I was looking for a quality made dive watch which had a strong heritage, unique design cues, and versatility. I was also seeking an alternative to the Rolex sub and Omega Seamaster. Enter the Panerai Submersible. As a first time Panerai owner, here are my key observations and impressions of this piece, having owned it for a few months.

Seeing Mike Horn, explorer and Panerai ambassador rocking the Panerai Submersible, I was immediately drawn to its rugged design. The PAM 682 (released in 2017) is 42mm wide, minus the crown guard. It is 51mm lug to lug and approx. 14.5mm thick. It sits planted on my 17cm wrist. It has a squat profile, similar to a Seiko turtle. I really dig the case curves and angles. I absolutely love the arched crown guard mechanism, and no, it doesn’t dig into my wrist. The case is stainless steel, with a satin finish. The bezel has a single lume pip at 12, the action is supreme. The bezel alignment is spot on.

The spring bar release system is really cool, simply depress a small button on the underside of the lugs. This releases the most industrial and well- built spring bars that I have ever seen. The black dial is highly legible as you would expect. The black date wheel is unobtrusive and sits at 3’O clock. The hands and applied indices are crisp and at night reveal a two toned lume. The stock rubber strap is fine, I hardly use it though. The watch has 300 meters of water resistance which suits my water sport requirements.

This piece has a lovely display case back, housing Panerai’s own P.9010 movement with 72 hours power reserve. There is a jump set hour hand which allows for a quick time change if needed. Time keeping has been spot on. So, there you have it, a quick snapshot of my Panerai. I’m stoked with this piece; I think it’s a great value prop on the used market.