Panerai Luminor 1950 Submersible Amagnetic PAM 389: Flux Incapacitator

The Panerai Luminor 1950 Submersible Amagnetic PAM 389 may be the finest iteration of Panerai’s diving Luminor since the original PAM 64 “Bomba.” With a clever premise and a handsome execution, the PAM 389 “A-Mag” has it all; presence, content, quality, and authenticity. This Luminor 1950 Submersible stays true to the brand’s design essence while forging a new standards in sports watch capability.

Rolex makes the best known anti-magnetic watch (Milgauss) and the best known dive watch (Submariner). Panerai’s PAM 389 Amagnetic seeks to one-up the horological hegemon of Geneva with a single sports watch that challenges both of the Rolex classics.

Panerai’s ambition for the PAM 389 is daunting, but this Italian-Swiss moonshot concept watch delivers the goods. The key to the PAM 389’s success is that it achieves meaningful evolution of the Panerai Luminor style and functionality without undermining the core appeal of the model.

Start with the case; it’s Panerai’s upscale “1950” model in beautiful brushed titanium. The grey-blue hue of the exotic metal adds charisma to a sinuous shape that’s already a cut above the squat “tuna can” of the original Luminor. Moreover, the 1950 is true to history, so while its size and shape keep the Luminor relevant to modern enthusiasts, the form of the 1950 actually draws this super-Sub closer to its tactical warfare predecessors.

The bezel of the Panerai Luminor PAM 389 is another case study in successful evolution. Its matte black ceramic insert is a Panerai first, and the potent scratch-resistance of the material ensures the Submersible Amagnetic will retain its handsome facade long-term. Highlights include polished metal indices that protrude through drillings in the ceramic ring, and the polished titanium bezel itself provides a visual buffer between the brushed Ti case and flat black ceramic. It’s a winning triple-play.

Panerai wisely leaves the fundamentals of the Luminor dial untouched. Legible, finely finished, and uncluttered, the Submersible does no violence to eighty years of Panerai heritage. This aspect of the PAM 389’s design demonstrates total command of what Paneristi love about the brand, and it’s a chaste simplicity that’s lacking in the brand’s many failed attempts to depart from the Luminor’s core identity. The PAM 389 masters that essence, then it elaborates. Delicate nods to modernity include polished applied indices, a discreet date window at three o’clock, and a subdued “Amagnetic” signature at 12 o’clock.

Engineering is where the Panerai Luminor Submersible Amagnetic launches its most telling blows on Rolex’s utility watches. With simultaneous antimagnetic (more than eight times ISO 764) and dive watch (exceeds ISO 6524 minima) credentials, the PAM 389 offers a mighty quiver of sports watch credential out of the gate.

While the Rolex Submariner can dive as deep (300M) and the Rolex Milgauss offers more theoretical magnetic resistance, (1,000 Gauss vs. the 389’s 500), Panerai takes the fight to both with a single model that boasts more visual impact than both Rolex references combined.

If versatility, sharp lines, and an impressive heritage don’t seal the deal for Panerai intenders, the in-house Panerai caliber P. 9000 will. It’s an automatic movement with a three-day power reserve, tough free-sprung balance, and a modern 4hz beat rate for precision. The P.9000 also offers travelers a convenient independent hour hand that can be adjusted forward or backward without stopping the balance or disturbing the minute hand. Naturally, a soft iron para-magnetic “Faraday cage” offers robust protection from magnetic fields in the home, office, or high flux-density areas of the globe.

And because endless strap-swapping is a core Panerai owner’s experience, the Panerai Luminor PAM 389 eases the process with the company’s signature “quick release” lugs. The system employs twin pushers that eliminate the need to use screwdrivers when swapping straps; less down time and fewer scratched lugs are the benefit.

See this innovative, audacious, and highly-coveted Panerai Luminor 1950 Submersible Amagnetic PAM 389 in high-resolution images at The 1916 Company.