Panerai Teams Up With Renowned Car Tuner On A 'Tricked-Out' High-Performance Watch

High-octane horology.

Panerai Teams Up With Renowned Car Tuner On A 'Tricked-Out' High-Performance Watch

The famous black B... Up close and personal with the Panerai Submersible S Brabus Black Ops Edition (ref. PAM01240). Image: Panerai

High-end watches and sports cars are a match made in heaven, and many of the world’s top luxury watch manufacturers have forged partnerships with performance car makers – IWC Schaffhausen with Mercedes-AMG, Jacob & Co. with Bugatti, TAG Heuer with Porsche, Richard Mille with McLaren, Bremont with Jaguar…

Now we can add another partnership to that list: Panerai and Brabus. Brabus, for those that are unaware, is a German luxury engineering brand that’s perhaps best known as one of the best aftermarket tuners for Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach vehicles. They’re to Mercedes what Alpina is to BMW or RUF is to Porsche – or like AMG, but even crazier.

Something most revheads might not know is that Brabus tunes watercraft, too. Just as Brabus bless Mercedes vehicles with their Midas touch, Brabus also works with Finnish boatmaker Axopar on a line of Brabus Marine motorboats, which are like supercars for the ocean. And it’s in this context of high-performance watersports that Panerai and Brabus have come together on a seriously exciting new watch.

Meet the Panerai Submersible S Brabus Black Ops Edition (ref. PAM01240): a watch that celebrates Brabus’ newest and most exciting motorboat, while also marking a number of technological firsts for Panerai as well.

A better look at the ref. PAM01240. The Brabus text on the signature Panerai crown lock arm is a nice touch. Image: Panerai

Named after Brabus Marine’s latest limited-edition speedboat, the Brabus Shadow 900 Black Ops (a 900hp monster with a top speed of over 60 knots), this appropriately stealthy diver’s watch is primarily constructed from Carbotech, a signature Panerai carbon fibre composite material that’s lighter than titanium, tougher than steel and completely scratch-resistant – a similar composite to what’s used in Brabus’ cars and boats.

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But the technical wizardry doesn’t stop there. The Submersible Brabus Black Ops Edition is also the first-ever Panerai watch with a skeletonised automatic calibre. Normally skeletonised watches look pretty but sacrifice practicality for looks – yet this watch still has a water-resistance rating of 300m and a 3-day power reserve. It also has a novel polarised date window, allowing a view of the date indication only through the opening at 3 o’clock without covering the mechanics of the skeletonised movement.

It’s an exceptionally cool watch that’s the perfect companion to a tricked-out, high-performance Brabus boat or car. Like the Black Ops boat, it too is a limited edition: only 100 of these distinctive timepieces will be made, and you can bet they’ll be outta here quicker than a Brabus Rocket.

Discover more about this amazing creation at Panerai’s online boutique here.

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