It has been a long time since a Panerai has made it onto the list of my favorite watches from a Watches and Wonders showing, but there’s one particular model that many of my other colleagues and I have continued to talk about since we first got a glimpse of it in April. I’m talking about the Luminor 8 Giorni, reference PAM01733, in a uniquely finished steel case that Panerai is calling “Brunito steel.”
Put crudely, this Brunito steel case feels like the distressed-jeans equivalent of the Luminor collection. The large 44mm steel case gets a layer of black PVD treatment, but the final effect is then accomplished through a brushing process by hand. The tendency of black PVD coatings to eventually wear out is an advantage here, as the different monochromatic hues ranging between the bright silver of the base steel and the dark black PVD coating now give the case a look of distressed metal aged over time. The finishing is throughout the entire case, from the inside of the lugs to the caseback and the distinctive crown guard that has become an iconic design element of the Luminor silhouette. Yes, even the strap buckle achieves the same treatment.
The handwork also means that each watch is unique, with subtle differences in brushing and fading. I’ve only seen one in person, so I can’t tell you just how different one might be from the next. Though the main draw to this model is the aesthetic, this Luminor’s dive watch heritage is not just for show, as it maintains a proper 300-meter water resistance, with testing for each assembled watch guaranteeing the water resistance rating by an additional 25%.
The Brunito steel case is paired with a dramatic dial (by current Luminor standards, anyway). Rather than many of the sunray-brushed dials in the collection, the PAM01733 gets a circularly brushed dial (also by hand) in anthracite to match the tones of the outer case. It’s a nice visual touch that offers some contrast in pattern compared to the brushing on the bezel, which, for the most part, seems to extend out in a radial pattern. The sandwich dial construction is deep and pronounced, with the disc of beige Super-LumiNova sitting below the brushed dial plate. The aged lume may not be for everyone, and despite my being a general fauxtina hater, I think it actually works well here. Aesthetically, the warmth of the lume and dial text is a much-needed contrast to the otherwise very cold feel of the metal, and the use of a warm, gold-toned handset ties everything together.
Above six o’clock, “8 Giorni” is scripted prominently on the dial, highlighting the eight-day power reserve of the caliber within in Italian flair. Turn the case around, and a Brunito steel caseback ring surrounds a large exhibition caseback. It shows off the manually wound P.5000 caliber within, which beats away at 21,600 VpH and maintains the lengthy power reserve thanks to two barrels connected in series. While the giant movement plate still manages to show off some of the inner workings like the balance wheel and barrel click, to say that this caliber is industrially finished feels like an understatement. This watch, more than any other Panerai, is suited for a closed caseback, which would have given a lot more of that Brutino steel to actually look at.
On the wrist, however, the choice of caseback need not matter, as the look of the watch itself is what drew me to it in the first place. 44mm is large and properly Panerai, though not the largest Luminor size—those would be the 47mm variants, which frankly feel too large for all but the largest of wrists in this day and age despite being faithful to the brand’s heritage. And while this Brunito steel case is too large for my wrist, seeing it on other people has really made me wish I could pull it off. I think the case and dial combination here just looks fantastic, with that finishing working incredibly in natural light.
In a sense, the masculine, oversized Luminor case receives a degree of softness from the new finish, with the faded edges of the case lines providing that good balance of vintage sensibility in a modern watch. A big question remains on how the finishing of Brunito steel will wear in the long term, and if actual real-life wear and tear will keep the case as attractive as it is now, since those marks won’t be as uniform and cohesive.
The price point of the PAM01733, at $11,300, is surely going to be the main objection from most in an era where novelties continue to be launched across brands with increasingly ambitious price points to a collector base that remembers better days for their wallets and for acquiring watches.
Additionally, it also sits at a steep markup from the non-Brunito steel Luminor 8 Giorni—the PAM00915 in steel is priced at $8,100, without any of the handwork in case and dial brushing. Ironically, that one does have a solid caseback. Is it worth such a steep markup for the cosmetic differences here? My brain says no, but I can’t lie when I say that my heart says yes. I find it to be the most exciting execution of a Luminor in the past few years, especially when it manages to defy all of my typical watch design sensibilities. I don’t like coated cases, and I really dislike warm-toned lume. But put it all together in the way that this Luminor 8 Giorni has, with that Brunito steel finish, and the result has really surprised me.
