Panerai Automatic Watches Collection, Panerai Automatic Watch

Panerai Luminor Marina Automatic Titanium (PAM00240)

very nice watch!

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Ken Z, From United States Miramar

Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days (PAM00267)

The stainless steel band of the watch runs extremely large. Also, it is very hard to change the bands.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Jillian Thompson, From United States Katy

Panerai Radiomir 1940 Mechanical Black Dial Black Leather Men's Watch PAM00512

appreciate got the Panerai watch so quick, I will buy watch from here next time...

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Carlos Roberto Vieira, From Us Pearland, Texas

Last weekend saw the Antibes stage of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. It is an unusual association in the world of sport, since it is spearheaded on the personal initiative of the brand's CEO and Panerai also enters its own yacht in the regatta. 

The Earth's landmass is huge, but the oceans are even bigger. This is why a number of watch brands can be involved in sponsoring regattas without necessarily coming into contact with each other. Panerai has found its position mid-way between the giant Rolex and independents such as HYT. The Italian brand sponsors what is today the biggest international regatta circuit. Taking place from April till September, the Classic Yachts Challenge comprises nine races featuring some of the most beautiful classic yachts. Is it a sponsorship based on pure marketing? Not entirely.
It all started with Panerai's CEO Angelo Bonati, who is crazy about classic yachting. The brand's global sponsorship is therefore a direct result of the passion of one man, who has driven a partnership that has now been in place for eleven years. 

One man, one yacht, one race
Last weekend in Antibes, Mr Bonati therefore eschewed any obligations, abandoned his schedule and interviews, put on his shorts and hat and stepped aboard Eilean, the brand's own classic yacht. It is a moment of pure pleasure that he allows himself whenever his schedule permits. Away from the photographers and their flashes, Angelo Bonati savours even the shortest outing on "his" yacht with its crew, becoming an anonymous sailor who, on land, manages one of the flagship brands of the Richemont group.
This yacht, Eilean, is the second particularity in Panerai's commitment to yachting. Very few brands actually participate in the competitions that they sponsor, since many are afraid of failure in their own discipline. Examples to the contrary, such as Marc Hayek driving his own Lamborghini in the Super Trofeo sponsored by Blancpain, are few and far between. 

50 tonnes of Italian grace
Panerai acquired the Bermudan ketch Eilean in 2007, spent three years restoring it and now enters it into the Classic Yachts Challenge just like any other competitor. Built in 1936 - the same year as the prototype of the first Radiomir - the 22-metre vessel has a displacement of 50 tonnes and has been competing on the circuit for the past two years. The brand's participation is all the more exceptional given the formidable competition that it faces in the regattas. 

For the moment at least, Panerai does not produce any watches dedicated to these regattas. The Luminor 1950 Regatta, with its regatta countdown timer, is however an ideal timepiece for this type of event. In fact, a quick check among the skippers last weekend showed that most of them were wearing Swiss Made mechanical watches rather than the electronic watches used for ocean races. Eilean also has the privilege of having custom made cockpit instruments specially designed and engraved for her. The gift is in line with the vessel's responsibility, since it is Eilean that upholds the craftsmanship of Panerai in all conditions. Designed in Italy, made in Neuchâtel. 

Encased in a 48mm red gold case, the Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso features a sapphire crystal back showcasing the perpendicular tourbillon cage unique to this design that allows for a more even run and fewer inaccuracies. The watch is powered by an hand-wound mechanical Panerai P.2005 calibre, with a power reserve of six days.

The timepiece also a GMT hand located on the central axis, a second time-zone at 3, with AM / PM indication, and a small second at 9. The GMT hand can be adjusted by one-hour increments directly by the screwed crown, without disturbing the seconds or the minutes.

The Radiomir 1940 case is entirely made of 5npt red gold, a special alloy with a high percentage of copper which gives the gold a warm, elegant tone, and a percentage of platinum which helps to prevent oxidation. The watch is water-resistant to five bar. It is supplied with a Panerai personalised brown alligator strap closed by an adjustable red gold buckle.

