Design Miami is an annual international design fair that reportedly brings together tens of thousands of designers, critics, curators, collectors, and celebrities – and Panerai is the event’s official watch partner. It sounds like a highbrow event, the kind that watch brands like to associate themselves with, so it makes sense for a partnership and the launch of a new watch. To celebrate this partnership, Panerai has introduced a limited-edition U.S.-exclusive called the – deep breath now – Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio 44mm Limited Edition for Design Miami – reference PAM986. It’s a mouthful, but also easy on the eyes with an attractive blue dial.
The limited edition Design Miami Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic is based on the Luminor GMT 10 Days (PAM 533) and so it comes in a 44mm-wide Luminor 1950-style case. As longtime fans of the brand will know, the 44mm Luminor 1950 case is pretty chunky, so folks with thinner wrists might want to proceed with caution. Water resistance is a very adequate 100 meters, which is fitting considering Panerai’s navy heritage. And since it’s a Luminor, the watch has Panerai’s iconic crown protector.
The dial of the limited edition Design Miami Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic is essentially the same as Luminor GMT 10 Days except that it is a striking blue. It’s a deep and rich shade of blue, judging by the brand’s pictures, with a radial sunburst finish popular for watch dials, meaning the light will play with it in interesting ways. The other difference lies in the hands. They are silver here, which complements the blue dial better.
Elsewhere, you have the same faux vintage luminous material on the dial and the same dial configuration with the date at 3 o’clock, running seconds and 24-hour indicator at 9 o’clock, and linear power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock. The dial also features Panerai’s signature sandwich construction, where the luminous material is applied under the dial and the dial features cut-outs so that the luminous material is visible. It’s a fairly busy dial but one that is sensibly laid out and still easily legible. To match the blue dial, the watch comes with a blue canvas strap.
The movement within is the in-house Panerai caliber P.2003, which happens to be one of Panerai’s earlier in-house movements. It’s a self-winding movement that beats at 4Hz and has a long power reserve of 240 hours, or 10 days. This is achieved using not one, not two, but three spring barrels. The movement is visible through a sapphire display case back and it has a very stark, industrial look to it.
In the end, Design Miami Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio PAM986 is little more than a variant of the Luminor GMT 10 Days, but that’s what Panerai is good at – creating slightly different versions of existing watches to tease its rabid fanbase. Personally, I think the blue dial is a nice choice but I won’t be hurrying to get one if I’m already the owner of the regular Luminor GMT 10 Days. The Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio 44mm Limited Edition for Design Miami is limited to 250 pieces and is priced at $14,400. Learn more at panerai.com