The Most Impressive Watch of 2024 Is a Diver That Works Like Magic

Panerai’s showstopper begins a new chapter in dive watch history.

Published December 31, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Once in a while, a product comes along that functions in such a way that it can only be described as magical.

This Panerai dive watch may not actually run on pixie dust, but it inspires so much joy and childlike wonder that it might as well.

GP100 Winner

Panerai Submersible Elux LAB-ID

A breakthrough innovation in the world of mechanical watches, Panerai’s 500m-capable dive watch in the brand’s new Ti-Ceramitech material (a fusion of titanium and ceramic) features a tiny generator inside its movement that transforms stored mechanical energy into electrical light, giving you lasting ultra-bright illumination at the press of a button without the use of a battery or traditional electronics.

Specs

Case Size	49mm
Movement	Panerai Cal. P.9010/EL automatic with mechanical luminescence
Water Resistance	500m

$97,800 at Panerai

Dive watches, by definition, require luminescence. Mechanical watches use either photoluminescent paint that must absorb light to emit a glow, or tritium gas, which permanently glows — although not very brightly — for around 25 years. Quartz watches use electrical lights that run off of the watch’s battery.

But what if a mechanical watch could produce enough electricity to power electrical lights of its own without batteries?

It seems like something out of science fiction, but Panerai created such a mechanism for the awe-inducing Submersible Elux LAB-ID.

panerai watch glowing in the dark — These electric lights are created using purely mechanical energy with no battery needed.

The watch’s mechanical movement contains four barrels dedicated to storing energy generated by winding the crown. A micro-generator inside the movement converts this energy into electricity, which powers LED lights on the hands, indices and bezel. These lights can then be turned on and off like a light switch via a pusher on the case.

The system took Panerai eight years and three patents to develop, displaying the rare sort of obsessive dedication to innovation required for such a spellbinding invention.