Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Panerai · Submersible
Panerai Submersible 42 mm Black Grade
Reference 38223OR.63
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Panerai
- Collection
- Submersible
- Model
- Panerai Submersible 42 mm Black Grade
- Reference number
- 38223OR.63
- Year / era
- 1982 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 16D — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1982 – 1988
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Panerai Submersible 42 mm Black Grade sits within Panerai's Submersible line, introduced in 1982. It carries the house codes established since 1860 — grade 5 titanium case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Panerai
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1860
- Founder
- Giovanni Panerai
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Luminor, Radiomir, Submersible, Luminor Due, Quaranta
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Panerai Luminor 39 mm Black Stainless (1968) · Panerai Luminor 44 mm Salmon Ceramic (1955) · Panerai Radiomir 40 mm Skeletonised Quartz (1963) · Panerai Radiomir 44 mm Green Carbon (1995)
Brand history
Panerai has spent more than 166 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Luminor, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Giovanni Panerai established Panerai in 1860, working from Italy at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Panerai calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1860
Giovanni Panerai founds Panerai in Italy.
1899
Panerai earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Panerai to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Panerai enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Panerai continues to produce Luminor, Radiomir, Submersible and other icons in limited numbers.