The Panerai Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso PAM558 is limited to 30 pieces only.

Gmt n°29 - Fall 2012

Angelo Bonati, CEO of Panerai
 

Brice Lechevalier: When did this passion for sailing emerge ?
Angelo Bonati: It goes back to my childhood, when I lived in the country and was fascinated by the sails when I saw them on TV. I wondered how it was possible for them to float in the wind. Unfortunately, the years rushed by all too fast, and it was only after I turned 30 that I was able to take lessons on Lake Como.
What's your best memory in this domain ?
The first boat I bought, a Jeanneau..
And as far as regattas are concerned?
I love the sea but I don't do much competitive sailing. I have excellent memories of a leg raced at 15 knots on the historical Bona Fide tall ship during the Regates Royales de Cannes a few years ago.
Of which achievement are you most proud ?
Of the restoration of Eilean, a ketch built by the Fife shipyard in 1936 and brought back by Panerai from Antigua in 2006 in order to be entirely renovated in keeping with tradition. It took us two and a half years in order to restore its original understated elegance, a period that taught me a lot. It is a symbol of the love of the sea that only sailing can fully express.
What would be your ultimate dream ?
To sail around the world on a monohull, to get to know all the many seas and to meet people on the other side of the world - while taking time to stop wherever I feel like it and for as long as I like.
What do you think of the 34th America's Cup ?
I have no opinion about it and am not even following it. They have totally destroyed a proud tradition.
How does this passion influence your professional activity ?
It's not really a matter of influence, in that I definitely distinguish between the two. I am lucky to be able to manage a brand with b maritime connections, and I am able to bring to the table my knowledge of this milieu. But even though it's pleasant, it's still work. The latter only stops when I'm aboard my boat.
Denis Flageollet, co-founder of De Bethune
 

Brice Lechevalier: When was this passion for sailing born ?
Denis Flageollet: When I was a child, the carpenter's workshop that made fishing boats out of pine and larch wood was 100m from my grandfather's watchmaking workshop and it smelt nicely of a combination of wood and tar and I loved watching him work. My father used to take me fishing on the lake where I always saw orange sail boats that I found incredibly attractive. After making a number of models that irritatingly sank, at about 12 years old I was finally able to sail. Even if it was only the boring but famous Vaurien designed for Glenans sailing school, it was still an adventure for me and an extraordinary discovery of the elements.

What is your favourite memory ?
The first time I crossed the raz de Sein (in Finistere) during the full moon under a spinnaker with a Sparkman & Stephens built by Rasmussen in 1954, of which only a very few examples still exist in the entire world.
What achievement are you most proud of ?
The single-handed restoration of a Shark made of mahogany in 1960! I stopped counting my hours after 1000 and I have now been renovating it regularly for more than 40 years.
What would the ultimate dream be ?
The Everest of sailing - the Vendee Globe - although it would obviously be totally inaccessible at my level. Imagine yourself alone for even a single night on a 60 foot Imoca going flat out in the Southern Ocean !...
What do you think of the 34th America's Cup ?
I think it is a great technological and human challenge. I appreciate the fact that the race is going back to one design sailing and a lot of regattas are planned, from the World Series to the final of the America's Cup.
How does this passion affect your professional life ?
This activity helps you to free up your head immediately, and to take time out. It's a school of patience that encourages introspection. These are virtues that are indispensable to balancing a tough professional life

IW Magazine - 1st November 2011

If there is one Italian phrase that those familiar with Panerai watches already know, it is Laboratorio di Idee. This mantra, literally "Laboratory of Ideas," is the governing philosophy at the heart of this luxury watchmaking company. Panerai prides itself on creative virtuosity, and over the course of its long history this unique philosophy has borne diverse fruit in the form of compelling watchmaking firsts, from the 1936 premiere of the Radiomir luminous watch to the more recent invention of a scratchproof ceramic-like case material called Panerai Composite, a material that enjoys the benefits of aluminum's lightness and high-tech ceramic's scratch resistance.
Though the Laboratorio di Idee slogan could be interpreted as a metaphor for all of Panerai's operations—the design and marketing team based in Milan, the Swiss movement production and assembly near Fleurier and in Neuchâtel, and even the carefully curated shopping experience provided at worldwide boutiques—the phrase is never more apt than when used to describe Panerai's Neuchâtel-based R&D department, which is responsible for furthering the Panerai legend by harnessing cutting edge technologies.

