Watches such as the Panerai Submersible Elux LAB-ID PAM01800 get watch enthusiasts all hot and bothered. A technical tour-de-force, the Elux PAM01800 delivers maximum low-light legibility for a mechanical dive watch; it is also a rare timekeeper that lights up without the use of batteries, and is the only one to do so for 30 minutes, on-demand. Looking at the watch, it may boggle your mind to discover that it took four patents (pending), six barrels and eight years of development to make the Elux PAM01800 a reality. So, what exactly are we talking about here? While typical dive watches use luminescent materials to keep things readable in the murky depths, Panerai delivers the possibility of lighting up the dial, hands and bezel markers via a mechanical system that generates electrical power for LEDs.

The enthusiasts amongst you will immediately recognise that other brands have showcased similar one-off creations, notably the always-ambitious Van Cleef & Arpels. Unlike that very creative brand, Panerai always has to work within the constraints of its DNA, according to Panerai Chief Operating Officer Jerome Cavadini (Cavadini, who leads the manufacture at Neuchatel, was speaking with us about the new watch, along with Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroue). Indeed, looking at the Elux PAM01800 will put you in mind of the entire Submersible range and not some gizmo – this is still fine watchmaking after all.

The Elux PAM01800 is the fourth ELAB-ID watch (many of which we have covered over the years) and is perhaps the perfect expression of innovation for a brand such as Panerai. Watch brands are a bit idiosyncratic when it comes to such matters, with Panerai taking pains to remind the press that it has a recognised history in the area of luminescence. According to the press materials, with supplemental information from Cavadini and Pontroue, G. Panerai & Figlio actually built something like a lighting system for the Italian military in the 1960s. The family firm from which Officine Panerai emerged patented an Elux system in 1966; however, the original design had nothing to do with timepieces, and Elux as it is presented in PAM01800 is entirely original. So, is the watch any good?

Well, getting into the nuts, bolts, and copper wire of the Elux is complicated, which is only to be expected. Starting with the easy bits then, there are six barrels in calibre P.9010/EL, two of which are responsible for powering the watch. The remaining four barrels provide the 30-minute runtime for the Power Light Function (as Panerai puts it). If this were all there was to the new Elux PAM01800, it would already be impressive because it is the longest-lasting mechanically powered light system in the world (in a timepiece), which Cavadini confirmed for us. The power is generated by customised coils, magnets and a stator and the system includes no circuit boards. Consider, for a moment, that the Elux PAM01800 is a true dive watch, with an unidirectional rotating bezel and 500m of water resistance. Such a watch demands the absolute peak in robustness and thus the Elux component cannot compromise anything.

The casual observer will rightly identify the bezel, pusher (labelled ELUX at 8 o’clock), and crown as weak points here. You might also wonder how the bezel (and by extension the hands) light up at all, given that these are all mobile elements – they could not be connected to the movement with wires, for example. The simple answer, which allows the watch to be water-resistant too, is electromagnetism; more specially, electromagnetic switches. Panerai mentioned this in its presentation during Watches and Wonders Geneva (WWG) and Cavadini confirmed it for us again. An innovation like this one is important and we should take the opportunity to get to know it as well as we can. It is our hope that it will be such a grand success that Panerai works on making the Elux technology a bit more accessible.

Now, as some of you will know, Panerai has been making the rounds (since last year) presenting the watch to collectors. From what we understand (from our chat with Panerai team as well as collectors), the response has been good. Panerai is offering the Elux PAM01800 as a limited edition of 150 pieces, with 50 pieces to be made every year. At SGD 142,700, the watch is priced in grand complication or super complication territory. Non-traditional though it may be, Elux is a proper Panerai spin on a complication. As some observers (Fratello, amongst others) put it, all that remains to be seen is if the watch can turn the Paneristi on. 

Other details to take note of with the Elux PAM01800 are its dimensions, which at 49mm in diameter and approximately 22mm thick are not inconsiderable. Again, this is grand complication territory so daily beater this is not, whatever the watch’s tool watch characteristics. Alleviating the size issue somewhat is the Ti-Ceramitech material, which makes it 44 percent lighter than steel. Besides the Elux-powered light function, Panerai also includes at least two types of SuperLuminova for the bezel, markers and hands. This will ensure that the watch maintains legibility even if the 30-minute power reserve of the light function runs down completely.

For more on the latest in watch reads, click here.