Laboratorio di Idee: Panerai Takes Us to the Time Lab
Despite a case rated water-resistant to 500 metres, a unidirectional bezel, and Panerai’s patented crown-protecting device, the Panerai Submersible Elux Lab-ID (PAM01800) is anything but a typical Panerai diver’s watch. Thanks to a tiny electric generator and a host of LEDs embedded in the dial, hands, and bezel, the watch can illuminate for up to 30 minutes using only the power of its mechanical self-winding movement. Released in the summer of 2024 and limited to just 150 pieces, it’s the latest in a long line of industry-leading creations from Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee.
Founded in Florence in 1860, Panerai rose to international renown in the 20th century by creating some of the world’s first professional diver’s watches. These groundbreaking pieces would go on to inform the brand’s present-day catalogue of iconic designs including the Radiomir, Submersible, and Luminor. In the 21st century, Panerai continues to celebrate its legacy of underwater performance while pushing the limits of technology through the creations of the Laboratorio di Idee.
“Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee, also known as the “workshop of ideas,” is committed to developing innovative and technical solutions to enhance the standards and performance of its timepieces,” explains Anthony Serpry, Panerai’s research and development director. “One of the most notable objectives of the Laboratorio di Idee is to develop high-performance materials and new calibres, leading to significant achievements in the field of high-quality watchmaking.”
Recent examples of this include the Radiomir Minute Repeater, a new take on one of the most elevated complications in watchmaking featuring three monobloc gongs and three hammers which can be set to strike on demand. Panerai followed this feat with the L’Astronomo, a tribute to Galileo Galilei featuring a Tourbillon as well as GMT, equation of time, sunrise and sunset indicator, and moon phase complications.
Despite these pieces’ complexity and use of 21st-century technology, they all speak to Panerai’s origins as a maker of precision underwater tools, Serpry says. “The L’Astronomo exemplifies Panerai’s innovative DNA, meticulous attention to detail, and ability to combine complex functions while maintaining the aesthetics, functionality, and easy legibility of the brand’s timepieces.”
Other creations, like the Skeletonized Submersible Carbotech introduced in 2021 and the Submersible GMT Luna Rossa Experience introduced in 2024, blend boundary-pushing material science with Panerai’s distinctive aesthetics. As the lightest material in Panerai’s workshop, Carbotech has a composite structure that gives it extraordinary durability and a distinctive finish that’s unique to each watch. Subsequent Laboratorio di Idee creations have showcased a wide range of other advanced materials, including the Goldtech case of the 2021 Luminor Calendario Perpetuo. This proprietary gold alloy boasts an intense red hue thanks to its blend of copper and platinum, and an exceptipnal hardness compared to standard pink or yellow gold.
Then, of course, there’s the new Submersible Elux Lab-ID, which is among the first Panerai watches to incorporate Ti-Ceramitech. Inspired by materials used on next-generation racing yachts, this leading-edge material combines the lightness of titanium with the hardness of ceramic through a patented titanium ceramization process. This allows the Submersible Elux Lab-ID to be just as durable as any other Panerai creation, despite the complexity of the technology within. That’s the true magic of the Laboratorio di Idee.