Growth
Over the past decade or so, Panerai has grown impressively in two key areas: the first has been to achieve an enviable degree of vertical integration in its movement production—to the tune of ten new movements since opening its Neuchâtel manufacture in 2002. In just short of a decade, Panerai has evolved from a "hot" design brand using only supplied movements into a respected manufacture, whose prolific invention of new calibers has caused the watch industry to take note.
More recently, however, observers of Panerai have witnessed a renewed level of attention paid to the Panerai watch case, the classic, oversized cushion shape on which the Italian design powerhouse built itself cult status. That's right, Panerai has a real cult following: They gather at least once a year in a different major city to celebrate "P-Day," and they call themselves the "Paneristi."
One need not figure among the Paneristi to know just how important those iconic case designs are to Panerai's image. Perhaps more than any other watch brand, innovations in case design have helped to shape the development of Panerai, from the wire lugged Radiomir to the bold, tough and highly water-resistant Luminor, with its iconic crown protector. And let's not forget who started the whole oversized watch case trend.

Materials
Over the last few years Panerai has pioneered a number of bold breakthroughs in case manufacture. It was last year that the firm came out with its first watch housed in proprietary Panerai Composite, a material formed when aluminum is immersed in an electrochemical bath; and it was just this year that Panerai released a watch that has become a true critic's darling, the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo 47 mm.
According to Panerai, development of Panerai Composite watches resulted from a relationship that the firm forged in the high-end sports-automotive industry. Ceramacized aluminum was invented originally to shield parts of the engine. When the R&D department at Panerai learned of the material and its possibilities in case manufacture, it became very interested in being the first watch marque to take advantage of the metal's highly desirable attributes, including a phenomenal weight-to-strength ratio.
The new material also presented Panerai with a simpler, more effective method for producing scratchproof cases. Unlike high-tech ceramic, which Panerai forms into rough case shapes from zirconium powder and then machines into proper watch cases, Panerai Composite begins as a block of aluminum, which is machined into the case shape almost exactly as the firm would one of its steel watch cases.
It also helps the technicians achieve the right tolerances in fewer attempts: the holes for screws, for example, are right the first time. Other components can also be made in the Composite material to match the case, including the ardillon buckle and the caseback.
"Panerai Composite is the ideal material for the creation of watch cases, as it guarantees both comfort and great aesthetic qualities, resistance to knocks, scratches and high temperatures," Panerai CEO Angelo Bonati told iW. "Furthermore, Panerai Composite is ductile, allowing for complex geometries and processing, and is inert, so it does not change its structure or appearance over time."
Making cases
How exactly does Panerai turn aluminum into ceramic? As mentioned before, the process begins with an aluminum block, which Panerai machines just like steel. A technician puts the machined aluminum case into a chemical bath, through which a very high electrical charge is allowed to pass. When the charge passes through the liquid and the aluminum, a chemical transformation occurs in which the aluminum molecules of the case attach to the oxygen molecules in the bath.
The result is Al2O3, an aluminum-based version of ceramic. Depending on the case shape, the chemical transformation occurs approximately 40 to 70 microns deep: more than enough to prevent scratching, but not so deep that the lightness of the aluminum inside is compromised. (By way of comparison, the typical black PVD or DLC-coating found in high-end watchmaking is between one and two microns thick.)
To date, Panerai has made three timepieces from the new Panerai Composite. Last year the material made its debut in PAM 339, a 47-mm Radiomir-cased limited edition with eight days of power reserve from manual winding. The timepiece, powered by the in-house caliber P.2002, was the hottest limited edition that Panerai released in 2010 and was exceedingly difficult for many of Panerai's most devoted fans to get.

