While you probably won’t ever test this watch’s abilities to dive into the deep the way Guillaume Nery can, you can still make a splash with it on your next beachside vacation. Working side by side with brand ambassador and famed French free-diver Guillaume Nery, Panerai has developed a special-edition Submersible ($19,500). While its nothing new for watch brands to tap into free-diving to find its brand ambassadors and collaborations—Bremont recently paired up with free-diver and part-time Hollywood stuntman Mark Healy—Nery has achieved top honors in the sport. He is a two-time world champion, who has broken four world records in free diving.
The watch is fully equipped to join Nery on his profound dives. The 47 mm automatic watch is highly functional under water thanks to its exceptional luminosity and 300-meter (1,000 feet) water resistance. You won’t ever be diving that deep anyway. Nery holds the world record for the deepest dive at 139 meters…and that was an accident. Nery was attempting to reach 129 meters, but following a mistake from the organizers, he accidentally went further and set a world record. The attempt was so dangerous (he could have died), he stopped free-diving for a period of time after his accidental feat in 2015.
Guillaume Nery Courtesy of Panerai
If there’s anyone that can approve the water resistance of a watch, it’s this man. And if there’s anyone that can make a serious dive watch, it’s Panerai. The watchmaker was known for supplying instruments and timepieces to the Royal Italian Navy and, briefly, for the Egyptian Navy long before it ever became a commercial brand and Sylvester Stallone made the watchmaker famous in the early ’90s in Daylight.
The new Nery-approved Panerai professional dive watch is fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel to track the duration of the dive. The bezel features a blue ceramic inlaid disc with luminous dots for dive indication. Additionally, thanks to luminous markers and hands, the dial is legible even in complete darkness. Powered by the automatic mechanical P.9100 caliber, made in-house by Panerai, the watch offers 72 hours of power reserve. The flyback chronograph movement is equipped with a Glucydur balance, two barrels and an Incabloc anti-shock device. In addition to the hours and minutes, the watch also has a small seconds subdial at 9 ‘o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 3 o’clock, and centrals seconds hand.
Panerai Guillaume Nery Submersible Watch Courtesy of Panerai
Crafted in lightweight titanium, the Submersible is also equipped with Panerai’s distinctive crown protection device. The dial comes in an appropriate shark-gray color and its sapphire crystal glass is treated with anti-reflective coating.
Complementing the blue and gray color scheme of this underwater watch, it is a durable blue rubber strap that can weather the elements. The caseback of the Panerai Submersible Chronograph Guillaume Nery Edition comes engraved with Nery’s signature and likeness, as well as his single-breath record dive number of 126 meters—the second deepest free-dive in history as of September 8, 2015, just two days before he set the current world record for the deepest dive ever recorded.
