Panerai Returns To Military Roots With New Submersible Marina Militare Watches

November 11, 2026 MrWatchMaster 0 Comments

From the practical appeal of a left-handed diving watch to the versatility of a 24-hour GMT, Panerai revisits its naval heritage with two new Submersible models that combine vintage military character with contemporary watchmaking.

There are few watchmaking partnerships with quite the historical significance of Panerai and the Italian Navy. More than a century after their relationship began, the connection continues to influence the Florentine Maison’s approach to professional watchmaking. Now, two new Submersible Marina Militare models demonstrate just how relevant that heritage remains.

The Submersible Marina Militare GMT PAM01758 and Submersible Marina Militare Destro PAM01757 take inspiration from the instruments developed for Italian naval divers during the mid-twentieth century. Both bring together familiar Panerai design codes, robust construction and practical complications, while introducing distinctive interpretations of the modern diving watch.

For Panerai, this is more than an exercise in nostalgia. It is an opportunity to revisit the functional thinking that helped establish its reputation.

A Partnership Forged Beneath The Surface

Panerai’s relationship with the Italian Navy dates back to the 1910s, when the company was entrusted with developing precision instruments for demanding military applications. Its early work extended well beyond wristwatches, encompassing depth gauges, compasses, sighting devices and equipment supporting naval aviation.

The Maison’s technical expertise eventually led to the development of specialised diving watches, where legibility, reliability and water resistance were essential requirements rather than desirable extras.

For many years, these instruments remained largely outside public view, supplied to Italian naval commandos for use in challenging operational environments. It was not until 1993 that Panerai began presenting its military-inspired watches to civilian customers.

Today, that history remains central to the brand’s identity. The new Submersible Marina Militare references continue the story, translating historical design details into watches intended to meet contemporary expectations of performance.

Vintage Character Meets Modern Engineering

Both new models share a distinctive aesthetic that immediately recalls Panerai’s early diving instruments. Brushed stainless steel cases, matte black dials, warm beige luminous material and gold-brown leather straps create a pleasing combination of military practicality and vintage character.

The beige Super-LumiNova recalls the natural ageing of luminous material on historical watch dials, where originally white compounds gradually developed a warmer appearance through exposure to light, moisture and oxygen. It is a subtle detail, but one that gives both watches considerably more personality than a conventional black-dial diving instrument.

The cases feature unidirectional rotating steel bezels with matte black ceramic inserts, providing a scratch-resistant surface for measuring elapsed immersion time. The unidirectional mechanism also serves an important safety purpose: accidental movement can shorten the indicated remaining time, but cannot extend it.

Both watches are water-resistant to 50 bar, equivalent to approximately 500 metres, and undergo extensive testing at Panerai’s Laboratory. Each assembled watch is subjected to water-resistance verification with an additional 25 per cent safety factor.

PAM01757: The Appeal Of The Destro

If the GMT is the more versatile of the two, the Submersible Marina Militare Destro PAM01757 is arguably the more unusual. Its 44mm brushed steel case features one of Panerai’s most distinctive historical configurations: the Destro arrangement.

Rather than positioning the crown-protecting bridge on the conventional right-hand side of the case, Panerai places it at nine o’clock. Originally conceived to accommodate military divers wearing their watches on the right wrist, this configuration left the left hand free to operate instruments such as compasses and depth gauges.

It is an excellent example of design following function, and one that gives the PAM01757 an unmistakable identity. The dial is equally purposeful. There is no date display, leaving the wearer with only the essential indications: hours, minutes and small seconds. The latter provides an immediate indication that the movement is running, while the rotating bezel is used to calculate immersion time.

Power comes from the automatic P.980 calibre, offering a three-day power reserve. Its traversing balance bridge is designed to enhance stability, while six-position testing supports reliable chronometric performance. Like its GMT sibling, the movement also incorporates a stop-seconds function.

The Destro remains one of the rarer configurations within the Panerai collection. Since 1998, the Maison has introduced only four limited-edition Submersible Destro references,

PAM01758: A GMT With A Naval Perspective

The Submersible Marina Militare GMT PAM01758 is presented in a 42mm brushed steel case and houses the automatic P.900/GMT24H calibre.

