Editorial Hands-on Reviews New Releases New Watches New Watches 2021 Panerai

3 Reasons To Choose The New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo Timepieces This Festive Season 

It’s time to feel the full power of colours and contrasts with the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces. These are an excellent mix of filtered down tool watch DNA and a different looking dress watch vibe. 

Editor’s note: We recently got the opportunity to go hands-on with some of the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo Timepieces for 2021. After handling them in person, I must say that for someone with slim ~16cm wrists such as mine, these are one of the best Panerai options out there (for both men and women). For our standard in-depth deep dives, please head to our dedicated review section here. This is not a Sponsored Post.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01280

The Watches: PAM01123, PAM01247, PAM01248, PAM01273, PAM01280 – 5 references with 4 dial options that continue Panerai’s quest for conquering the ladies (and unisex) watch market

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01249 – Same ivory dial but with a black strap

Available At: Panerai Boutique, Shop 3/84 King St, Sydney

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

Basic Stats

All the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces for 2021 feature the same case dimensions of 38mm diameter and 11.2mm thickness. For context, the popular Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue that’s universally loved for its perfect measurements for smaller to medium sized wrists measures 39mm in diameter, 12.5mm in thickness and 47.2mm in lug-to-lug spacing. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

The new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces with only 46mm lug-to-lug interhorn spacing wear like a dream on my ~16cm wrist.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

Inside the polished steel case with a polished bezel nestles the brand’s P.900 calibre that most impressively offers a 3-day power reserve.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

This calibre P.900 is a 12½ lignes diameter and 4.2mm thick in-house automatic mechanical movement that is comprised of 171 components, 23 jewels, and beats at the standard frequency of 4Hz.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

Suited For

Even though the Luminor Piccolo Due range are designed with women in mind, I reckon these are perfect for those — men or women — who appreciate the design language of the brand and for those with slimmer wrists such as myself looking for suitable alternatives to Panerai’s usually large watches. These are an excellent mix of filtered down tool watch DNA and a different looking dress watch vibe. 

Panerai PAM1248 1
PAM01248 | © 2021 PANERAI

The Landscape

The Luminor Due collection was born in 2016 as an alternative offering to the popular Luminor collection. The Due range comes in sizes of 38, 42 and 45mm diameter watches. With Panerai introducing three new dial variants to this existing Luminor Due family of watches, the focus is now on the Piccolo (or ‘little’) range. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
From left to right: PAM01248, PAM01280, PAM01273 and PAM01247 (r)

Both the Luminor and Luminor Due collections retain the iconic cushion cased shape, the signature crown lock and integrated lugs aesthetics, but the Luminor Due range is a more streamlined, slimmer and dressier alternative, that can fit the wrists of both men and women with ease. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

These thankfully make use of the brand’s “Quick Release” strap system, which not only provides ease of changing the straps but with a lug interhorn spacing of universally acceptable 20mm, make it easier for watch enthusiasts such as myself to find after market replacements with ease. 

And now for the three reasons as to why the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces are prefect this festive season

Reason One – Nothing Like The Contrasting Power Of Red And Ivory To Invigorate Your Watch Box 

Watch collections can often be monotonous. Google some SOTCs online and you will find the usual suspects: black dialled Rolex Submariner, black dialled Omega Speedmaster, etc. etc. All great watches no doubt, and must haves as well, but where is that burst of colour? A youthful energy? 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

Meet the new Panerai Luminor Due PAM01248. With a champagne like luxe ivory dial, gold accents and a striking red wine-esque burgundy strap, it is time for you to get ready to be drunk on the merriness of this festive season. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

And for those who would like a bit more feminine touch, there is the PAM01280, the red & white option with a hint of glamour courtesy the gold case that frames the pristine mother-of-pearl dial.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01280

From a distance, both the PAM01248 and PAM01280 can look pretty similar, but up close they are different in design, with the indices treatment being the most obvious. The PAM01248 features the typical sandwich dial and cut-out indices that Panerai is known for, while the PAM01280 features gold appliqué markers.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248 (l) and PAM01280 (r)

While both make use of golden hands and Superluminova, the PAM01280 that retails for 24’400 AUD features a framed date window with a white date wheel whereas the PAM01248 features a plain window with a beige date wheel. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248
New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01280

With the PAM01280 Panerai also introduces the use of Goldtech™ case material to the slim wrist-friendly family. Complementing the stellar looks is the inclusion of a shiny red alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching — along with a trapezoidal pin buckle in polished Goldtech™ — that aesthetically complements the golden hues and the shades of the mother-of-pearl beautifully.  

