Living Metal, Enduring Icon: Panerai’s Luminor Marina Bronzo

Few watch families embody a brand’s soul quite like the Luminor Marina does for Panerai. It is the collection where the Maison’s naval past and its modern tool-watch philosophy meet robust, purposeful, and unmistakably Italian. Earlier this year at Watches and Wonders 2025, Panerai refreshed the Luminor Marina line with a new generation of steel and titanium references, introducing slimmer proportions, refined ergonomics, upgraded construction, and the automatic in-house P.980 calibre. Now, that evolution reaches one of Panerai’s most emblematic materials: bronze.

With the Luminor Marina Bronzo PAM01678, Panerai introduces bronze to the Luminor Marina family for the very first time. For a brand that pioneered the use of bronze in contemporary watchmaking, this debut feels less like a novelty and more like an inevitable milestone.

Panerai and the Rise of Living Metal

Panerai’s relationship with bronze began in 2011 with the Luminor Submersible 1950 Bronzo PAM00382 a watch that has since achieved near-cult status and sparked the industry’s fascination with so-called “living metals.” That legacy lives on in the PAM01678, which uses Panerai’s proprietary bronze alloy made from pure copper and tin.

This alloy is engineered to develop a natural protective patina over time, a slow oxidation process shaped by seawater, air, moisture, friction, and daily wear. No two watches age the same. Each surface becomes a visual diary of lived experiences, while the metal retains its strength, corrosion resistance, and structural integrity qualities that once made bronze indispensable in early naval engineering.

Measuring 44mm, the brushed bronze case adopts the updated Luminor Marina proportions introduced earlier this year. At 13.7mm thick, it is noticeably slimmer and lighter than previous generations, yet remains unmistakably bold on the wrist. The iconic crown-protecting bridge one of watchmaking’s most recognisable design elements remains firmly in place, safeguarding the movement and contributing to a formidable water resistance of 50 bar, or approximately 500 metres. A titanium caseback fitted with a sapphire crystal reveals the movement within, adding a modern technical touch to the watch’s otherwise resolutely tool-focused architecture.

A Dial Inspired by the Sea

The dial is where warmth meets depth. Executed in a matte blue gradient, it transitions from deep navy at the edges to a lighter blue at the centre, subtly echoing the shifting hues of the sea. Panerai’s signature sandwich construction ensures visual depth and clarity, while beige Super-LumiNova® fills the cut-out Arabic numerals and hands for strong low-light legibility.

A small seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock preserves the functional symmetry that defines the Luminor Marina, while the absence of a date keeps the layout clean, purposeful, and historically faithful. Powering the PAM01678 is the automatic calibre P.980, developed within the Richemont Group and designed and tested in Neuchâtel. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the movement offers a three-day power reserve and features a traversing balance bridge for enhanced stability, a stop-seconds function for precise time setting, and regulation in six positions to ensure consistent accuracy.

True to Panerai’s tool-watch ethos, the Luminor Marina Bronzo is tested at pressures 25% higher than its guaranteed depth rating, reinforcing its reliability in the most demanding maritime conditions. The watch is also equipped with Super-LumiNova® X2, further enhancing visibility in low-light and underwater environments.

A Watch That Ages With You

Bronze is, at its core, an alloy of copper (Cu) and tin (Sn), but Panerai’s formulation is anything but ordinary. With an 8% tin content and minimal impurities, the alloy delivers high resistance to wear, exceptional versatility, and long-term structural strength. Crucially, it encourages the formation of a controlled, protective patina without compromising the material’s inherent properties or allowing unchecked oxidation enhancing both character and durability.

Worn on a blue calfskin leather strap with beige stitching and secured by a brushed bronze trapezoidal buckle, the PAM01678 also includes an additional blue rubber strap for more active pursuits. Over time, the bronze case will continue to evolve, its surface shaped by the environment and the owner’s lifestyle, transforming each watch into a deeply personal companion. Strong, resistant, and inseparably linked to the sea, the Luminor Marina Bronzo PAM01678 embodies Panerai’s enduring maritime heritage and spirit of innovation. It is not just the first Bronzo Luminor it is a watch designed to live, age, and tell a story.