As luminescent as the Luminor. The name Luminor originates from the luminous compound created by Panerai, an innovative material that shaped the creation of the first models in the early 1960s. Invented to meet the demanding standards of the Italian Navy, Panerai had long been supplying robust and precise instruments to the Marina Militare, but it was the Luminor that brought together a collection of distinctive features in ‘90s.
Among these, the crown protective device with lever – originally designed to prevent water seepage from entering the case – stands out as the most emblematic and instantly recognizable element until today. Every element served a purpose, balancing form and function, maximizing reliability, readability and resilience, in a way that would come to define Panerai’s watchmaking tenet. By the 1960s, these characteristics had consolidated into a design that, with its safety lock system along with the sandwich dial and enhanced luminescence, set the Luminor apart and became synonymous with the Maison.
In 1993, Panerai introduced Luminor ref. 5218-201/A together with Luminor Marina Militare ref. 5218-202/A and Mare Nostrum ref. 5218-301/A to the civilian public for the first time. Debuting aboard the Italian navy cruiser Durand De la Penne, a launch ceremony was held on September 10th in the La Spezia military harbor and attended by Duke Amedeo D’Aosta. With its distinctive aesthetic, bold size, and departure from precious materials, the Luminor disrupted conventional watch design and set a new standard for rugged elegance.
Today, Luminor is Panerai’s most recognizable collection, an enduring functional design that has evolved through the Maison’s Laboratorio di Idee. From high complications to innovative materials, the Luminor remains a platform for innovation—forever timeless, yet continuously advancing in performance.
Panerai presents the all-new series of Luminor Marina timepieces at Watches & Wonders 2025
An enduring emblem, the Luminor Marina is among Panerai’s most celebrated models, distinguished by its contemporary, sporty style and deep-rooted history. At Watches and Wonders 2025, Panerai celebrates the legacy of Luminor Marina with a series of novelties featuring new essential details and technical features while preserving the core identity of its signature aesthetics, reliability, and functionality. Available in titanium and steel, these novelties are designed for the assertive, self-assured individual who values a timepiece with both presence and purpose. The new series remains quintessentially Panerai, recognizable at a glance with its bold lines and emblematic design features yet tailored to meet modern standards of comfort and precision.
Key elements remain steadfast, from the signature safety lock system—a distinctive feature that defines Panerai’s visual identity—to the luminous dial with sandwich construction, offering optimal readability in all conditions. A clean dial displaying only the Maison’s name and ‘Luminor Marina’ with an enlarged beveled date display creates a bolder and cleaner appeal. The rhodium small seconds display further supports performance by allowing users to verify functionality with ease. For the first time in Panerai’s core collection, the series utilizes the Super-LumiNova® X2, an innovation that provides an increased brightness, ensuring the watch is easily readable even in low-light conditions—an ode to the crucial feature for military naval missions.
At the heart of the Luminor Marina series is the new P.980 calibre, a 3-day power reserve automatic movement. It includes a traversing balance bridge, enhancing stability and performance accuracy. The movement features a stop-second function, allowing for precise time-setting by halting the seconds hand when the crown lever is pulled out. Additionally, the P.980 has undergone six-position testing to ensure reliable chronometric performance. Its construction includes new finishing for an essential design visible through an open sapphire case-back, and it operates at a frequency designed to maintain consistent, accurate timekeeping over extended use.
The new Luminor Marina series features, for the first time ever, a water resistance up to 50 BAR (~500 meters), a debut standard for the collection. This significant upgrade builds on Panerai’s legacy of creating reliable, high-performance timepieces, reflecting its history as a supplier to the Italian Navy. Each watch undergoes rigorous testing at a pressure 25% greater than the guaranteed water resistance value to ensure it meets Panerai’s stringent standards. With this enhancement, the Luminor Marina reaffirms its position as a robust tool watch, suited for professional divers and enthusiasts alike.
Thanks also to the caliber’s sleeker proportions, measuring just 12½ lignes, the case design has been modernized with a reduced thickness by 12% and a weight reduced by 15% for comfort and ergonomic wearability while maintaining its bold identity. The new streamlined lugs and PAM Click™ release system on both strap and buckle, available for the first time with the Luminor Marina, make strap changes an effortless tool-free experience, adding to the watch’s versatility.
Luminor Marina Titanio PAM003325, a showcase of its high-tech material expertise The new Luminor Marina Titanio PAM003325 cuts a distinctive silhouette merging Panerai’s high-tech material expertise with a distinct olive green aesthetic reminiscent of the Maison’s military origins. An exemplary material meets a defining colour.
Its 44mm brushed-finished case is crafted from Grade 5 titanium, a remarkable material known for its strength, comparable with that of steel but with 44% less weight, making it an ideal choice for those who prioritize both resilience and comfort. It is resistant to corrosion and physical wear, providing robustness and longevity for everyday use. Panerai’s longstanding use of titanium dates back to the 1980s when the Maison created the Millemetri prototype. Panerai reintroduced titanium into its collection in 1998 with the Submersible PAM00025, selected for its corrosion resistance, which made it particularly suited for Navy applications, where equipment regularly encounters seawater. This choice of material reflects Panerai’s roots in creating robust tool watches for extreme conditions, a legacy that continues in today’s titanium models.
Paired with a polished bezel and an olive-green sun-brushed dial, PAM003325 comes with a dark green scamosciato calf strap—an homage to the vintage look of yesteryear pieces—and a second dark green rubber strap.
The new Luminor Marina steel, an icon reimagined
Exceptionally robust, the 44mm Luminor Marina steel is crafted from Panerai’s premium AISI 316LVM – 1.4441 stainless steel, known for its strenght and corrosion resistance, further enhanced by the low-carbon variant of this alloy. It is vacuum arc remelted to maximize purity and therefore it improves the resistance to corrosion. This high-quality alloy consists of iron with 16-18% chromium, 11-14% nickel, and 2-3% molybdenum, engineered for optimal strength and resilience.
Luminor Marina PAM03323 reimagines an emblematic model with the introduction of a V-shaped bracelet design, offering a fresh perspective on timeless elegance. The new Panerai metal bracelet in a progressive V-shape design that tapers from the case to the buckle, offering a lighter feel for everyday wear. Its aesthetic is characterized by a brushed finish on the interior links and a polished finish on the edges, creating a three-dimensional effect as the light hits the links in different ways. This is also the first model with the new Quick Length Adjustment feature, allowing the bracelet to extend by 2mm on each side while maintaining perfect balance on the wrist. This provides on-the-go adaptability without the need for tools, making it convenient to find the perfect fit throughout the day as wrist sizes may fluctuate due to temperature and activity, ensuring ease for extended wear. The metal bracelet is also equipped with the PAM Click Release System™ for effortless strap changes.
The bracelet is paired with a light blue sun-brushed dial, a first-ever colorway for the Maison, for a contemporary and modernized touch to a timeless emblem.
For those steadfast to the classic aesthetic, the collection is also available in three strap iterations, starting with PAM03312 in a traditional black dial paired with a black alligator strap. For a modern touch, PAM03313’s sun-brushed blue dial is matched with a blue alligator strap, while PAM03314’s white dial brings a contemporary flair with its black alligator strap. Each model also includes a second rubber strap in matching colours. Both first and second strap, as well as the buckle, are equipped with the PAM Click Release SystemTM requiring no tool for easy switch between each strap option to ensure versatility for every style preference.
