Watchmakers obsess about the design, engineering, touch, feel, security, comfort and aesthetic of their bracelets.
And for good reason. Watch collectors can be incensed or delighted if a brand like Rolex changes their favored coupling.
Panerai will therefore be holding its breath to see how a brand new steel bracelet being used on a 44mm Luminor Marina will be received.
There is more to say about the bracelet than the navy blue watch.
It was designed at Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee think tank and is made of links that mirror the silhouette of the crown-protecting bridge on a Luminor case and pick up the curve of its bezel.
It has fewer screws than normal, which should make it more durable, and is also lighter thanks to shaving metal from the links.
An updated deployant clasp has also been made slimmer.
It is being used first on a new Panerai Luminor Marina Specchio Blu, with a sandwich layered satin blue dial.
The 300m water resistant watch houses Panerai’s automatic Caliber P.9090 movement.
It launches today priced at £7,600.
Now, as with literally all of these types of what I call ‘continuity bracelets’, regarding the clasp area, I much prefer them to clamshell types which ruin the fluidity of the bracelet, Rolex president bracelets are a beautiful example of continuity, the newer oyster and jubilee are ruined by a metal slab. However, as regards the pictured, those push buttons, they stick out like ears…. As does vacheron and AP….. My design proposal (I have designs on certain brands) is to trim those stick out push ears, it really is a design detail overlooked on my opinion. I know why it needs to protrude but I believe it can be more discreet!