This year at SIHH, sensing the pent-up demand for Panerai Composite watches, the firm released two Luminor versions, one a special edition and the other an unlimited piece that joins the contemporary collection. The watches are available in 44 and 47 mm sizes, respectively.
The Luminor Composite 1950 3 Days 47 mm, the special edition, is limited to just 2,000 numbered examples. At 47 mm in diameter, the timepiece is a classic size for Panerai, and has the distinction of debuting the all-new in-house movement P.3000/1, a hand-wound mechanical caliber with a frequency of 21,600 bph and three days of power reserve. In addition to the case, the watch's winding crown, crown protector, bezel and buckle are all also made from Panerai Composite.
The other composite timepiece to debut this year is the Luminor Composite Marina 1950 3-Day Automatic 44 mm. This timepiece is powered by the in-house P.9000 automatic caliber, which offers 72 hours of power reserve from its two winding barrels. Among its more impressive attributes is its water resistance to 300 meters, all the more impressive because of the smoked sapphire crystal case back that enables an open view of the back of the movement.
The Bronzo
Among the biggest hits from any brand at the SIHH 2011 was the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo. This 47 mm diver's watch marked the very first time that Panerai made a watch from bronze. The Paneristi and other fans of the brand enthusiastically applauded the Bronzo at its debut and clamored for it when its 1,000 examples were released, causing it to sell out very quickly.
Many in the industry cited the piece's rarity, in terms of its limited nature but also because there are so few bronze watches from any brand on the market. According to Panerai, the inspiration for the Bronzo came from the firm's longstanding sponsorship of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, an international circuit of classic yacht regattas, and the recent restoration of a very special classic yacht, Eilean, which the firm oversaw and funded.
"As often happens with Panerai, our inspiration comes from the sea, and in particular from the world of classic yachting, which we are deeply involved in through our sponsorship of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge," Bonati told iW in an interview.
Nautical influence
If you were to board Eilean, and walk along her wooden deck, you would see gleaming bronze and brass fittings and instruments dotting her surface. The Bronzo, a tribute to the instruments of classic yachting, also gleams when it is delivered to its customer. But its appearance from that point on can go in any number of directions.
Over time, the watch's bronze case develops a unique patina, with a number of factors contributing to just how deep that patina will go. These factors include but are not limited to the frequency one wears the Bronzo, the oils and acids of the wearer's wrist, and the climate in which the watch is worn. In this sense, the Bronzo is a living timepiece that evolves with the wearer and becomes, over time, more and more his own.
If, as is often asserted, an individualized experience is central to luxury, then the Bronzo, with its limited production, is one of the most luxurious timepieces one can buy.
According to Panerai, manufacturing a bronze watch is no more difficult than machining steel or aluminum. However, the real difficulty in producing and delivering the Bronzo to Panerai customers is in the handling. Because the Bronzo is "living," an errant fingerprint or other accidental touch to human skin can start an unwanted patina on the case.
Therefore, everyone who touches the Bronzo—during machining, casing, testing, shipping and even retailing—must wear protective gloves.
Panerai sees the Bronzo as an ultimate collector's piece, for informed buyers who understand that the case is supposed to change color and texture. That being said, Panerai has not ruled out the possibility of more bronze editions in the future, a development that would please collectors.
Ceramic
High-tech ceramic is a well-established material in haute horlogerie. Panerai's preference for durable, sporty watch cases makes it a natural brand for making stealthy, stylish and sporty ceramic watches. Had ceramic watch case technology existed in the 1930s and 1940s, the Italian Navy might have commissioned just such a sleek diver's timepiece from its preferred instrument supplier.

