LUMINOR BLU MARE
Laboratorio di Idee
Luminor 44mm Pam 1085 Blu Mare: An Icon Born in 1993
Sometimes the objects that we prize for their unique concepts or design arise from experiences and stories that have nothing to do with a commercial strategy. Consider, for example, 4X4s, which were originally designed for military missions. Consider aviator sunglasses developed for fighter pilots or the early down jackets created for the climbers who summited the eight-thousanders in the 1950s.
None of these phenomenal objects were created to satisfy quotidian needs. Each was reserved for the most exceptional performance under the most extreme conditions. They were never meant to become widely recognized objects with a cult following. Yet when an instrument is designed for extraordinary applications, it already has characteristics that make it exceptional in an everyday context.
That is the case for the Luminor-44mm Pam 1085 Blu Mare. It is the heir to Panerai's tradition of creating and building extraordinary timepieces. Panerai watches were a military secret from 1936 to 1993. The Luminor-44mm was created by Officine Panerai in 1993 and the brand’s then-CEO Mr. Dino Zei immediately it available to the public to offer everyone the opportunity to wear a remarkable watch.
Officine Panerai organized an impressive event to introduce the new Luminor-44mm. On September 10, 1993, Duke Amedeo d'Aosta, son of Aimone of Savoy, former commander of the Royal Navy assault unit, along with many other VIPs, attended the special evening aboard the Durand de la Penne destroyer (D560) moored in La Spezia. The first pieces came to market in October 1993 and the Luminor Panerai-44mm was born.
Initially made for exclusive use by the Italian Navy, the Luminor Marina was noted for a square seconds dial at 9 o’clock, as seen in antique Angelus SF240 calibre models, with a dark antiglare dial and anti-scratch case. Research performed by Officine Panerai to perfect the lever bridge and the crown protection device culminated in several patented innovations.
All the technical evolutions found in the new Luminor 44 mm were achieved through the efforts of Mr. Bruno Latini, engineer and Senior Director of the Florentine company, and his team. His presence immediately became a turning point for the entire watchmaking world. With utterly unusual proportions—the large size of the case, the clear and bold graphics on the dial—the Luminor Marina decreed the arrival of a new style in the world of sport and diving watches.
Since then nothing has remained as it was. The influence of this icon is universal.
The Luminor Panerai-44 mm has asserted its inimitable personality. In its wake watches have since evolved in size and in technical content. Today its connection with the sea is not only represented by its origins but in the intense color of the Luminor Blu Mare dial, which immediately immerses us in the deepest blue of the Italian sea.
The history of the Luminor Blu Mare is as unprecedented as the instrument it chronicles. Born for the sea, it transports us to a deep and fascinating underwater world of which it is an undisputed hero.
