While 2020 may be a relatively quiet year in the world of yacht racing, with extensive event cancellations across the globe, the sport has had a notable year for high-profile luxury watch partnerships. The latest of these comes from Panerai, which has renewed its partnership with renowned Italian sailing team Luna Rossa ahead of the 2021 America’s Cup race. To commemorate this continuing partnership, Panerai has launched a new limited edition Luminor GMT model decked out in the team’s signature colors with a dramatic material twist. The new limited edition Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm offers each buyer a truly one of a kind look by including a piece of the team’s state of the art yacht into the construction.
Brand: Panerai
Model: Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm
Dimensions: 42mm
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Case Material: Titanium case/Carbotech carbon composite bezel
Movement: manufacture P.9010/GMT: automatic GMT w/small seconds and date
Strap/Bracelet: Black alligator leather
Price & Availability: Available now through authorized dealers, $10,800
The 42mm case of the Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm follows the iconic Luminor cushion case shape, with its short straight lugs and prominent locking crown guard, while diverting from tradition in terms of materials. The main body of the case is made from sandblasted titanium for a dark matte look, while the smooth bezel uses Panerai’s exclusive Carbotech carbon composite material. This swirling striated material is just low-profile enough not to draw attention to itself at first glance but adds a purposeful high-tech ethos to the design on closer inspection. Panerai finishes this case with a special engraved titanium caseback, featuring etchings of both the America’s Cup trophy and Luna Rossa’s innovative AC75 racing yacht. If the case of the Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm is quiet about its use of carbon composites, the dial is allowed to shout about it. The iconic Panerai sandwich dial surface is made here out of a material the brand calls Scafotech, a carbon fiber composite made from pieces of the Luna Rossa AC75 yacht’s hull and hydrofoils. The result is a marbled, random black pattern reminiscent of the carbon brakes on a modern race car, with a dynamic and masculine look that displays differently on each example’s dial. Outside of this innovative material, the dial design of the Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm is more or less the same as a standard Luminor GMT model, save for some unique dial text at 6 o’clock. Luna Rossa’s signature vibrant red tone is used judiciously as an accent here, creating visual highlights for both the 9 o’clock small seconds subdial and the 12 hour GMT hand that play dramatically off the blacks and grays of the dial. Inside the Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm is the brand’s in-house automatic P9010/GMT movement, with a 28,800 bph beat rate and a hefty 72 hour power reserve. Panerai finishes this model off with a clean black alligator leather strap. While this is a fine and versatile option, it feels a touch too dressy for the technical showcase of the case and dial, and a rubber strap may have been more appropriate.
With the Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm, Panerai has created both an attractive extension to the cornerstone Luminor lineup as well as a genuinely impressive showcase of material prowess. Only 250 examples of the limited edition Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm will be made. The Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT 42mm is available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $10,800. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.