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01248

The iridescent mother-of-pearl dial acts as a stunning base for the pink gold hands, applied numerals and date window to work in harmony with the Goldtech™ case. Form without function is quite pointless, and the watch guarantees legibility under any lighting condition thanks to the inclusion of white SuperLumiNova™ with green luminescence in the numerals and indices.

Flip the watch and present is the stereotypical Panerai twelve-sided screwed case-back, with a sapphire crystal display window.

Reason Two – Striking Blue To Drive Away The (Covid) Blues 

2021 was supposed to be better than 2020. The virus was supposed to be annihilated, and life back to so called pre-2019 ‘normal’. With the world now talking through masked faces, it’s time we watch enthusiasts got some sunshine in our lives, and what better way to drive away the blues than to buy a new watch and embrace the striking blues of the new PAM01273 and PAM01123. 

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01273 (l) and PAM01247 (r)

The PAM01273 retails for 9’100 AUD, features a blue sun-ray dial, and comes on a blue strap. Same 38mm in diameter, it features a blue/black date wheel. 

The PAM01123 features the same gorgeous blue dial but comes on a metal bracelet, retailing for a slightly higher 10’200 AUD.

Panerai does have an existing blue dialled 38mm watch since 2019, the PAM00926, but it’s got a different personality thanks to the titanium casing and more vintage vibes with fauxtina and beige date wheel and with the text ‘Automatic’ at 6’o clock. It is available on a leather strap with beige stitching and retails for 10’200 AUD. 

The shade of dark blue Panerai have gone with is pretty bold and versatile in my opinion. While the PAM01248 and PAM01280 are more of special occasion watches, the PAM01123 presents with a great recipe for a daily wear watch that can be dressed up or down depending upon the context. 

Reason Three – Embrace The Opposing Colour Palettes With The Ideal Unisex Timepiece 

“Beautiful light is born of a contrast to darkness”, said Ross Turnbull. 

The new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo PAM01247 with its dark anthracite dial, black strap and black date wheel on one hand presents with a sombre watch with dark, not-so-bright overtones, but on the other hand, the sandwich dial index cut-outs filled with white Super-LumiNova glowing with green light and the gold accents on the hands lend to it a nice touch of beautiful light

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01247

Again retailing for 9’100 AUD, (same as PAM01248), this is perhaps the most unisex of the new releases, simply because it’s small enough to fit under the cuff, and also simplistic enough to not draw any unwanted attention. It’s the under-the-radar Panerai that something both partners can share. 

Monochromatic is rarely so sexy. 

Panerai PAM1247 1
PAM01247

That’s All Folks! 

The new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces for 2021 bring in a welcome attitude of fun and playfulness to the brand’s portfolio. They may be derived from serious pieces of wrist equipment such as Radiomir and Luminor range the brand has come to be admired for, but with simplistic no-nonsense designs, bright colours, and contrasting elements, these manage to succeed.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01249

Quite frankly, for any guy with slimmer wrists or lady interested in horology the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces provide with a great option, especially if you wish to swim beyond the shores of the dive watch world.

New Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo
PAM01249

It’s time to feel the full power of colours and contrasts with the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo timepieces. If you are anything like us — my wife and I share our watch collection as we have similar wrist sizes — the new 38mm timepieces with striking sun-brushed dials and high legibility are a must have in any watch collection.

To find out more about the new Panerai Luminor Due Piccolo watches, please head to their website here. You can also use their phone sale service in Australia by contacting 1800 271 037. All images unless otherwise specified are ©Watch Ya Gonna Do About It. Today’s quick hands-on review has been possible with the grateful assistance of Panerai Australia team.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Watch Ya Gonna Do About It

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading