Introducing Panerai's New Luminor Chrono Flyback Luna Rossa And Luminor Luna Rossa

Panerai recently announced two new attractive additions to its lineup, supporting its sponsorship of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team as they prepare to compete for the 38th America's Cup in 2027, which will be held for the first time in Naples, Italy. This is the third time Panerai has collaborated with the America's Cup campaign, now featuring two new models with cool grey dials: the 150-piece limited edition Luminor Chrono Flyback Luna Rossa PAM01654 and the Luminor Luna Rossa PAM01653.

The non-limited Luminor Luna Rosa is cased in 44mm AISI 316LVM - 1.4441 stainless steel (thickness was not given for either of the models) with a polished middle case and bezel and a brushed lever and crown. The watch features a solid caseback that protects the hand-wound P.6000 calibre, which boasts a three-day power reserve and beats at 21,600 alternations per hour, with 100m of water resistance. 

The new version of the Luna Rossa features an updated aesthetic with a grey sandwich with white Super-LumiNova X1 and small seconds at 9 o'clock. It is delivered on a bi-material black rubber and grey textile, featuring a Luna Rossa red stripe that tapers from 24 to 22mm. The price is $6,900.

The 44mm limited-edition Luminor Chrono Flyback Luna Rossa features several upgrades over the three-day time-only version, including a brushed titanium middle case, lever, and crown, as well as a polished titanium bezel with 100m water resistance. It also features the automatic P.9100 vertical clutch and column wheel chronograph caliber, visible through a titanium screwed see-through case back with asapphire crystal. That movement powers the hours, minutes, seconds, and a flyback chronograph with central totalizer.

The movement has twin barrels in series and a 72-hour power reserve. The chronograph pushers (on the 9 o'clock side) feature red lacquer accents and allow use with your thumb to track the speed of the Luna Rossa with a tachymeter scale for nautical use printed on the grey sandwich dial. This watch also features a white Super-LumiNova X1, a 12-hour chronograph counter at 3 o'clock, and a small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock. The watch is limited to 150 pieces and is priced at $16,400.

Recently, we got the fifth generation of a Ming chronograph with a central totalizer, which is one of my favorite designs in watches (Longines 13ZN Sommatore Centrale is a grail for me). Panerai is one of a few brands still employing this design, with their (relatively large but still quite cool) watches, which they frequently use for regatta timers. Panerai chronographs often feel underappreciated, and you can pick up a Panerai Rattrapante or previous titanium flybacks, such as the PAM 00615, on the secondary market for under $8,000, which feels like a great deal.

To my eye, this is the best Luna Rossa series yet, with the first and second featuring dial treatments that were either a bit too odd or a bit too bright for my taste. I think the grey sandwich dials would work better in a practical application on the Luna Rossa than the previous blue sunburst dial, for instance, which could be pretty distracting under the bright Italian sun. The pricing for the Luminor 3-Day version seems to be a $500 upcharge for the branding, but it might scratch the itch for some buyers. 

Brand: Panerai
Model: Luminor Chrono Flyback Luna Rossa; Luminor Luna Rossa PAM01653
Reference Number: PAM01654 (Chronograph), PAM01653 (Time-Only)

Diameter: 44mm
Case Material: Titanium (Chronograph), AISI 316LVM Stainless Steel (Time-Only)
Dial Color: Grey sandwich dial
Indexes: Printed with recessed hour markers
Lume: Super-LumiNova® X1
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Bi-material black rubber and grey textile with Luna Rossa red stripe, material-matching buckle, additional black rubber strap

Caliber: P.9100 calibre (Chronograph), P.6000 calibre (Time-Only)
Functions: Hours, minutes, running seconds, flyback chronograph with central totalizer and 12-hour counter (Chronograph), Hours, minutes, seconds, stop-seconds function (Time-Only)
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Winding: Automatic (Chronograph), Manual (Time-Only)
Frequency: 28,800 vph (Chronograph), 21,600 vph (Time-Only)
Jewels: 37 Jewels (Chronograph), 19 Jewels (Time-Only)
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: $16,400 (Chronograph), $6,900 (Time Only)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Chronograph limited to 150 pieces

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