July 3 : Panerai unveils the new Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738, the latest timepiece inspired by the United States Navy and expressing Panerai’s long-standing expertise in designing advanced tool watches.
First launched in September 2022, the Navy SEALs Collection has since provided a platform for the Maison to further advance its technical prowess to professional diving instruments, simultaneously affirming Panerai’s commitment to performance and reliability.
Over the years, the Navy SEALs collections have expanded to include Submersible and Luminor models. Showcasing advanced materials, such as Carbotech™ and Titanium, these timepieces incorporate functions crucial for peak performance, including Time to Target, chronograph-driven functional complications, and GMT. The range also includes dedicated Experience Editions, where owners can rigorously test these professional instruments in the field.
Today, this trajectory continues through two new Navy SEALs-inspired additions: the innovative Submersible Navy SEALs Afniotech™ Experience Edition PAM01089 – first unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026 – and the Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738.
“Through the Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738, we continue to build upon our military heritage by creating contemporary tool watches that honor our legacy of designing precision instruments for survival and adventure. This new tool watch reflects our heritage through a contemporary lens, ready to accompany its owners through the toughest conditions”, states Alessandro Ficarelli, Chief Marketing and Heritage Officer of Panerai.
Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738 is a 44 mm steel tool watch blending Navy SEALs inspired design codes with a professional configuration. Bringing a new level of technical performance to the 44 mm size, the watch is fitted with the P.980 caliber, a 3-day power reserve automatic movement which includes a traversing balance bridge that enhances stability and performance accuracy.
The movement features a stop-second function, allowing for precise synchronization by halting the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out. This functionality directly harks back to Panerai’s military heritage and the critical requirement for precise time coordination, a capability highly valued in demanding professional diving environments, such as the Navy. Further demonstrating its commitment to accuracy, the P.980 has undergone six-position testing to ensure reliable chronometric performance and its construction operates at a frequency designed to maintain consistent, accurate timekeeping over extended use.
With Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738, Panerai places the emphasis on functional features that strengthen the watch’s diving vocation. The timepiece boasts a unidirectional rotating steel bezel, allowing for the calculation of immersion time, with a black matte
ceramic disc, a combination that merges the mechanical properties of steel with the higher resistance of ceramic, ensuring the bezel’s ability to withstand the shocks and unintended contacts it typically endures. Designed for deep-sea exploration, the timepiece is water resistant up to 50 BAR due to its construction, component quality, and increased case-back thickness, which helps reinforce resistance to pressure.
Legibility remains a central priority. The dial features large luminescent hour markers and hands for improved visibility in low-light conditions while the big indexes are designed for enhanced readability, especially useful for adventures in challenging environments. These indexes are wider by 20% in diameter with an expanded Super-LumiNova® X2 surface area by 45%, ensuring greater luminescence. In the dark, the Submersible’s specific luminous language comes into play: the hour markers emit a green glow, while the minute hand and the luminous dot at 12 o’clock on the bezel appear in blue, allowing the wearer to identify diving time quickly and intuitively, even in low-visibility conditions. The black rubberized crown prioritizes functionality and durability, providing enhanced ergonomics and grip when setting the watch, even in wet conditions.
The dial preserves the collection’s visual identity while refining it with details chosen for readability and immediate recognition. A shaded anthracite surface, a target-inspired small seconds counter at 9 o’clock, and subtle yellow accents serve as direct references to Navy SEALs codes. At 6 o’clock, a dedicated decal incorporates both a dedicated ‘Navy SEALs’ and water-resistance standard decal, while the closed case back is engraved with the licensed Navy SEALs insignia.
The novelty comes with two straps, and its strap system allows for quick personalization whereas the interchangeable strap system allows for quick personalization. The first strap, in black rubber, is the ideal choice for even the most challenging underwater operations, while the second is in grey canvas, conveying a rugged look.
Submersible Navy SEALs PAM01738 will be available worldwide and hit boutiques from July 2026.
End-to-End Reliability Testing
Panerai’s approach to quality is defined by an uncompromising testing philosophy rooted in its military heritage. Rather than relying solely on sample-based validation, Panerai applies a two-level testing approach. Representative batches of each model undergo extensive laboratory testing that simulate years of real-world use to verify that the design and manufacturing meet the brand’s standards for durability, reliability and long-term performance under extreme conditions. These watches are used specifically for validation and are not sold. In parallel, every finished watch is individually tested under water, with the only exception of watches featuring Minute Repeater and GLS/2005 calibres and cases in Bronzo, before delivery, including water resistance controls performed at levels exceeding the stated specification by 25%, to ensure reliable function in real conditions of use without affecting its condition as a new product.
A “no fogging” protocol tests the sealing integrity. Thermal shock resistance is assessed by repeatedly transitioning watches between 70°C and 5°C, preventing deformation and ensuring stability across sudden environmental changes. To replicate long-term wear, aging and lifecycle tests condense a decade of usage into a matter of weeks. Components undergo 10,000 activations of the crown-protecting lever, 19,000 bezel rotations – including exposure to sand and water.
Movements are tested through 3.6 million manual winding cycles and 8 million automatic rotor rotations, ensuring sustained performance over time. Resistance to magnetism is validated up to approximately 1000 Gauss, maintaining operational continuity and limiting deviation to less than 20 seconds per day.
Additional protocols include corrosion testing in saline and humid environments, UV exposure, resistance to cosmetics and friction, as well as shock tests such as impact tests involving tens of thousands of micro-shocks and significant impacts up to 5000g. Watches are also dropped from one meter onto hard surfaces to simulate real-life conditions. Every component – case, movement, dial, bracelet, and clasp – is independently tested for tensile strength, adhesion, and durability. Materials in contact with the skin are subject to toxicological analysis, including nickel release compliance and international safety standards.