In 1993, the world was introduced to Panerai in an event held on the deck of an Italian Navy Destroyer. While that alone would have been enough to make a splash, the fact that Panerai had been around in one form or another since the early nineteenth century, working behind the scenes as a supplier to the Italian Navy. In the 30-odd years since that 1993 debut as a publicly available brand, Panerai has become genuinely iconic, thanks to its compelling history and instantly recognisable silhouette.

Now Panerai is celebrating both, with an exhibition entitled ‘Exploring the Depths of Time’ being held at the brand’s Florence boutique — the spiritual home of the brand, and with a new watch, the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218.

The exhibition promises to show the secrets behind the brand, from early innovations to the pioneering models that set the blueprint for the modern brand’s identity, as well as a splendour of never-before-seen documents. One such watch, the Luminor ref. 5218-202/A was one of the few watches first presented in 1993, and has been given a remarkably faithful tribute in the form of the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218.

This new watch is the first time the brand has reinterpretated Panerai’s progenitor in this form — a more contemporary 44mm case, rather than the hefty 47mm models of yore. While the size may be slightly smaller, there’s no downplaying the impact of the fundamental design, the black DLC-coated Luminor case is truly one of the most important silhouettes of the modern era, responsible for shepherding in the trend to big watches in the 90s and early 2000s. On top of that, the pared-back dial aesthetics is Panerai at its minimal best, with numerals and hands in mismatched colours, a nod to the fact that the tritium lume on the dial of early models aged differently to the hands, due to a reaction with the dial varnish. Speaking of dials, this is not the original sandwich-style dial, but rather a monolayer hollowed dial, one of the few concessions to contemporary production techniques. Another is the movement — the original models used a Unitas base, while here we get the in-house hand-wound P.6000 calibre, offering a solid 72 hours of power.

Panerai has released plenty of takes on its iconic models before, but it’s at its best when it sticks to the original winning formula, and the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218 is a great example of this.

Tech Specs: Panerai Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, P.6000 calibre, 3 days power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 44mm, steel with black DLC coating, water-resistance 300M
Dial: Monolayer black
Strap: Gold-brown calf leather