The landscape for the 2020 America’s Cup is looking very different after its first two events (Italy & England) were canceled due to the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped Panerai from moving forward with its partnership with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, whose inaugural home race was unfortunately one of the victims of the cancellations. Joining the Submersible Carbotech variant unveiled at SIHH last year is the stealthy new DLC-coated titanium PAM1036 — a Luminor GMT model that once again adheres to the stealthy black and red Luna Rossa regalia and also uses the same textured dial made from the sails of one of the Luna Rossa AC75 racing boats.

Specifications

Brand: Panerai
Model: Luna Rossa GMT (ref. PAM1036)
Dimensions: 44mm
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Case Material: DLC-coated titanium
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Movement: Panerai P.9010/GMT (in-house automatic)
Frequency: 4Hz
Power Reserve: 3 Days
Strap/Bracelet: Includes both Panerai rubber strap and Ponte Vecchio calfskin strap
Price & Availability: $11,200 USD

Like the Submersible from last year, the textured sailcloth surface on this reference combined with Panerai’s signature sandwich-dial architecture yields a super-cool aesthetic that’s not just different from any Panerai to date but also different from any other America’s Cup partnership watch that I’m aware of. Personally, I’ve always loved the sleek, function-rich nautical tool watches that emerge from the watch world’s many partnerships with America’s Cup sailing teams, though I really wish that the America’s Cup branding — and especially the edition or year for which the partnership is being commemorated — were relegated to the caseback. In this particular instance, the caseback already has plenty of cool embellishment (including a neat engraving of an AC75 mono-hull sailboat) containing all the partnership’s necessary data — why does it need to be on the dial, as well?

All things considered, from an aesthetic standpoint, I’d still count the Luna Rossa editions markedly more interesting than the series Panerai cooked up for the 35th edition of the America’s Cup. Like the Carbotech Submersible Luna Rossa from last year, Panerai’s 44mm titanium cases also wear extremely light and comfortably, and here you get the added bonus of it being a dual-time watch. Speaking of which, let’s not forget that Panerai’s P.9000-series in-house movements have an independently adjustable hour hand, making this a perfect watch for travel, or for racing a very expensive sailboat between multiple time zones. Once again, the price for the PAM1036 Luna Rossa GMT is $11,200 at panerai.com.