Panerai’s New Dive Watch Generates Its Own Electricity

Now it has announced a new model that gives visibility under the water in an entirely new way – the Submersible Elux LAB-ID is a concept watch that has taken years of R&D.

Panerai patented ‘Elux’ in 1966.

Says the company, ‘an abbreviation of ‘elettroluminescenza’ to mean electroluminescence, Elux were originally electroluminescent panels composed of uniformly luminous surfaces available in various sizes, shapes and materials with their luminescence constantly maintained by an electric field. These panels, completely free from radioactive substances, were exceptionally durable, being both shock and vibration-resistant, making them suitable for a wide range of applications’.

The fact that the panels could be powered by both portable batteries and a fixed AC supply, and the intensity of the light could be adjusted as needed, meant they found multiple applications in instruments for the Italian Navy.

Now Panerai has used the same idea in this new watch.

In place of lume, LEDs illuminate the watch’s functions, which are in turn powered by electricity generated by the timepiece’s movement.

A push-button on the left side of the case switches the lights on; pressing it again turns them off. Requiring four patents and eight years of R&D, the generated energy is used to illuminate various indicators on the dial, including the 30-minute lighting power reserve and indexes.

Lighting up the moving elements – eg: the hands – proved particularly taxing, says Panerai.

The 49mm PAM01800 Elux LAB-ID is a limited-edition of 150 pieces, with an availability of 50 pieces per year over three years, and costs £76,800.

panerai.com