The following article was produced in partnership with Panerai.
There’s no mistaking a Panerai. The luxury Italian watchmaker’s bold, utilitarian and distinctive watches are prized by watch collectors for their imposing aesthetic – such as their Submersible, their popular, function-forward dive watch.
But sometimes they can be too imposing… Or not utilitarian enough. Up until now, the Submersible was only available in either 42mm or 47mm case sizes. The former has often been criticised by Paneristis (that’s Panerai fans, for the uninitiated) for being too small – a Panerai should be big, after all. Yet 47mm is also prohibitively large for many watch collectors, reducing its usefulness as a tool.
That’s why when Panerai unveiled the Submersible QuarantaQuattro earlier this year, we were quietly impressed. QuarantaQuattro is Italian for 44 and that’s exactly what they’ve done: they’ve made a 44mm Submersible.
It’s a masterstroke, really. 44mm is a real ‘Goldilocks’ size in our opinion: it’s still very masculine; very Panerai, without being obnoxiously large. It maintains the design code of the brand while also making Submersibles more accessible to a wider audience.
The introduction of the Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro has come hand in hand with some exciting new looks for the Submersible range. The new QuarantaQuattro collection is home to some of the best-looking dive watches in Panerai’s already handsome and extensive range.
The ‘standard’ (if it can be called such a thing) Submersible QuarantaQuattro combines a black dial with stainless steel hardware and interesting light blue highlights on key features such as the small seconds hand and dial lettering. It’s a subtle touch that lets other watch fans know it’s a QuarantaQuattro while providing a bit of visual flair.
The Submersible QuarantaQuattro is a real tool watch and as such, incorporates features designed to support even the most challenging of dives. For example, it has a uni-directional rotating bezel with metallic appliques filled with white Super-LumiNova – an indispensable feature for a diving instrument.
It also features Panerai’s locking crown mechanism – a signature of the brand – where a lever-actuated lock integrated into the large semi-circular crown guard keeps the crown from rotating (and therefore compromising the watch’s water-resistance or changing the time).
If we’re speaking visual flair though, it’s hard to go past the Submersible QuarantaQuattro Bianco. As the name implies, this baby has a stark white dial with black highlights, including on the hands. There’s just something about a white dial Panerai that really pops…
The Bianco is also the perfect canvas for a bit of style experimentation: by default, it comes on a military green rubber strap, but Panerai’s got a veritable rainbow of strap options – we reckon it looks great on orange, for example.
It’s easy to swap out different straps on your Submersible QuarantaQuattro thanks to Panerai’s unique strap swap system. A small button on the right-hand lug can be depressed in order to quickly release the strap’s spring bar and swap in a new strap. It’s a good middle ground between the convenience of other quick-release systems and the durability of a more standard spring bar setup.
The Submersible QuarantaQuattro Carbotech™ Blu Abisso is another highlight of the collection. Rather than stainless steel, it’s constructed from Carbotech, a signature Panerai carbon fibre composite material that’s perfect for a tough tool watch and offers a real point of difference among dive watches.
Carbotech is Panerai’s lightest case material: 14% lighter than titanium and 36% lighter than steel, in fact. It’s highly resistant to corrosion and to scratching, too – it feels weightless on the wrist while possessing remarkable strength.
On top of that, it features Panerai’s stunning dark blue Blu Abisso tone for its dial and strap – a luxurious, limited colour reserved for special timepieces. It’s a stealthy yet techy timepiece for real aficionados.
All Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro watches are water-resistant to 300m and are powered by the P.900 calibre, which boasts an Incabloc anti-shock device and a 3-day power reserve. They all also feature a mix of green and blue Super-LumiNova for maximum legibility in low-light conditions.
In addition, all the new Submersible QuarantaQuattro timepieces centre Panerai’s commitment to encouraging environmentally-conscious practices. For example, the rubber straps available for the QuarantaQuattros is Panerai’s first rubber strap made from 30% recycled materials while the fabric straps are composed of 68% recycled fabric material.
In short, the Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro is the perfect addition to Panerai’s range and the perfect addition to your watch collection. Tough, versatile and forward-thinking, it can handle anything you throw at it: diving, sports, trivia night at the pub…
No matter which style you go for, it’s a proper Panerai for the proper modern watch fan.
Discover the Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro collection at your nearest Sydney or Melbourne Boutiques, and on panerai.com.