Panerai again bridges the gap between elegance and robustness with the PAM01482 Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT. Though the 10-hour power reserve is impressive, this Luminor has a few more tricks.
Panerais in the watch community are often shoehorned into a niche their designs asked for. Hypermasculine, burly, bold, and brutish are words commonly associated with the Panerai aesthetic, yet over the years the Florentine company has refined them to the point of formality. These days, you can get away with dressing up a Panerai in a suit, just like how Chris Pratt did at the opening of Panerai’s New York boutique!
With this newest PAM01482, Panerai has yet again demonstrated the surprising flexibility of the Luminor’s iconic design, adding elegance and complexity to one of the world’s greatest utility watches.
The Dieci Giorni GMT is part of an expanding Luminor Complicazioni lineup, focussing mainly on Luminor-based complications such as the chronograph and the GMT. Since I already poured all my energy into a crash course on chronographs (which you can check out here), I’m honoured to be able to cover this new timepiece, for both Panerai’s sake and my own sanity.
Constructed in stainless steel, the Dieci Giorni GMT is everything you’ve come to know and love from the Panerai design team. Sunray blue dial, the recognisable yet ridiculously over-the-top crown guard, and lumed sandwich construction are all part of the package deal you get with your regular Panerais – so why should you care?
That’s because within the traditional design lies arguably the greatest Panerai movement of all time: the in-house P.2003 automatic movement. But why is that? For starters, when Panerai proclaims that the P.2003 is ‘in-house,’ they’re not talking about their old days of laser-engraving logos into pocket watch movements. They’re not even talking about getting help from ValFleurier, Richemont’s movement manufacturer. Panerai’s P.2003 stands alone as literally in-house – designed, created, and assembled entirely by the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel.
This is a crazy achievement for Panerai, as in the past they had often been lampooned for their lack of imagination in the horological department. However, this movement represents a daring step in the right direction for the brand. Most companies would tend towards making a basic three-hander movement for their first in-house creation, but not Panerai. The P.2003 contains a caller-style GMT connected to an AM/PM indicator at 9 o’clock, as well as a linear power reserve indicator to track its gargantuan 10-day power reserve.
That’s not all, however, as the Panerai’s additional 9 o’clock small seconds complication has been modified to reset to zero every single time you adjust the time. This makes it much easier for the user to sync up the Dieci Giorni to a local timezone as they travel!
Final Thoughts
While often branded as a two-trick pony with the Luminor and Radiomir, Panerai’s recent releases have consistently proven that, despite its nature, they can captivate the watch world with every single move they make. The PAM01482 Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT is proof of the tireless work that Panerai has undertaken to revolutionise Italian watchmaking.
Yes, it’s a caller-style GMT, and they could have designed a flyer-style ‘True’ GMT movement, but it wouldn’t be as half as fun as it is! Also, the ability to reset the second hand to zero while time-setting should be a staple for every single watch going forward. It just makes sense, and I don’t understand why almost nobody else isn’t doing it! In my opinion, it’s watches like these that set a good precedent for Panerai going forward, as they find more new and inventive ways to harness their unique aesthetic.
Reference: PAM01482 Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT
Specifications
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Dimensions: 44mm diameter
- Dial: Blue sunbrushed sandwich dial with orange accents
- Movement: In-house automatic P.2003, caller-style GMT with tourbillon, power reserve/day & night indicators
- Beat Rate: 4Hz/28,800bph
- Power Reserve: 10 days
- Water Resistance: 100m(10bar)
- Crystal: Sapphire, on front and case back
- Strap: Dark blue alligator with T/T stitching. Trapezoidal steel buckle
