Panerai Luminor Due Watches
To English-speaking ears, the Luminor Due (Italian for “Luminor Two”) suggests a new evolution for the brand’s signature line. But the Due is better thought of as a lateral move — more “Luminor, Too” than “Luminor Two.” The new watch — and it is a new watch rather than a new version of an old watch — is slimmer and carries a different sense of purpose than the line it’s based on.
History and Significance in the Panerai Catalog
The Panerai company has been around for more than 150 years, but it has only supplied watches to the consumer public for a couple of decades. Initially, Panerai worked largely on government contracts, producing watches and other technical gear for the military, mostly the Italian Navy. That all changed in 1993. That’s when the historically Italian company (now headquartered in Switzerland) decided to bring its products to the civilian market in the form of the “Luminor.” The model was named for the luminous paint that Panerai was instrumental in developing and some form of which is now used in analog display watches of every kind throughout the world.
The brand has always been known for its big watches and is often credited with starting the “big watch” trend that took off in the 1990s and peaked in the early 2000s. Some Panerai watches have had cases measuring as large as 50mm across and proportioned to match. The original flagship Luminor, for example, was 15.65mm thick.
And so, after nearly 25 years of producing the Luminor watch — largely untouched aesthetically — the Panerai took a bold step forward with the Luminor Due in 2016. The Due is roughly two-thirds the thickness of the Luminor. It features the brand’s trademark crown protector/latch, but is only rated to 30 meters of water resistance. At the time of its release, many critics (citing the waterproof rating) questioned whether it was worthy of the name “Luminor Two.” It didn’t represent a specific, quantifiable improvement over the Luminor.
Those reviews miss the point, though. Rather than viewing the name like versions of a computer program (where 2.0 is an upgraded version of 1.0), the Italian national broadcasting system is a better reference point. Italian state TV and radio channels are simply referred to by their numbers: RAI 1, RAI 2 and so on. They are all state-run channels, but they carry different programming and target different audiences. Seen in this light, the Luminor Due is not intended as a better Luminor so much as another Luminor and should be evaluated on its own merits.
What the Due offers is the classic Luminor look — sandwich dial, illuminated numbers and indexes, trademarked crown guard and bold, Italian style — in a format that is intended for the boardroom or the red carpet rather than the open sea. It is a Luminor that maintains the original’s eye-catching profile. The Luminor Due will still satisfy fans of the big-watch aesthetic but can now fit comfortably under a shirt sleeve for perhaps the first time in the brand’s history. It is a model that should cause Paneristi to celebrate: There is now a version of the watch they love that is comfortable and appropriate in all the situations where the original Luminor might have struggled to look the part.
Luminor Due Design and Features
Luminor Due models bear all the familiar hallmarks of Panerai’s most famous design: the case’s “cushion shape,” the raised bezel, the sandwich dial, the crown guard with lever. But the beating heart inside that familiar case is worth noting.
The suite of in-house Panerai movements that drive the various models remain one of the model’s strongest selling points. Depending on case size (42mm or 45mm), the Due runs on either a P.1000 or P.4000 caliber. Both operate at 4Hz and have a power reserve of 72 hours while maintaining an incredible thinness of roughly 4mm.
The Due 38, launched two years after the original Due, further shrank the Luminor’s recognizable look with models as small as 38mm across. The smaller diameter opened the door for a unisex model that could appeal to women as well as men looking for an even more understated presentation of the Panerai style. At release, the Due 38 contained the OPXXXIV movement before being upgraded to the in-house P.900 movement, which also offers a 72-hour power reserve.
The Luminor Due line is available in a choice of titanium, steel or Goldtech (the company’s proprietary pink gold blend).
Luminor Due Collector’s Perspective
The Luminor Due is an exciting model that builds on one of modern watchmaking’s most recognizable silhouettes with a slimmer, more modern form factor. The new model is more appropriate for daily and business wear, blending easily with a shirt and tie. Meanwhile its tool watch counterpart, the original Luminor, is more at home in a relaxed or sport environment.
The new model line offers an exciting choice of in-house automatic movements and a wide variety of dial and strap combinations (including Panerai’s new quick-release strap system). Once again this makes it a better fit for more upscale occasions when the wearer may want to match the watch to a specific outfit. The introduction of smaller diameter cases in 2018 further expanded the reach of the Luminor look, making it much more accessible to women for the first time.
Brand-new Dues start at just over $6,000 and run into the $20,000+ range depending on options like material, case size and movement. On the secondary market, prices typically start around $5,000 (depending on condition and options) and go up from there.