Just reading the title of this article — as it would be for many Panerai models — is quite a mouthful. And it certainly gets your attention, especially with something like “Carbotech” in the name. The Italian manufacture has revealed the extremely unique PAM616 at SIHH 2015. You’ll see that this is more than just another Luminor Submersible from Panerai.
The look of the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic 47mm PAM616 is definitely not subtle, and it’s not for everyone. The fact of the matter is, if you get this watch, it literally will not look like any other. That’s because of the revolutionary construction. The case is made from compressing thin sheets of carbon fiber and binding that together with a high tech polymer, creating a very lightweight yet incredibly strong case. The process is unique to each watch and out of the 500 limited edition pieces, no two will look the same. The haters will hate when it comes to Panerai, but their new use of existing materials here is very interesting.
Here you can get a nice view of the interesting textures created
Panerai’s use of color in the dial is enough to stand out but not too much that it’s distracting — Panerai always seems to do a good job in that department. The movement is the in-house automatic calibre P.9000 with 3-day power reserve, housed in a 47mm case. This is becoming the norm for recent 1950 models, so no surprise there, it just limits who can wear the watch without looking over the top. Of course, if you get this watch, you’re probably not worried about that to begin with.
I’m interested to hear reports on the durability of the case as far as scratch resistance vs. brittleness. There’s always give and take whether you’re talking about titanium, ceramic, or in this case, carbon fiber and polymer; only time will tell. I, for one, am excited about this watch because of what is represents. Sure a trusty steel tool watch on your wrist is timeless, but it’s great to see the big names pushing the envelope to do what’s never been done before. Panerai has also released a few other big-hitters at SIHH, so stay tuned for more coverage.
by 
ASa
Good point!
Scratch resistance vs. brittleness:
One way to gain on scratch resistance while maintaining non brittle toughness, is to choose a material that offers very low friction. PEEK, as chosen by Panerai’s office could turn to be a clever match.
As you say, time will tell.