At just 5.2mm thick, this movement is one of Panerai’s slimmest automatic calibres. It delivers a useful three-day power reserve from a single barrel and provides hours, minutes, small seconds, date and a second time zone.

The GMT indication is particularly interesting. Rather than using a conventional 12-hour display, Panerai has chosen a dedicated 24-hour scale on the rehaut, allowing the wearer to distinguish day from night in the second time zone.

An orange-tipped GMT hand provides an immediate visual reference. The colour is not simply decorative; its high visibility reflects the practical requirements of maritime environments, where clear indications are particularly important. A stop-seconds function allows the movement to be halted when setting the time, providing the opportunity for precise synchronisation.

The result is a relatively compact diving watch with an additional complication that makes it equally useful when travelling between time zones making this latest interpretation particularly interesting to collectors who appreciate the brand’s military history.

The Details Make The Difference

Look beyond the cases and movements and there are further historical references worth noting. Both watches feature screwed steel casebacks engraved with the Slow Speed Torpedo, commonly known as ‘the pig’. This underwater vehicle was used by Italian naval commandos during operations in the 1940s and provides another tangible link to the watches’ military inspiration.

The finishing is deliberately understated. Both models are supplied with gold-brown Ponte Vecchio calf leather straps, complete with tone-on-tone stitching and trapezoidal brushed steel buckles. A second black accordion-style rubber strap is also included, offering a more practical alternative when the watches are used in the water.

It is a thoughtful combination that acknowledges the dual personality of these timepieces: historical references on the one hand, contemporary professional diving instruments on the other.

Two Watches, One Enduring Legacy

The new Submersible Marina Militare GMT and Destro demonstrate that Panerai understands the importance of its past without becoming constrained by it.

The PAM01758 offers the practicality of a 24-hour GMT complication within a relatively compact 42mm case, while the PAM01757 celebrates one of the Maison’s most distinctive historical configurations with its unconventional crown position and deliberately uncluttered dial.

Neither watch attempts to reinvent the Submersible concept. Instead, both refine and reinterpret the details that have made Panerai such a recognisable name in professional watchmaking.

More than a century after its first commissions for the Italian Navy, Panerai continues to draw inspiration from the same demanding environments that shaped its earliest instruments.

These two new Marina Militare models are a reminder that genuine heritage is not simply about looking backwards. It is about understanding why something was created in the first place, and finding ways to make that original thinking relevant today.

Technical Specifications

Submersible Marina Militare Destro

PAM01757

Movement: Automatic mechanical, P.980 calibre, 12½ lignes, 4.2mm thick, 23 jewels, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. One barrel, stop balance wheel. 163 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, calculation of immersion time, stop seconds.

Power reserve: 3 days.

Case: 44mm brushed steel. Unidirectional rotating steel bezel with black matt ceramic disk. Screwed steel case-back. Sapphire crystal.

Dial: Black matt with beige Super-LumiNova® grade.

Strap: Leather ponte vecchio gold brown vintage construction 24-22 with T/T stiching (MXE10HD3). Additional black rubber strap.

Buckle: trapezoidal BA brushed steel (PAV00627).

Water resistance: 50 bar (~500 meters).

Packaging: Panerai standard box, crafted from recycled paper and including a travel pouch for convenient watch transport.

Price: RRP £10,600.00

Submersible Marina Militare GMT

PAM01758

Movement: Automatic mechanical, P.900/GMT24H calibre, 12 ½ lignes, 5.2mm thick, 23 jewels, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. One barrel. 189 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, second time zone with 24H display, calculation of immersion time, stop seconds.

Power reserve: 3 days.

Case: 42mm brushed steel. Unidirectional rotating steel bezel with black matt ceramic disk. Screwed steel case-back. Sapphire crystal.

Dial: Black matt with beige Super-LumiNova® grade X2.

Strap: Leather ponte vecchio gold brown vintage construction 22-20 with T/T stiching (MXE0XPWD). Additional black rubber strap.

Buckle: trapezoidal BA brushed steel (PAV00739).