SIHH 2019 – Panerai PAM00979 Marina Miltare Carbotech

If you have been following our posts during SIHH2019 you will quickly find a pattern happening with the releases, Carbotech and Submersible timepieces. There is doubling down and then there is the all-in move and Panerai is taking the latter route this year in Geneva.

In line with movement, enter in the Panerai PAM00979 (PAM979 for short), a blacked out 47mm Carbotech Submersible Marina Militare.

As we have seen throughout the history of Panerai, they have paid homage to the history of the brand and its supplying the special forces of the Royal Italian Navy with naval instruments and dive watches. “Marina Militare” in fact is the name of that very Navy and engrained in the heritage of the brand. Continuing this lineage this Marina Militare Carbotech piece gives off a great sense of that military heritage with it’s dark nature, rigorous quality, and sporty look.

The PAM00979 features a 47mm case made of Carbotech which is not only lighter than titanium it is also stronger than stainless steel. These layers of carbon fiber that make up the case gives the watch an almost camouflage look that is not replicated in any other case. In fact, no two Carbotech watches will ever look the same.

Continuing the matte black look of this rugged beast is the use of the same type of carbon fiber in the dial, something we haven’t seen before in any other Panerai watch. We have had watches with the typical carbon fiber weave pattern, but never with the forged Carbotech look which is equally stunning. The dial features the sub second dial at the 9 o’clock position and a date window at the 3 o’clock spot.

With the PAM979 Panerai decided to go with a grey colored lume for the indexes, numbers and around the unidirectional bezel used to calculate the time of your dive. This is the first time I have seen this on a Panerai watch and I must say it really just gives this watch an even darker and stealth look. Behind the matte grey finish of the lume still hides the ever bright Super-Luminova that shines blue on the bezel dot and minute hand for quick reading and green for all the other indexes.

Underneath the beautiful Carbotech case, the PAM00979 has an in-house automatic P.9010 calibre with a three day power reserve. The balance, solidly fixed by a bridge and twin supports, oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and it is fitted with a device which stops the movemnt as soon as the winding crown is pulled out. This gives the user the ability to have the watch precisely synchronized. You can also adjust the hour hand without interfering with the movement of the minute hand.

Keeping the in-house movement enclosed and helping it have a 300M depth rating is a solid titanium case back engraved with a picture of one of these special forces frogmen with the words “Survival Instruments” above it.

When I look at this PAM00979 Marina Militare Submersible, I quickly think about one of my favorite pieces, the PAM317. The PAM317 known in the Panerai community as the “Dark Knight” really evokes a stealth feeling because of it’s dark ceramic case and and black dial. Even though this watch is made out of a completely different material, the fact that they married the Carbotech case, Carbon fiber dial, and grey Super-Luminova really makes it look just as stealth. In fact the more I look at it you can’t help but think of a Stealth Bomber or any other dark matte black military item.

The watch is not flashy in any way and I mean that in a very good way. It’s as close as you can get to the murdered out black on black look of a super car while keeping the lume shining bright. If this is a sign of things to come with other cases like the Luminor and Luminor 1950 then I will be even happier. We know when it comes to Panerai they introduce a lot of innovation in the Submersible line and some of them just trickle down.

The PAM00979 is a winner in this Panerai lovers book giving the “Black Knight” a little competition.

PANERAI PAM00979 (PAM979) SUBMERSIBLE MARINA MILITARE CARBOTECH – 47mm

MOVEMENT: Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9010 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13. lignes, 6 mm thick, 31 jewels, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® antishock 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.