Today Panerai makes its ceramic watches from zirconium oxide, which it obtains by pressurizing the material in powder form, to achieve a uniform, even appearance, and very high quality. The method is a far cry from the less costly ways ceramic cases are produced, such as injecting the material into a mold.
This year, Panerai has cased its P.2002/3 in-house movement in a 45 mm ceramic Radiomir case to create the Radiomir 8 Days Ceramica. The watch has a completely black look, from the case, bezel and dial to the DLC-coated pin buckle and buffalo leather strap. Even the sapphire window onto the in-house movement is smoked, reinforcing the all-black appearance of the Radiomir 8 Days Ceramica.
Though perhaps not as rare as some of the other materials that Panerai uses for watchmaking, titanium remains one of the best materials for making large, sporty watches because of its excellent weight-to-strength ration. This year Panerai presented a left-handed monopusher chronograph in a Luminor case, the Luminor 1950 Monopulsante Left-Handed 8 Days Titanio 44 mm.
Powered by the in-house P.2004/9 manual-wind chronograph caliber. With three spring barrels powering timekeeping and the monopusher chronograph, this timepiece is anything but underpowered.
As we've seen, Panerai offers one of the widest ranges in materials of any firm in the high-end watchmaking sector. With composite, bronze, ceramic and titanium to choose from, collectors in search of a high-end watch with real originality will find no shortage of options. Of course, Panerai continues to make several best-selling models in steel, as well as the occasional gold and platinum timepiece. And as we've seen in recent years, many of these cases surround in-house movements—another facet of the firm's manufacturing research and development that will undoubtedly reward Panerai collectors again in just a few months as the firm's 2012 models debut in Geneva.

In the 1930s and 1940s the names Radiomir and Luminor identified the luminous materials used by Officine Panerai to increase the night-time and underwater visibility of the dials of the watches designed for the commandos of the Italian Navy. Over the years, these two terms have come to identify the two different case shapes of the iconic watches of the brand, one of which is a development of the other. In fact, the Luminor case came into being as a result of the need to make the Radiomir case still more water-resistant. To this end, the bridge device with clamping lever was added, protecting the winding crown and making it more water-resistant, while the large, straight lugs, milled with the case from a single block of metal, replaced the wire strap attachments, welded in place.

For the first time, a new Officine Panerai model uses a unique case which marks the historic development of the Radiomir case: the Luminor 1950 3 Days - 47 mm. The Luminor 1950 of the new model, executed in polished steel in the classic size of 47 mm, has a rounded, cuspshaped caseband, directly descended from the cushion design of the case which still today is characteristic of Radiomir watches.

Other details concern the constant search for the best blend between recovering the past and researching for innovation: the flat back with the large sapphire crystal window which enables the manufacturemovement to be seen; the slightly narrower lugs which give a greater impetus to the whole; the Plexiglas® crystal; the engraving of the reference between the lugs, for the first time in the recent history of Officine Panerai but in this case directly derived from the historic originals; and the inscription "Luminor Panerai" which is no longer printed, but engraved on the dial in the lettering of the period.

The dial too confirms Officine Panerai's commitment to authenticity and loyalty to tradition: it employs the sandwich construction which provides excellent visibility under all conditions, as a result of the large quantity of luminous material which is applied between the two thin sheets forming the dial, the radiance of which appears through the figures and the hour markers cut through the upper plate. The hour and minute hands are also covered with the same ecrucoloured luminous material.

The new Luminor 1950 3 Days - 47 mm is fitted with the P.3000 calibre, a hand-wound mechanical movement entirely designed and developed by the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel. With a diameter of 16½ lignes, the P.3000 has the characteristic structure of large bridges, two spring barrels providing a power reserve of three days and a variable inertia, 13,2 mm balance wheel which enables the rate of the watch to be adjusted quickly and easily by means of the screws positioned externally around the rim. 

Identified by the reference PAM00372, 3,000 units of the Luminor 1950 3 Days - 47 mm are being made. It is supplied with a leather strap - with vintage treatment making it very similar to the straps of the models of the time - closed by the classic Panerai buckle in brushed steel.

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/ hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes.

Case: Diameter 47 mm, polished steel.

