2021 marks the 70th anniversary for Luminor, Panerai’s patented tritium based lume formula that later lent its name to the Luminor watch series. To celebrate this milestone, the Italian brand’s first major release of the year is a rugged, mordernist celebration of this signature material designed in concert with champion free diver and Panerai ambassador Guillaume Néry. With unique materials and a moody, black on gray look, the limited edition Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition offers a massive 70 year warranty while offering a glimpse into the future of one of the brand’s emblematic designs.

The 44mm case of the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition follows the same classic form of the standard Luminor, with the cushion shape accented by a sandblasted laser sintered titanium finish. This darker matte material adds a more serious and purposeful feel to the soft and rounded form, while the crown, bridge lever, and narrow smooth bezel are capped with a black rubberized coating. This two-tone effect helps to further set this variant apart from the rank and file Luminor models, and the coating will likely make the Luminor’s signature locking crown easier to operate in wet conditions. The solid caseback receives a black DLC coating and a clean silhouette engraving of Guillaume Néry himself during a dive along with his signature. Like the standard models, water resistance for this case is a stout 300 meters.

Like the case, the dial of the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition offers a dark and moody twist on the classic Luminor style. The Luminor lume formula itself is long gone, replaced here in the sandwich dial with stark white Super-LumiNova. While a more tritium-style lume tone might have been appropriate for the anniversary celebration, the bright white works well as an accent to the slate gray dégradé dial surface in initial images. The date window at 3 o’clock will likely remain a point of contention, as the lack of a border leaves it feeling like something of an interruption to the two layered effect of the rest of the design.

Inside the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition beats the in-house Caliber P.9010 automatic movement. The Caliber P.9010 boasts a quick time adjustment feature that allows travelers to independently adjust the hour hand when entering a new time zone, along with a Gluycdur balance wheel and a pair of mainspring barrels. The result of this twin barrel arrangement is a robust 72 hour power reserve at a beat rate of 28,800 bph.

To complete the modernist, monochromatic look of the Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition, Panerai pairs the watch with two included strap options. The first is a black textile strap made entirely from recycled PET plastics, featuring bold triple accent stitching in white. For those seeking a brighter option, the brand also includes a white rubber strap with a lumed Officine Panerai signature.

With an ultramodern monochrome look and advanced materials, the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition looks forward as much as it honors the brand’s past. Only 70 examples of the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm – Guillaume Néry Edition will be made, available exclusively at Panerai boutiques at an MSRP of $18,900. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.