Experience Being a Diving Commando With Panerai PAM00961 Marina Militare – LITERALLY

If you are a fan of Panerai then you know the long standing history the brand has with the underwater commandos from the Royal Italian Navy. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be one of those commandos or be part of that famous Navy that has inspired a brand like Panerai to continue to soar. With the release of the Panerai PAM00961 Marina Militare Special Edition of 33 pieces you will now have the ability to have that type of experience.

You might have noticed a recurring theme in this years SIHH2019 lineup with special edition watches with experience packages tied into them. I introduced you to the PAM982 Guillaume Néry edition which included a unique experience with the record breaking free diver.  This is the second of 3 experiences packaged with a special edition watch at this years SIHH in Geneva.

The lucky 33 that purchase this Special Edition Panerai PAM961 will take part in a training session with Comsubin, the Diving and Commando Group of the Italian Navy. This is a very rare experience that hardly anyone will ever get to do unless you have gone through years of training to become part of this highly specialized group. The number of units, 33 has a very special meaning to this group of commandos. It is the same as the number of Gold Medals for Military Valour won by these members of Comsubin in the course of their History.

Beyond being a limited edition Carbotech Marina Militare Submersible, the PAM961 is easily distinguished from it’s Carbotech counter parts by a very military themed style.

In this version, the PAM00961 of course features a 47mm case made out of the matte black Carbotech material which is composed of layers of Carbon Fiber pressed together with a polymer PEK to create this lightweight and strong material which was revolutionized by Panerai and introduced at SIHH2015.  As with the PAM00979, the dial is made of carbon fiber to match nicely with the case.

Where you immediately notice the difference between the two models is in the colors used for the indexes and Super-Luminova. While the regular version of the Marina Militare Submersible features a grey color, the PAM961 features an intense military green color.

To match the green on the dial, Panerai opted for a military green rubber strap which completes the watch nicely. As with the PAM00979, this watch is powered by the in-house automatic P.9010 movement with three day power reserve.

Putting this all together and completing the watch is a solid titanium case base with an engraving of the Comsubin Logo in the center.

Now lets go back a bit to the experience that is going to be coming along with this watch. How fitting will this be for any passionate Panerai enthusiast. You fall in a love with a brand that was given to the commandos of the Royal Italian Navy at it’s early stages and now you are able (for a price of course) train with the latest generation of these commandos. I did mention you get a watch out of it as well. Talk about coming full circle with the brand and mirroring it’s history with this experience.

While the other two experiences offered up by Panerai are amazing in their own right. I don’t think I could pass this watch and experience combo up if given the chance.

PANERAI PAM00961 PAM961 MARINA MILITARE SUBMERSIBLE CARBOTECH – 47MM LIMITED EDITION OF 33

 

MOVEMENT: Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9010 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13. lignes, 6 mm thick, 31 jewels, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device, two barrels.

FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time.

CASE: Diameter 47 mm, carbotech. Unidirectional rotating bezel in carbotech. Back in titanium with special engraving. Device protecting the crown (protected as trademark) in carbotech.

DIAL: camouflage black, carbon, with luminous dots and indexes. Date at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock.

POWER RESERVE: 72 hours.

WATER-RESISTANCE: 30 bar (~ 300 metres).

STRAP: Panerai personalized black rubber strap and trapezoidal titanium buckle.