Bezel: Polished steel.

Back: See-through sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown: (protected as a Trademark) Brushed steel.

Dial: Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers.

Crystal: Plexiglas®, 3 mm thick.

Water-resistance: 10 bar (~100 metres).

Strap: PANERAI personalised leather strap and large-size brushed steel buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap and a steel screwdriver.

Reference: PAM00372.

Entirely designed, developed and produced in the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel, the hand-wound P.3000 calibre presents the main characteristics of the Panerai movements both in terms of structure and in terms of performance, robustness, accuracy and its long power reserve.

The thickness of the calibre P.3000 is 5.3 mm and the diameter is 16½ lignes, a substantial size which traces its origins from that of the movements which were fitted to the historic Panerai models. The calibre is immediately recognisable by its construction, which is similar to that of a three-quarter plate movement: a large bridge, next to another smaller one, covers the majority of the mechanical parts and it is fixed to the bottom plate by a series of screws of substantial thickness, thus forming a particularly rigid structure.

The movement has 21 jewels and it uses two spring barrels connected in series. Such an arrangement enables long, thin springs to be used, which ensures the delivery of a more even force and also does so over a longer period of time, with a power reserve of 3 days. The balance wheel is unusually large (13.2 mm) and it is the variable inertia type, with four adjusting screws arranged externally round the ring, so that the rate can be regulated without it being necessary to remove the whole assembly. Supported by a bridge with twin supports - a fixing much safer and more stable compared to the cantilevered single bridge - the balance wheel oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz, equivalent to 21,600 alternations per hour. It is fitted with an Incabloc® antishock device and is free-sprung, so there is no regulating lever.

With brush-finished bridges and chamfered angles - that is, with the angles smoothed and polished - the P.3000 calibre is also fitted with the device for the rapid adjustment of the time: a star wheel with 12 points and a small spring clutch enable the hour hand to be moved one hour at a time, without interfering with the movement of the minute hand or the operation of the watch.

Functions

-Hours, minutes, small seconds

Technical specifications

-Hand-wound

-Power reserve 3 days

-160 components

-21 jewels.

-16½ lignes in diameter

-5.3 mm thick

-Two spring barrels

-Frequency of oscillation 3 Hz

-Incabloc® anti-shock device

WORLDTEMPUS - January 18th 2010
"We were hacked last Thursday. All our novelties were showing online, five days prior to the press embargo," Panerai told Worldtempus when SIHH opened its doors for the annual show of luxurious Swiss watch making, on January 18th.
Hacking the Panerai website illustrates the clash between traditional watch making and modern online communication between potential end users, collectors and other timegeeks.
Obvious passion, for sure. But a passion so overwhelming that a watch brand - like Panerai - does not expect. The importance of showing the novelties on many a web-based discussion fora creates this kind of online 'spying' to great regrets of the watch companies.
"Mr. Bonati - red: Panerai CEO - suddenly rushed out of the presentation meeting in Milan last Thursday. A staff member whispered to Mr. Bonati that the website had been hacked and all novelties were being shared on social networks such as Facebook and horologically related websites," Panerai told Worldtempus.
Panerai had nothing to hide, though. The successful watch brand with Italian heritage embraced both their past, the present and very much the future. The latter with both a brand new material dubbed "Panerai Composite" that is much harder compared to ceramic - a material used by many watch brands in the last four or five years. However, Panerai is the very first watch brand to use this ultra light, yet ultra sturdy composite which has a lovely brownish tone to the black color.
"The middle case and bezel is one piece," Panerai told Worldtempus during a personal presentation. "That way there will be no color difference." Indeed the 47 millimeter watch, called Radiomir Composite Marina Militare 8 Giorni, has a stunning, even surface and even the C-buckle seems to match the watch case as it is also made from the same composite material. A good example of Panerai embracing the future even though the main emotions of the brand belongs to Italian divers during second world war.
Panerai is facing some what challenging times, moving fast into manufactured movements and hence belonging in a price range where many other luxury watch companies have long been represented. This means the current collection is very much Swiss and not so much Italian. None the less, Panerai shows its exciting heritage by reintroducing one of their historic pieces, the Mare Nostrum.
The Mare Nostrum was originally made in a very few units in the 1940ies and originally fitted with an Angelus chronograph movement. The 2010 version is fitted with a wonderful Minerva calibre 1322 movement with stunning finish. This whopping 52 millimeter novelty, PAM300, is fitted with a green textile strap and will only be satisfying 99 passionate Paneristis who can cough up with Euro 24.900.

