Panerai has been something of a trailblazer when it comes to introducing sustainable, recyclable materials across its range of series-production watches. “Our brand owes its origins to the oceans, and we must be the first ones to preserve it” Jean-Marc Pontroue has stated in the past while acknowledging that the brand will, if it must, lead the charge of environmental preservation in the Swiss luxury watch space.
Panerai’s efforts to bring sustainability to the watchspace, often have it exploring new horizons and forging new alliances. The latest one comes from a seemingly unusual source – the multinational gaming giant Razer. Seemingly because, on the surface, the two don’t seem to have much in common. Except that both are committed to preserving the environment. Razer, for its part, is big on going green. It claims to use sustainable materials, invests heavily in sustainability start-ups and even has a green community that helps promote sustainability. In fact, the brand’s official colour is green, which finds its way into the design work of the Panerai Luminor Quaranta Razer Special Edition.
Piercing the matte black exterior is a tiny smattering of electric green, covering the small seconds hand with matching threading on the strap. Other than that, it’s a pretty understated piece of design, with a uniform shade of matte black created through DLC coating the entire eSteel case and caseback. The Panerai Luminor Quaranta strap is made of recycled single use plastic bottles while the watch, whose production is limited to 500 units only, will be delivered to each customer, most likely a gaming enthusiast, in a box made of 72% recycled material. Thankfully, that isn’t the extent of the watch’s contribution towards environmental conservation. Both Panerai and Razer have partnered with environmental nonprofit Conservation International to support marine species research.
Panerai Luminor Quaranta has ensured that the homages to Razer require a closer look. The timepiece is still a Panerai Luminor first, with the famous cushion-shaped case and patented crown guard continuing to be the most noticeable aspects of the watch’s design. Razer’s serpentine logo is etched onto the caseback. There are subtler tributes, with the Razer signature font etched onto the crown guard bridge, but on the whole, it’s more of a stealth edition of the standard Luminor than anything else
The alliance is one of many under Panerai’s Ocean Conservation Initiative – a mission co-developed with UNESCO that seeks to spread awareness of the sort of extensive efforts being undertaken by a luxury watch brand to clean up the oceans while educating hundreds of students on the importance of ocean conservation.