22 Nov 2025 4 min read

Two things on my list that aren’t on Black Friday deals lists: Panerai and CW Bel Canto Lumiere

Like any self-respecting lover of beautifully designed objects, I always have a wishlist going. Actually, at the moment it’s not as long as it has been. But. It’s there. And I’m always working on it. The last couple of weeks have seen two additions.

Panerai 8 days

I love my watch collection. I really do. Doesn’t mean I don’t have a wandering eye. This week the lovely team at Berrys in Windsor invited me to visit an evening Panerai presentation, and I hate to say it but it turned a vague interest into quite a burning desire.

The most important takeaway for me: there is absolutely no substitute for getting hands-on time with watches, and in today’s market, where we judge based on specs and blown-up renders, it’s hard to get a sense of both FIT and QUALITY.

The 44mm Luminor probably is too big for me. Those lugs are chunky.

Fit first. Panerai watches are big, and gauche. At least, that’s what I had always thought. Googling around over the past couple of weeks, I was graduating towards the new ‘Quaranta’ sizes (40mm), assuming that traditional Panerai models would be too large for me.

The wire-lugged Radiomir case sits nicely. You can see how phenomenal Panerai’s straps are

But I tried on multiple 45mm Radiomirs and fucking hell, they fit great on my 7-inch wrist. (The 44mm Luminor a little less so).

A simple two-hander, no small seconds. Visually it is so stunning. Not sure I can handle that kind of minimal timetelling though.

Whether leather or rubber, the straps were all thick, soft and glorious. The crowns are big and easy to use. The lume is ace.

On paper, this watch sounds awful. Brushed aged case finish. Fauxtina. Fume dial. Blue hands with brown? Whatever that writing is on the dial in a circle. Yugh. But in person… wowsers.

Second, quality. I have always thought of Panerai as a bit rustic, basic specs, simply finished. This week I got hands on with some Submersibles and the feel of the winding, the precision of the bezel clicks… it was very refined.

This cerakote Submersible blew me away. Look at that sunray dial! But it’s the quality feel I really wasn’t expecting.

The Submersible also fit like a glove. Very impressive watch in the metal.

Towards the end of the evening I tried on a couple of Speedmasters to compare and I guess to reset my palette: a FOIS and the newish Pilot Flight Qualified. After an evening with Panerais, they felt flimsy, and rattly, with cheap thin bracelets and sharp cases… and ludicrous thickness from the co-axial movement.

Speedie from the side: like a fucking saucepan. Yikes.

So: a Panerai is definitely on my shortlist now. I’m mining my way through older references and discovering 8-day movements with power reserve indicators on the back; seas of lume; and the most legible dials this side of anywhere.

8-day manual movement. 192 hour power reserve! Cool.

Christopher Ward Bel Canto Lumiere

Every now and again a new product hits Instagram that makes my jaw hit the floor and instantly distracts me from whatever I was doing that day. The new CW Bel Canto release did that in spades.

Credit to Oracle for the amazing photo. Read the review here: https://oracleoftime.com/christopher-ward-c1-bel-canto-lumiere-watch-review/

In case you missed it (and how could you), this is a Bel Canto slathered in lume, to the point where almost everything is turquoise green in the daylight, then glows turquoise and green at night. Including the strap.

I call this the Tron watch. It works so well in my opinion because of the way the sunray lines all gather on the small watch face on the north of the dial. It feels very coherent, so much better than the other Bel Canto faces.

Of course the Bel Canto has never been a practical watch. 41mm and thick, but with maximum dress watch compromises: a tiny actual face that in this case has no running seconds and no indices at all. Only 30m water resistance. Poor power reserve from the base Sellita SW-200 movement. And it’s CW’s most expensive model, at 3.5k. All to get a little bell to sound on the hour, resonating through its titanium case. Us watch people are absolutely insane.

Still, I can’t resist this kind of unhinged innovation in pursuit of a complete aesthetic vision. I have made an appointment at the CW boutique to take a look in person.