Officine Panerai

Be it due to its for a Submersible small size of only 42mm, or to the blue ceramic bezel, this online-only limited edition would not be sold out immediately, as its predecesor did. Launched in 2021, I could still order it from Panerai two months ago. However, my watch is no. 498 of 500, so there might be an end to its availability now.

I became fascinated by the Submersible when Hans Zbinden showed me his many years ago, shortly after the model was launched. At 44mm, it was big as a Panerai should be, but I liked the layout that raised it from the anonymous mass of lookalike diving watches. If I could have lived with its size, the ETA movement put me off then, as were some wuality troubles my friend Hans had with it; more so with the Panerai service than the watch, though.

The "Azzurro" in 42mm now is the perfect Panerai for me. A size that makes it easy to wear withtout the crown guard digging into my wrist. The blue text and bezel adds some colour that is missing from most of my other watches. And the movement appears to be solid and - up to now - accurate and reliable.

The only thing I dislike are the two straps delivered with the watch. The black "expansion" rubber might match the 44mm version, but is far too dominant on the smaller watch. It looks a bit cheap. The textile/rubber velcro strap is gorgeous, but even shorter than the rubber strap (I always thought velcro straps are much longer to fit over a diving suit), so I can't wear it. However, the aftermarket is full of option, so this summer I opted for "Azzurro total", with a blue camo rubber strap:

Marcus

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