Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa 2023 Collection for the Americas Cup

With the 37th edition of the Americas Cup on the horizon, set to take place in autumn next year, the teams are well into their preparations. However, it’s not all gruelling sea races as team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli from Italy are celebrating their multi-year collaboration with Panerai with a fleet of new watches ahead of the big competition. This is the Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa 2023 collection for the Americas Cup.

There are five timepieces in the collection including a time and date model, a GMT, a chronograph and a his & her pair of Luminor Dues. Since there’s a lot to discuss, let’s trim the sails and get under way.

Panerai Luminor Quaranta Steel DLC Luna Rossa PAM01408

As part of the Luminor Quaranta sub-collection, this Luna Rossa model has a 40mm diameter case, putting it solidly in the small to mid-size end of the spectrum. It has the characteristic cushion shape that will be familiar to anyone who’s ever looked at a Panerai before with its circular bezel and the Luminor’s signature crown guard. As the name suggests, it’s made from steel with a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating that makes it super tough and gives it a black colouration.

The dial is relatively understated with a classy sunray finishing in a dark aquatic blue. It follows the navy and red colour scheme of the Luna Rossa by pairing that blue dial with a red small seconds hand at 9 o’clock, which is structurally mirrored at 3 by the date aperture. It’s also a sandwich dial, which means there are two layers with the bottom layer coated in lume and the top layer featuring cut-out markers to reveal the lume below.  That’s how the recessed look of the indexes is achieved.

Beneath the surface of the Luminor Quaranta Steel DLC Luna Rossa for 2023 is the P.900 calibre, which is one that we’ll see multiple times in this article. It’s an automatic piece with a 3-day power reserve, high frequency of 28,800 vph and Incabloc anti-shock device. It’s priced at £8,000, which makes it the median price of the five watches here.

Panerai Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Luna Rossa PAM01404

Second in the Luna Rossa 2023 collection is the Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Luna Rossa. Once again, it’s a Quaranta, which means it’s got a 40mm cushion case in steel this. However, this time the grey colour of the steel is left visible with a combination of polished and brushed finishes. The contrast between the bare steel and DLC version is interesting because the finishing on the exposed metal gives it a more luxurious appearance without giving up too much in terms of durability.

Although, more important than the case in this instance is the dial, which is where the titular BiTempo complication is found. BiTempo roughly means ‘two time’ and in wristwatch terms that equates to a dual time zone function, evidenced by the presence of two hour hands on the central hand stack. It’s a useful complication for regular travellers who need to keep track of the time in multiple places around the world. For sailors travelling the globe, its application is obvious.

Powering this edition is the P.900/GMT calibre, a modified version  of the P.900 with that additional GMT module. GMT is another name for dual time zone functions except that GMT watches traditionally use a 24-hour scale for their secondary zone while the BiTempo uses a 12-hour system. Beyond that, it has the same specs as the standard P.900, including crucially the 3-day power reserve. That also means it only has a slightly higher price than the non-GMT version, at £8,300.

Panerai Luminor Chrono Carbotech™ Luna Rossa PAM01519

The Luminor Chrono Carbotech is one of Panerai’s Experience editions, which means that purchasing the watch gives the owner access to an exclusive event designed to highlight the strengths of the watch. In the past those experiences have included army boot camps to test out their most extreme tool watches and a tour of Italian heritage for their more refined, luxury designs. I don’t think it will be any surprise that this Experience edition involves meeting the Luna Rossa team for some sailing-related activities.

The watch itself is 44mm in diameter with a Carbotech case. Carbotech is Panerai’s proprietary material made from a composite of carbon fibre and PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), giving it supremely lightweight and durable qualities as well as a uniform, layered appearance. It’s a chronograph model so the internal bezel is adorned with a tachymeter for measuring speed and distance.

Moving on to the dial, it features the same sunray brushed blue design as the other Luna Rossa watches we’ve looked at so far. Interrupting the blue is a pair of black bicompax subdials with snailed finishing. At 9 o’clock is the usual small seconds indicator while at 3 o’clock is a 30-minute chronograph counter. The central hand stack is also in stealthy black, featuring hours, minutes and chronograph seconds. It’s powered by the P.9200 calibre with 42-hour power reserve.

In terms of price, this one is the most expensive by several nautical miles, but not without good reason. On a pure watchmaking level, it has the most complex mechanics and is built using the most high-tech materials. But the main reason it costs £41,400 is the accompanying experience and the fact it’s limited to just 37 pieces in honour of the 37th Americas Cup.

Panerai Luminor Due Luna Rossa PAM01378/81

Since the last two watches are essentially a pair, we’ll cover them together. The only differences between them are the fact that one is 42mm while the other is 38mm and they have different straps. At those sizes they make for a good his & hers set but to be honest, they’re perfectly unisex and I find myself looking at the 38mm as one of the few Panerais that wouldn’t dwarf me.

As for the dials, they’ve deviated away from aquatic blue for a neutral white, although the team colours are still represented via the red seconds hands. It’s surprising how much a simple colour swap can change the character of a watch. The blue feels active and ready to jump on board and set sail, the white is more ready to pop open a bottle of fizz in the boat clubhouse. That’s not just an aesthetic distinction either because the two models are only water resistant to 30m (38mm) and 50m (42mm), so you don’t want to risk them getting soaked in the waves.

Both watches house the P.900 calibre – I did warn you at the start of this article that it’s a movement you’d be hearing a lot about. Since we’ve already talked about it a bunch, let’s focus on the straps instead. All five watches here except the 38mm are presented on bi-material straps consisting of rubber and textiles for a flexible, durable and water-resistant design in blue and red. The 38mm is instead on a Saffiano calf leather strap in white with a red stripe, hammering home that it’s for admiring the water, not jumping in it.

The Luminor Due Luna Rossa 42mm is £6,700 and the 38mm is £6,400, making them the most accessible in the collection. All that’s left to do is decide which of the Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa watches is your favourite. Personally, I like the idea of a chronograph model because it has the most relevance to racing but in terms of the watch I’d actually want, it would be the PAM01408, the standard time and date model. It has the right balance of style and function while displaying the team colours of Luna Rossa without being too overt about it.

​Oracle Time 

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