A Specialized Navy Dive Watch from the 1960s Has Just Been Revived

I’ve tested Panerai’s latest watch, and it has a surprising benefit.

a panerai luminor destro watch on a mans wrist

Published November 11, 2024

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Panerai already makes some of the most unique and distinctive luxury dive watches on the market thanks to their oversized cases, utilitarian sandwich dials and idiosyncratic crown protection system. So how can you make a Panerai stand out even more? Easy: Put the crown on the wrong side.

Panerai has gone deep into its archives for the latest take on its flagship Luminor diver, drawing inspiration from the “Destro” watches it produced for Italian Navy frogmen in the 1960s.

Those first Destro watches, produced in the long period of Panerai’s history during which it was strictly a military supply company, were designed for left-handed divers to be worn on their right wrist while wearing another Panerai-supplied diving instrument — such as a compass or depth gauge — on their left wrist.

Now, Panerai has brought back the Destro style to the Luminor, and after spending a few days with the new lefty watch, I’m convinced this is the best Luminor to get — even if you’re right-handed and want to wear it on your left wrist.

a panerai luminor destro watch glows under a uv light — Panerai has resurrected the Luminor Destro, and it’s an absolute winner.

A More Comfortable Luminor

Destro watches, although fairly rare, are far from exclusive to Panerai. Rolex, of course, made a big splash when it debuted the left-handed GMT-Master II “Sprite” back in 2022. Then there’s French microbrand Serica, which uniquely offers a Destro option on all of its watches.

Destro watches are intended to be worn by left-handed people. Most people are right-handed, and most people wear their watch on their left wrist. There are a couple of reasons why that is.

For one, your watch is easier to manipulate on-wrist with your dominant hand. So, if the watch is on your left wrist and you’re right-handed, it’s easier to wind the crown, adjust the bezel, or operate a chronograph with your right hand. Wearing the watch on your off-hand also keeps it out of the way; since you’re not using your non-dominant hand as often.

a closeup of the crown protector on a panerai luminor destro watch — Panerai’s signature crown protector works the same as ever, it’s just on the opposite side of the case.

But there is a downside to wearing a traditional right-handed watch on your left wrist: The crown can dig into your wrist and hand. My wife, for example, is right-handed but prefers to wear a watch on her right wrist so the crown faces her arm and doesn’t dig into her wrist.

The Panerai Luminor is a big, beefy watch with a massive crown protection system. When I wear a regular 44mm Luminor on my 6.5-inch wrist, it’s pretty uncomfortable. The watch is too big for me, and the crown protector is basically glued to the back of my hand, causing irritation. But when I wore the Luminor Destro, this was no longer an issue.

Yes, it’s still a big watch, but remarkably, there were times when I forgot I had it on. That has never happened to me while testing a Panerai before. While wearing the watch on my left wrist, the crown protector disappeared under my sleeve, and the watch simply sat comfortably.

Since the Luminor Destro’s in-house Cal. P.5000 manually-wound movement has a whopping 8-day power reserve on tap, it’s not like you have to constantly fiddle with the crown either. You can literally wind the watch at the start of the week and not touch the crown again for another week. (One thing to note: Because the crown is on the wrong side, you wind the watch toward yourself instead of away from you, which takes a second to get used to.)

Despite the swapped crown location, this is still a Luminor, which means you’ll get everything you’d expect from Panerai’s flagship model. That means 300m water resistance, dynamite lume emanating from a sandwich dial and a sapphire caseback showing off the in-house movement.

That last bit is one area where I wish Panerai would flex a bit more. I get that the Luminor is a utilitarian tool watch, but this is still an $8,000 luxury watch. You can’t give me a little decoration on this very boring-looking movement? It’s pretty much a big brushed mainplate and a few chamfered edges — there’s not really much to look at.

a closeup of the mechanical movement inside a panerai luminor destro watch — With basically only the escapement visible, I’m not sure this watch needs a display caseback.

Pricing and Availability

With the left-handed crown bringing a new level of comfort to the Luminor for right-handed wearers — along with traditional functionality for lefties — the new Luminor Destro Otto Giorni has instantly become one of the most desirable watches Panerai makes, in my humble opinion.

It’s not super easy to get, though. The watch is a boutique exclusive and isn’t available online — you’ll actually need to make your way to a physical Panerai boutique for this one. Sporting the ref. number PAM01655, the Destro includes both a tan leather strap and a black rubber band and is priced at $8,100 — a $500 bump over the right-handed equivalent PAM00915.

Personally, I think you can justify the price increase by citing the novelty or the comfort — or just cite both and convince yourself you’re getting a deal.