively. These are used to start, stop and reset the flyback chronograph. Hours and minutes are displayed centrally, as are the chronograph seconds (blue hand) and minutes. Running seconds are shown on the sub-dial at 9 o’clock and elapsed chronograph hours are counted at 3 o’clock.

Legibility of the dial under all lighting conditions, even in complete darkness, is made possible by the applied luminous white dots and indexes. They contrast nicely against the shark grey, textured background even in regular daylight. There’s also lume on all the hands (with the exception of the central chronograph hands.) The colour scheme really works well with the relatively muted tone of the titanium case. There’s nothing polished or overly shiny. It looks like a proper tool watch.

Engraved on the solid screw caseback is a rendering of Guillaume Néry free-diving, along with his signature and the depths of his final record dive: 126 metres, achieved with a single breath. An impressive feat to say the least. Beneath the caseback is Panerai’s P.9100 calibre. This automatic movement, executed entirely in-house, beats at 28,800vph and offers a power reserve of 72 hours courtesy of its two barrel set up. It’s also equipped with a device for zeroing the seconds hand to enable perfect synchronisation with a reference signal.

The Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition comes on a blue rubber strap and is closed with a trapezoidal titanium buckle. It’s not a limited edition per se but presumably, Panerai will keep production volumes reasonably low. Price will be EUR 18,900. More details at panerai.com.