This has been one of the more exciting years for watch collaborations and limited editions. On StockX, we have highlighted some of the heavy hitters of 2018 and there are even more to talk about before the year ends! From Bell & Ross’ unexpected collab with A Bathing Ape to the surprise release of the Omega Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Ultraman, 2018 has hit us with nothing but unpredictable and amazing drops. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Italian watch maker Panerai decided to release a limited edition Luminor for Art Basel’s Design Miami.
Panerai has been making watches since 1860, when founder Giovanni Panerai opened up his first shop in Florence. Since then, the brand has made pieces worn by the Royal Italian Navy in the late ‘30s and later saw an uproar of popularity in the 90s with a co-sign by Sylvester Stallone in the movie Daylight. Panerai’s visibility has remained strong since the days of Stallone. They have gone so far as to develop their own in-house movements in recent years, an uncommon practice between watch brands. To this day, they are easy to spot at a distance thanks to the now iconic design.
Sylvester Stallone wearing the Panerai Luminor in the 1996 movie Daylight // Horbiter
With such attention to detail, it is no wonder why Design Miami made Panerai the official sponsor of the design festival. Design Miami is a global design forum that hosts fairs every year during the famous art fair, Art Basel. This celebration of design brings out many influential curators, gallerists, critics, and artists from around the world to converse about new developments in artistic culture.
The Panerai Luminor 1950 features a small 24-hour indicator
The aesthetics alone of what the limited edition Panerai have to offer speak to why the partnership between the two makes sense. The first thing that catches your attention when observing this watch is the color. Unlike other Luminor 1950’s that feature darker hues of blacks, browns, and the casual white, this special version has a clean 44mm blue dial. For this model, Panerai swapped the traditional leather straps for blue canvas, with leather stitched under the strap for comfort. Like the PAM533 which this watch is based on, this PAM986 houses Panerai’s own P.2003 caliber featuring a whopping 10 day power reserve and GMT complication.
The Luminor 1950 comes equipped with in-house movement
This twist on a classic will be available at Design Miami from now until December 9th for $14,400. Expect these watches to rush off the shelves, as they are limited to just 40 pieces at the design fair. Keep it locked on StockX for all of the latest news on upcoming releases and future collaborations.
