Throughout its long history, which stretches back to the day in 1860 when founder Giovanni Panerai opened his first watch shop in Florence, storied Italian luxury watch manufacturer Panerai has focused on making horological excellence available to everyone. Now, perhaps the most iconic of all Panerai’s collections, Luminor , presents equally stunning men’s and women’s versions of two of its most celebrated lines, Marina and Due. The Luminor collection’s central innovation was patented by Panerai as long ago as 1949: the luminous material used on its dials, which is based on tritium, a rare isotope of hydrogen. Luminor watches were formerly the preserve of the Italian navy , for whom Panerai was the official watchmaker, in particular its specialist diving corps – but happily, these days everyone can own one. STYLE Edit: ‘Paint’ with light at Panerai’s Luminate Your Time competition The Luminor Marina is a favourite iteration of the Luminor collection, with distinctive features that include a cushion-shaped case with a brushed finish, solid lugs and a polished bezel. The Luminor Marina Goldtech – 44mm, reference PAM01112, presents this instantly eye catching piece in Goldtech, a material developed by Panerai that combines gold with platinum and copper for superlative mechanical and oxidation resistance, as well as a very attractive colour. It comes with a deep blue dial with satiné soleil decoration, and is driven by the in-house Calibre P9010, which is just 6mm thick. For a slimline version of the same Luminor Marina aesthetic, check out the Luminor Marina Quaranta, reference PAM01270. A 40mm version that represents the smallest Marina in production, it comes with a sun-brushed blue dial and a navy blue alligator strap. Why Panerai’s new Luminor watches won’t let you get caught in the dark Another classic from the Luminor collection, the Luminor Due again draws on classic elements from the Panerai design template, beautifully updating them for contemporary tastes. The Luminor Due reference PAM01250 comes in a steel case, with a sun-brushed anthracite dial and in-house calibre P900 beating at its heart. Meanwhile, the Luminor Due also comes in a distinctly feminine iteration, the Luminor Due Madreperla, which breaks new aesthetic ground with an iridescent mother-of-pearl dial, a head turning red alligator strap and a case in Goldtech measuring just 38mm, the smallest Panerai has ever produced. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .