Then came Basel 2013 , along with it the 1940s models ... But that is certainly not great inovation
Thing is, Panerai is enjoying huge sucess, as far as I can see in the mass market segment, so there is little or no motivation to "innovate".
Panerai is today, what Rolex has been for a long time. A status symbol ... and what many in the mass market aspire towards. There is also quite a buzz due the secondary market where profits can be made, and where accessibility beyond the traditional sales channels are available which makes an acquistion easy.
Having said that, they have made strides on the movement front, although I am not sure if it enough for the "rest of us". All my new purchases of late have been the older models. Models which I missed out when they were initially launched.