One the qualities that made the luxury watchmaker Panerai stand out in the last decade or so have been its bold experiments in using new materials. Eight years ago the Italian brand made history by launching a diving watch in bronze, a metal till then not considered worthy of being used in time pieces. Bronze, as is well-known, changes colour over time when it acquires a greenish patina as a result of the oxidation of copper. The greenish tinge of the Statute of Liberty is a classic example of what happens to the metal over time. Panerai turned this character of bronze into an advantage with a diving watch that over time changed colour to acquire a new rugged character.

The new Panerai Submersible Bronzo – 47  encased in 161 gms of the heavy metal is a worthy successor to the  famous 2011 watch. Its 47 mm case and the unique Panerai device that protects the winding crown are in brushed bronze, while the unidirectional rotating bezel is overlaid with a  micro-sandblasted brown ceramic disc.  The bronze colour complements nicely with the brown of the natural leather strap and that of the dial with its luminous hour markers and hands. The seconds hand is at 9 o’clock, and the date at 3.

The professional diving watch which is water resistant to 300 m,  is powered by the company’s P.9010 Manufacture automatic calibre with a power reserve of three days. The mechanism can be admired through a  sapphire glass porthole on the back. It is also fitted with the mechanical device for rapidly adjusting of the hour hand.

The watch is available only in Panerai boutiques, on  panerai.com, Panerai WeChat boutique and on MR PORTER.