Yacht race unites Luna Rossa team with Swiss manufacture.
Luna Rossa's AC75 Luna Rossa won the Boat of the Year award - Confindustria Nautica Trophy 2022. The web series “Luna Rossa – Challenger for Now” about the Italian team's ambitions secured the best series award at the Foiling Film Festival, and the team won the Prada Cup Final in February 2021. Yet their main goal — the reason the team came together and the AC75 boat was built in the first place — is still an unfulfilled dream for now.
The team was created to take the prestigious America's Cup. They've come a long way since Prada Group CEO Patrizio Bertelli sparked the idea of establishing the Luna Rossa sailing team, from the first race in 2000 to the 36th America's Cup in 2021, but the Italian team has yet to beat their competitors from New Zealand.
A lot has changed over the years. Top speeds of 20 knots were reached by the competing boats a couple of decades ago but now they've upped the speed to 50 knots. Team spirit, passion and dedication are all important factors but technology is paramount.
All of these contributing factors have brought Luna Rossa to the attention of the watch brand Panerai. Watches dedicated to the team began appearing in the brand's line when they first partnered in 2017. The partnership saw the release of the Luminor Luna Rossa GMT and Luminor Chrono Luna Rossa.
The Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa model was released in April this year, and now the line has welcomed the Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa Ref. PAM01342. The novelty is dedicated to the next America's Cup, which is to be held in Barcelona in 2024.
The host city for the competition may seem a little jarring: the race is normally organized in the winning team's homeland, but New Zealand turned down the opportunity due to funding difficulties and transferred the hosting rights to Spain.
The novelty is limited to a series of 1500 pieces, rendered in the crew's signature colors: red (the color of the team's founding company Prada), white and gray (crew members will set sail wearing gray uniforms by their official technical partner Woolmark).
The watch's minimalistic design features a red small seconds hand, a red stripe on the strap, along with a gray inscription with the name of the team on the white dial. The 44-mm steel case is polished, while the surface of the Safety Lock crown-protection device has been brushed. The watch is water resistant up to 100 meters — more than enough to race in the sailing competition.
The manually wound P.6000 movement has been chosen as the engine to power the watch. It includes the Incabloc anti-shock device. The movement which is used by Panerai for entry-level models runs on one barrel. Mind you, it happens to provide three days' worth of power reserve.