The Panerai PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer

The Panerai PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer

 

Since Jean-Marc Pontroué took over as CEO of Panerai in 2018, the company has increased its efforts to manufacture sustainable luxury timepiece products. It has increased its usage of eSteel, a next-generation metal made from pre-consumer recycled steel scraps (up to 95%) from a variety of industries, including Swiss watchmaking. Recycled steel reduces air pollutants by 86%, energy consumption by up to 75%, and the environmental effect of mining and refining virgin steel is eliminated.

The Panerai PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer
The front and back of the PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer.

The latest sustainable effort from the brand is the PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer Special Edition. Panerai first partnered with Singapore brand Razer at RazerCon 2021. The two companies are working with Conservation International Asia-Pacific to support the organisation’s research on marine species. Specifically, the partnership applies satellite tagging to manta rays to log their location and ensure they are protected from danger zones. Conservation management will also be informed of the animals and their habitats


The caseback of the PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer bears Razer’s three-headed snake logo.

While Panerai and Razer appear to be two companies that are miles apart in their audience and industry, they both have committed to responsible manufacturing and sustainable goals. So, it’s no surprise that their collab timepiece boasts green credentials that are next level in watchmaking.

A SUSTAINABLE WATCH?

The Luminor Quaranta Razer is a 40mm eSteel model with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating that gives the watch a rugged, matte black finish. Surfaces are satin-brushed rather than mirror-polished to highlight this lethal-looking effect. It’s a classic Luminor model, with the crown protection bridge, sandwich dial, and cushion case middle. The closed caseback is engraved with Razer’s triple-headed snake logo, which also appears on the dial, just above the oversized ‘6’ index.

The Panerai PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer
A closeup of the dial of the PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer.

Other features that make it stand out are the small seconds display, with a neon green hand, and grey Super-LumiNova that glows green in the dark, in line with Razer’s distinctive colour palette. However, unlike Panerai’s Submersible eLAB-ID, this watch does not use recycled Super-LumiNova. The strap is made from recycled PET plastic and the case from recycled steel, while the watch’s packaging is composed of 72% recycled material and weighs less than half of past packaging (i.e. savings on logistics emissions).

The Panerai PAM 01353 Luminor Quaranta Razer
Razer’s iconic neon green echoes in the luminous indicators of the watch and the strap’s stitching.

The Luminor Quaranta Razer is a rather sexy-looking timepiece. The combination of neon green accents (in the strap stitching, seconds hand, and luminous dial) creates a modern, Blade Runner/TRON-esque feel. It takes us back to a decade ago in watchmaking when all-black models were the rage, but it still has a very fresh and modern feel. The dial, which is clean and minimalist with a small date window at three o’clock, is classic Panerai.

Powering the watch is a P.900 movement that’s self-winding, very slim at just 4.2mm and delivers three days of power on a single barrel. That keeps the watch pretty thin. The closed caseback ensures a water resistance of 100m. Priced at $12,100, this is a great daily beater that lets you wear your sustainability creds on your wrist. The watch is limited to just 500 pieces, available at all Panerai boutiques.