Panerai’s Submersible Elux Lab-ID Diver Uses an Automatic Movement to Charge Its Dial Lume

Luxurious divers, such because the Omega Seamaster and Rolex Submariner, are its personal breed. Able to reaching depths that solely essentially the most very good divers can really attain, these fashionable timepieces are actually price their price ticket. Nevertheless, there’s all the time been one dive watch that, for us, sits on the prime of the checklist by way of mixing type and efficiency. 

Round for over 150 years, Panerai didn’t begin its dive watch lineage till the Nineteen Thirties when it made luminescent dials for Rolex. Then, throughout World Battle II, the Italian Navy requested Panerai to develop know-how to enhance visibility for frogmen who had been arming warships underwater. This finally led to items just like the Luminor and the Submersible. Now, the Italian watchmaker has created the Submersible Elux LAB-ID, that includes a groundbreaking new mechanical motion that perfects dial lume.

The Downside with Most Lume Choices

By way of dial lume, there are two major choices: painted coats such because the seemingly-ubiquitous Tremendous-LumiNova or gas-based tritium. Painted luminescent coats, like glow-in-the-dark objects, use the solar to “cost” their glow, then lasting anyplace from 3 to eight hours thereafter — typically sufficient to get you thru the night time however provided that you’ve been exterior or underneath a UV gentle all day lengthy. These all have various levels of success relying on a model’s utilization of the paint. Just lately, as an illustration, IWC combined Tremendous-LumiNova with ceramic powder to create a totally glowing watch case. Panerai itself will get nice use out of Tremendous-LumiNova with its brightly glowing timepieces.

Tritium lume, whereas considerably much less frequent, remains to be a favourite for some as a result of its longevity and low upkeep. You don’t must cost it like lume paints and it may final you upwards of twenty years. Sadly, there are some points with the potential hazards of radiation saved contained in the fuel tubes used for tritium. Additionally, the glow isn’t essentially as vibrant as well-powered Tremendous-LumiNova.

Panerai Submersible Elux Lab-ID Fundamentals

By way of the brand new Submersible Elux LAB-ID, Panerai has appeared again at its historical past rooted in luminosity. The timepiece includes a new mechanical movement that shops power to energy the dial’s lume. After seven years of R&D from Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee and 4 patents, the in-house P.9010/EL automated caliber shops power in six barrels — two of that are used for 3 days of energy reserve for the watch itself, whereas 4 of that are used for storing electrical lume delivered to the arms, indices, and bezel pip by way of a microgenerator. 

By urgent a button on the 8 o’clock place, LEDs gentle up for half-hour at a time. You possibly can press the button once more to show it off. There’s additionally an influence gauge for the sunshine on the underside of the dial. The LEDs get supplemented with precise Tremendous-LumiNova X2 accents on the indices and hour hand, with Tremendous-LumiNova X1 on the minute hand and bezel pip.

That includes nearly impractical proportions, the watch is 49mm throughout, 21.9mm thick, and able to taking place 500m underwater. To mitigate the potential heaviness of this watch, Panerai selected to make use of a titanium-ceramic blend it calls Ti-Ceramitech, which is 44% lighter than metal and has 10 instances the fracture toughness of normal ceramic. The watch can be adorned with a blue rubber strap.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Restricted in version dimension of 150 items complete, the Submersible Elux Lab-ID shall be delivered in waves of fifty per 12 months, beginning this October. However that’s solely for individuals who can afford the $96,300 price ticket. Head over to Panerai’s web site to study extra.

Panerai Submersible Elux Lab-ID

Panerai’s new Submersible diver makes use of an intricate mechanical motion that additionally powers the dial’s lume.