22 May 2009 - www.fratellowatches.com

 
I have been a watch enthusiast since I was a small boy, but since a decade or so, I am really passionate about them and read and learn as much as I can about watches. This knowledge and observations translate into articles I write every once in a while.
I noticed that I am someone that needs a bit of time to get used to new models or trends. It took me a few years to get used to the size of large watches and remember I laughed at the ridiculous Panerai dimensions when I first noticed them. After having owned several Panerai watches myself, I got used to watches that easily exceed the 40mm diameter size.
Hublot is a manufacturer of watches I also had to get used to. First, the Hublot MDM with rubber strap - Hublot was probably one of the first brands to introduce a non-diving watch with a rubber strap in 1980 - and later on the Hublot Big Bang. This time, it wasn't the size I had to get used to, but the high-end positioning of the watch (taking the former models into consideration) by Hublot and the whole look & feel of this particular watch. Also, the use of high-tech materials for their watches makes them a very progressive and interesting watch brand for many collectors. Big Bang is indeed the perfect name for this timepiece. Kudos to Jean-Claude Biver, who has put Hublot (back) on the map of haute horlogerie. In a recent copy of Revolution Magazine (also distributed by WorldTempus), Jean-Claude Biver is even referred to as being 'the reference in high watchmaking'.

Having that said, the only thing that worries me is the number of limited editions the brand is launching every year. True, they are limited in number of production runs, but there are a lot of different limited editions. The market is probably in demand for limited editions, so consumers are able to distinguish from each other. Launching limited editions just for the sake of being limited is something that I can't get used to I guess.

One of the recently introduced limited edition Hublot watches has truly a reason for being limited. It is the Hublot Aero Bang Morgan watch, limited to 500 pieces. This watch celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Morgan car company. The Aero Bang Morgan watch is inspired by the Morgan Aeromax car. The production of this hand-made sports vehicle is only limited to 100 cars. The lucky owners of one of these 100 cars get priority for the first 100 Aero Bang Morgan watches to be able to get a matching number.

The Aero Bang Morgan has a case made out of ceramic and a steel-gray tungsten bezel, both materials that are very durable and used in the (racing) car and aircraft industry. The Morgan logo shines proudly on the dial at 9 o'clock, while it doesn't detract from the skeleton dial that reveals only a bit from the automatic winding chronograph movement. This movement - like in all Big Bang models - also features a tungsten rotor.

The caseback of the watch is made out of black ceramic material, as you can see on the picture above.
Now, besides being a bit reserved towards limited editions, the same goes for watch - car alliances. I never understood the IWC - AMG, Breitling - Bentley or the Jaeger-LeCoultre - Aston Martin cooperation for example. The same thing goes for the cooperation between Hublot and Morgan. Does Hublot really identify them selves with Morgan? Or did Morgan 'need' a watch to celebrate its 100th anniversary and wanted to offer something special for its customers? What exactly is their relationship?
Cooperation like this shouldn't leave room for guessing why the brands started a joint venture in my humble opinion.
As much as I do like the watch, I wouldn't pay premium because of the Morgan logo on the dial. Perhaps I would if I owned a Morgan Aeromax sports car, or when I am able to tell why the relationship between Hublot and Morgan is so close other than initiated because there was a fruitful encounter between Charles Morgan and the reference of high watchmaking, Jean-Claude Biver.
Don't let this small remark hold you back from doing a price inquiry for this watch at your Hublot dealer.