Panerai Manifattura Luminor Watches

Ever since it was discovered that combining iron, chromium and carbon made a material that could be used to make almost anything, stainless steel has been king of construction. It’s strong, it’s malleable, its hardy—and that’s why it’s also used for making watches. What more could you ask than that? Well, apparently you can get watches made of other, more exotic materials as well. But why?

The Luminor has been a staple of Panerai’s collection since the Italian company first opened its doors to the public in 1993, this Base the purest and simplest iteration. It’s been discontinued now—and cost around £4,000 before it was—by something that looks exactly the same but costs over £1,000 more. Why would anyone want to pay that?

Whether we like them or not, big watches are here to stay. Thick, chunky and in your face, these are timepieces that hide under no man's cuff. Like a low, wide car, or a window-shattering concert, there's something inherently appealing about a watch that lets you know you're wearing it. Just as the Bugatti Chiron is too fast for its own tyres, and as the heavy metal band Manowar's 1994 129.5db performance was louder than a jackhammer to the face, there are a few watchmakers out there who want to see just how far they can stretch the limits. Here are three watches that took crazy to the next level.

4,000 years ago, humans discovered that if they heated the soft metal copper to 1,000 degrees and sprinkled some arsenic on top, the resulting creation was bronze. This was the first alloy ever made by man, and is much tougher than copper. It was a technological breakthrough in comparison to the stone used for the prior three million years. But that was then, and this now—so why is this outdated material making a resurgence?