The America’s Cup trophy, known as the “Auld Mug” is as unique as the race it represents. The American Cup is also the world’s oldest continually contested international sporting trophy. Curiously, the trophy – crafted by London silversmiths R&S Garrard & Co in 1848, was – and still is – completely open at the bottom (the habit of drinking champagne out of a trophy cup didn’t start until the hockey Stanley Cup in 1893, God bless America!). Panerai, founded in Florence in 1860, arrived only nine years after the schooner America won the race that gave the Cup its name. The two institutions therefore belong to the same great age of maritime engineering, even if the 2027 contest will be fought by five-person AC75s with more of their functions powered by batteries.
That tension between old metal and new technology gives Panerai’s latest Luna Rossa watches quite some character. The Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono PAM01768 is the extrovert: 44mm of brushed steel, a silver sun-brushed dial, red-accented pushers and a grey Velcro strap bisected by Luna Rossa’s red line. Limited to 500 pieces, it uses the automatic P.9210 chronograph calibre and a tachymeter that calculates average speed over a measured kilometre. Concentric azurage on the subdials creates a faint wave effect, a subtle wink to the marine playground of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team.
Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono PAM01768 featuring silver dial and grey Velcro strap, 42-hour power reserve and 100-metre water resistance. Limisted to 500 pieces. £9,700.
On a modern racing yacht awash with live data, the truth is that nobody urgently needs a mechanical watch to perform that calculation. That is beside the point. The function gives the watch narrative logic and the left-hand pushers preserve the Luminor’s famous crown guard. The Velcro strap – a first for the Luna Rossa line – may be its smartest detail: quick to adjust, comfortable around water and very much in line with team equipment.
Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT PAM01791 with silver dial and steel bracelet, three-day power reserve and 100-metre water resistance. Its red sail-shaped hand references Luna Rossa’s racing yacht. £9,600.
The Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT PAM01791 is more demure. Its 40mm steel case and first-ever metal bracelet for the collection make it vastly easier to wear. Inside, the P.900/GMT offers three days of power and displays a second time zone through a red, sail-shaped 12-hour hand. The shape is clever without becoming novelty design, while the open case back and tool-free PAM Click bracelet system add genuine everyday pleasure.
The chronograph carries the America’s Cup story; the GMT will probably carry its owner further. Together, they catch something essential about Luna Rossa: hard technology presented with unmistakably Italian visual nerve. In Naples, the Cup itself may still be incapable of holding water. These Panerais look considerably more prepared for it.
Author: Julia Pasarón
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