In a move that bodes well for its presence in India, Panerai has unveiled two limited editions in honor of its brand ambassador, the superstar cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The former India skipper, who lead India to World Cup titles in two formats of the game, is a long-time admirer of the brand and these two limited editions - a Luminor GMT 44 MM and the Luminor Chrono Flyback- are the first examples of country-specific limited editions produced by Panerai. They will be available for sale only in India.
The first of these watches, the Luminor GMT (PAM01056) is encased in a 44 mm stainless steel case. It is based on the regular production model that references the iconic case design of the Luminor model, with its characteristic protective bridge guarding the crown and a depth-rating of 300 meters. However what is notable is the color of the dial - a military green which also happens to be Dhoni’s favorite color. The association is legit considering Dhoni is an honorary lieutenant colonel in India’s Territorial Army and is a qualified paratrooper.
The green sandwich dial has white lume visible underneath the cut-out numerals and on the hands. The central GMT hand moves at the same rate as the local time hour hand, carrying out a complete revolution in 12 hours. The steel caseback has an engraving of the cricketer playing one of his trademark hoicks to the boundary, his signature, an outline of the peninsular India map, and the number 183 which marks his highest score in One-Day International cricket. The GMT model is powered by the manufacture P.9010/GMT Caliber. The self-winding movement has a three-day power reserve thanks to the presence of two mainspring barrels and runs a 4 Hz escapement.
The second model, the Luminor Chrono Flyback (PAM01057) uses a 44 mm Goldtech (a gold alloy developed by Panerai) and is based on the regular production model. This has a similar green dial with a nautical tachymeter scale (marked in knots) on the dial fringe. The hands that indicate time, the ones used on the sub-dials and the two chronograph seconds are also in gold. The green and gold form a striking contrast here. This watch is fitted with a sapphire crystal caseback with the same markings as the steel caseback. However instead of an engraving like on the steel caseback, it is laster-etched on the sapphire crystal here.
This watch is run by Caliber P.9100, an in-house chronograph movement with a power reserve of 72 hours again. The movement has a traditional column wheel and a vertical clutch construction, the chronograph minutes are displayed by a central hand which jumps forward once every 60 seconds.
Both watches are paired with black leather alligator straps with green stitching and are accompanied by rubber straps. While the rose gold edition is limited to 77 models, a reference to Dhoni’s birthday on July 7, and is priced at INR19,77,000 (Approx. $27,560 or AED101,210), the steel edition is limited to 251 pieces, a reference to the fact that he was the 251st player to play Test cricket for India, and is priced at INR6,77,000 (Approx. $9,437 or AED34,658).
