Today, the Luminor is Panerai’s flagship watch model and comes in a slew of sizes, materials, and complications. The watches retain the iconic cushion-shape case, integrated lugs, crown-protector bridge (without “REG T.M.” engravings), and highly luminous dials. Overall, they embrace Panerai’s basic design blueprint of pairing minimalist dials with robust cases.
The Luminor Marina was released in 1993 alongside the Luminor collection. It embraces a similar design as the Luminor, also featuring a cushion-shaped case, integrated lugs, an oversized crown guard, and large, visible hour markers on the dial.
What sets it apart and is essentially one of the most characteristic features of the Marina sub-collection is the presence of small seconds next to the 9-hour marker. However, if you see the small seconds register, it isn’t safe to assume that the watch is a Marina. A handful of other Panerai fake watches also include this feature on their dial, but it remains a constant among the Luminor Marina collection in particular.
However, in 2019 Panerai dropped the Luminor label, and had officially established the Submersible as its own collection. This is appropriate since the Submersible is actually a dive watch rather than a luxury watch inspired by diving. Unlike the other offerings in the brand’s catalog, Panerai Submersibles come equipped with standard dive watch requirements such as unidirectional rotating bezels and waterproofness to 300 meters.
The basic design elements of its original parent collection, the Luminor, are still present, as you will also find in the cushion-shaped case and crescent-shaped crown guard. Additionally, while many of the models in Panerai’s portfolio feature traditional baton/Arabic hour markers, the Submersible opts for large dot hour markers and skeletonized hands. The collection is available in various metal finishes, dial colors, bracelet types, and even movement functions. If you appreciate the look of a robust Panerai but also want a true dive watch, the Submersible is your best bet.
A year later, Panerai created a whole new case design with the now-iconic, lever-operated, crown-protecting bridge. This mechanism ensures better water resistance for the watches. Similar to the preceding Radiomir watches made in the 1940s, the then-new 1950s Panerai watches also had the case and lugs fashioned from a single block of steel. However, the bezels were wider and flatter.
This case design serves as the inspiration for today’s Panerai Luminor 1950s audemars piguet replica watches (which were first released in 2002, almost a decade after the debut of the modern Luminor). It’s also worth noting that the crown guards of today’s Panerai Luminor 1950 include the “REG T.M.” engraving on them.
In 2023, Panerai unveiled the brand new Luminor Due collection, adding the Italian word for “two” to its name. With slimmer cases and smaller size options, the Luminor Due is positioned as an elegant alternative to the oversized and robust Luminor models. With its release, Panerai essentially separated the new collection from the Luminor’s notoriously purpose-driven design set and adopted a slightly dressier aesthetic.
However, water resistance is much lower (30 meters), which has upset some Panerai purists who say that the Due watches stray too far from the company’s origins of making dive watches. Yet, the more restrained proportions of the Luminor Due have opened up the brand to a whole new audience (including more women!) who appreciate the more reasonable case dimensions. Of course, it’s still recognizable as a Luminor watch, featuring the collection’s signature cushion-shaped case, integrated lugs, and oversized lever-activated crown guard.