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Panerai’s Chief Marketing and Heritage Officer Alessandro Ficarelli explains why the brand’s latest Luminor collection treats heritage as a foundation for innovation, proving purposeful design resonates far beyond nostalgia
<figure id="attachment_118344" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-118344" style="width: 900px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-118344" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Portrait_CMO_Alessandro-Ficarelli-1-e1787115840667.jpg" alt="Alessandro Ficarelli" width="900" height="1126" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Portrait_CMO_Alessandro-Ficarelli-1-e1787115840667.jpg 900w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Portrait_CMO_Alessandro-Ficarelli-1-e1787115840667-240x300.jpg 240w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Portrait_CMO_Alessandro-Ficarelli-1-e1787115840667-818x1024.jpg 818w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Portrait_CMO_Alessandro-Ficarelli-1-e1787115840667-768x961.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-118344" class="wp-caption-text">Alessandro Ficarelli</figcaption></figure>
Walking the fine line between honoring history and embracing innovation is one of watchmaking’s greatest challenges. Few brands manage it with genuine conviction. Panerai, however, approaches its storied past not as a source of nostalgic styling, but as a functional blueprint for modern watchmaking. Speaking with DA MAN, Panerai Chief Marketing and Heritage Officer Alessandro Ficarelli explains how the brand’s 2026 collection bridges that divide with remarkable clarity.
From the architectural purity of the new Luminor PAM01731 to the technical ambition of the Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631, Ficarelli reveals how the legendary “Laboratorio di Idee” continues to push technical boundaries through high-performance materials and purposeful engineering. For Panerai, a tool watch in 2026 is not a vintage reissue wrapped in marketing slogans, but an honest, dependable companion built for real functionality and readiness. Here, Ficarelli breaks down the philosophy that keeps Panerai firmly rooted in its historic pillars while defining the future of contemporary utilitarian luxury.
DAMAN: As the executive overseeing Panerai’s heritage, marketing, communications and product strategy, how do you balance honoring the brand’s vintage origins while evolving the collection for today’s market? 
Alessandro Ficarelli: The balance comes from treating heritage as a functional blueprint rather than a styling exercise. Panerai’s vintage origins are rooted in instruments developed for demanding missions, so the question is always: What problem did a design solution solve, and how do we make that solution relevant for today’s wearer? That’s why the 2026 collection preserves the core Luminor codes-case architecture, the crown-protecting bridge, sandwich dial construction and the domed crystal effect-while improving wearability and performance through contemporary calibers, material research and rigorous validation. Heritage gives us direction. Modernization happens through the Manufacture and the “Laboratorio di Idee,” where innovation always reinforces function.
DA: Vintage inspiration can be difficult territory.  How did Panerai handle the subject balance with this year’s collection? 
AF: We navigate that line by being very strict about what must remain untouched: architecture and intent. A vintage-inspired Panerai feels authentic when it preserves the geometry and functional logic that made the original watch necessary, rather than simply copying surface details.
<figure id="attachment_118343" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-118343" style="width: 960px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-118343" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PAM01631_STILLLIFE.jpg" alt="The limited-edition Panerai Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631 " width="960" height="1280" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PAM01631_STILLLIFE.jpg 960w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PAM01631_STILLLIFE-225x300.jpg 225w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PAM01631_STILLLIFE-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-118343" class="wp-caption-text">The limited-edition Panerai Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631</figcaption></figure>
With PAM01731 and PAM01733, you see 1960s-inspired case language translated into a 44mm case while retaining the cushion-shaped middle case, flat crown-protecting bridge and domed sapphire crystal that recalls the optical effect of historical PERSPEX.
The dials maintain the instrument-first language through sandwich construction, strong legibility and purposeful textures. We then add contemporary performance, including 30 bar (300m) water resistance and modern hand-wound calibers. That combination is what avoids nostalgia. The watch doesn’t look old. It feels like a historical solution made current.
DA: The power reserve indicator is a major focus this year and a complication closely tied to Panerai’s identity. What were the biggest technical challenges the “Laboratorio di Idee” faced in refining this manual movement? 
AF: The technical challenge with the Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631 (44mm) was creating a month-long power reserve that remains stable and practical. The P.2031/S caliber achieves 31 days through four barrels arranged in series, but the real difficulty isn’t storing energy. It’s managing that energy consistently over time.
That’s why the movement integrates a patent-pending Torque Limiter to isolate the most stable operating window, and it’s designed to stop intentionally after 31 days to protect long-term performance. Despite its complexity, the user experience had to remain straightforward. It runs for 31 days with 128 crown turns and is wound entirely through the crown without requiring a separate key-winding system.
DA: You’ve previously described Panerai as combining “strong mechanical know-how with highly distinguished design,” calling that fusion the core of the “Laboratorio di Idee.” How does this year’s collection embody that philosophy? 
AF: This year’s collection embodies the Laboratorio di Idee because experimentation is always anchored in Panerai’s pillars. You see that laboratory mindset in the way heritage architecture is reinterpreted through contemporary performance, and in how innovation is expressed through mechanics and materials rather than cosmetic novelty. On the mechanical side, PAM01631 pushes autonomy to a new frontier with a movement architecture built around controlled energy delivery and practical usability.
On the materials side, the Submersible GMT Navy SEALs Afniotech Experience Edition PAM01089 introduces Afniotech, a material composed of more than 95% hafnium. It’s a rare and demanding metal selected for credibility in extreme conditions, paired with 100 bar (1,000m) water resistance and a nonreflective finish for underwater use. That’s what “laboratory” means at Panerai: experimentation that serves durability, resistance and real mission environments while preserving a design language that remains unmistakably Panerai.
DA: How do you position a vintage-inspired tool watch for a younger generation just discovering Panerai? 
AF: We position a vintage-inspired tool watch for a new generation by making it easy to enter and difficult to dismiss. Younger buyers respond to authenticity and design with a purpose, so we begin with the “why.” Why does the crown-protecting bridge exist? Why does autonomy matter in everyday life? Why are certain materials chosen for demanding conditions?
Then we translate those ideas into modern formats through concise storytelling and real-world situations where the watch is worn with purpose. Empowerment and strength aren’t slogans. They’re the feeling of wearing something dependable, coherent and built to be used without hesitation.
DA: What does “tool watch” actually mean to Panerai in 2026? 
AF: In 2026, a tool watch still means genuine functionality for Panerai, but it also represents honesty in design and the idea of an absolute companion for any adventure. A Panerai looks like an instrument because it was conceived as one, with immediate legibility, robust construction, water resistance and long autonomy as practical advantages.
Even if most clients never operate in extreme environments, they appreciate the confidence that comes from wearing a watch engineered for demanding conditions. In that sense, a tool watch today represents both performance and attitude: readiness, self-sufficiency and a design language that doesn’t need ornament to feel powerful.

Alessandro Ficarelli Explains Why Panerai’s Heritage Is Built for the Future

Alessandro Ficarelli,

panerai