panerai pam 716 mare nostrum closeup

PANERAI – MARE NOSTRUM ACCIAIO

A DIVE INTO THE PAST

The original version of the diver chronograph has finally resurfaced! Panerai has had the bright idea of holding onto the Mediterranean design and mechanism.

1993: Panerai added a new diver watch with a chronograph complication to its catalogue. A major first! 50 years earlier there may well have been a model with a hearty 50mm case but it never got past the prototype stage. This year, the brand has dived back into its archives to update a much sought-after piece: the new Mare Nostrum Acciaio (PAM00716) has the same design features and technical aspects as the original. The intense blue dial bears the chronograph minute counter at 9 and the small seconds at 3. The chronograph seconds are tracked by the large central hand. Two luminescent hands glide over markers coated in beige Super-LumiNova® for improved timekeeping.

panerai pam 716 mare nostrum closeup

In keeping with the first edition, Panerai has kept the same manual-wind mechanical movement. The satin steel case houses the OP XXXIII calibre that’s been tailor-made on an ETA 2801-2 base and a Dubois-Dépraz chronograph module. Once wound up it provides the Mare Nostrum Acciaio with a 42-hour power reserve.

The timepiece comes in an elegant wooden box in which collectors will be delighted to find a miniature reproduction of the Italian Navy’s destroyer, the Durand De La Penne. The Mare Nostrum was unveiled on this ship in 1993. This special edition (1000 available) by Panerai comes on a blue leather strap.

Price: €9,900

By Dan Diaconu