Panerai’s latest release see’s the Italian watch manufacturer create something extraordinary from their continued partnership with luxury mobility brand BRABUS. This is not the first time the two brands have collaborated to create a unique watch. Back in September 2021, the two worlds collided to create the brand new skeleton automatic watch, the Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Black Ops Edition. This watch was inspired by BRABUS’s “Shadow Black Ops” series of fully brabusized dayboats.
Now, united by a shared passion for marine high-performance, the two brands have worked together to bring us their second exclusive timepiece; The Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Blue Shadow Edition. Much like the first collaboration release, the Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition brings together the best from both brands in terms of bold design, functionality, and world-renowned Swiss watchmaking pedigree.
The Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition is designed by using several reference points from the BRABUS Shadow 900 Deep Blue luxury day-boat, which is set to debut at the 2022 Palma International Boat Show. Taking colour tones from the luxury day-boat, the Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition features grey and blue all throughout the timepiece.
Design:
The Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition comes with a titanium 47mm case. The shape has been formed and created using a method of 3D printing technology called DLMS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering). The construction of the case offers the same Panerai shape, along with the iconic crown protector that the brand’s submersible watches are known for. The case has a matte finish, which gives it a nice contrast against the dial and bezel finishings.
The bezel and the crown lever are both made from Carbotech, which is a material that’s constructed from carbon fibre that has increased durability, lightness, and higher corrosion resistance. The material also gives it a unique pattern which carbon fibre is known for, making each individual watch stand out differently from the other.
The grey tones of the case and the bezel is a reference to the BRABUS Shadow 900 Deep Blue luxury day-boat. The blue colour tones of the boat are reflected on the circular hour indices, hollowed hands, and the outer ring of the dial on the timepiece. The blue on the hour markers and hands are from the Super-LumiNova, which provides high visibility during low-light conditions.
Like the two brand’s first collaboration timepiece, the Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition comes with a hollowed-out dial, which paves the way to see the beautiful movement underneath. A movement that has been exclusively designed to both be visually appealing and have high-performance output. From the dial, the BRABUS logo can be seen at the 7 o’clock position, along with GMT AM/PM indicator at the 9 o’clock sub-dial and the crystal clear date window at 3 o’clock. The design of this date window is quite impressive too, as even with a skeleton dial, the date wheel has been concealed to only show the current date.
Movement:
The engine running the all-new Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition is the brand’s newly developed P.4001/S calibre movement. The product of roughly 3 years of development, the P.4001/S calibre movement packs quite a punch.
This skeletonised movement features an off-centre oscillator which can be seen from the open case back. The oscillator has bi-direction winding thanks to two spring barrels which are highly efficient in winding the timepiece while it’s worn. The oscillating rotor is also made from tungsten, which allows for the movement to be thinner and also lighter. The P.4001/S calibre movement operates at a frequency of approximately 28, 800 VpH (4 Hz) and has a staggering power reserve of 3 days.
To finish off the look of the new Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition, Panerai is offering a calf leather and rubber bi-material black strap as standard. A second strap option of a deep blue rubber strap is also available.
Combining the best of both brands, the new Submersible S Brabus Blue Shadow Edition is an aesthetically appealing timepiece that brings together design and functionality. The only drawback of this timepiece is that it is exceptionally large at 47mm, however, this is nothing new for Panerai models, where the standard size is almost 45mm. The model is limited to 200 pieces worldwide and is priced at 70,400.00 AUD