Panerai PAM 317 Ceramic Monopulsante ‘Black Knight’ – A watch fit for Batman?

Watch & Bullion

16 May 2016 | 2 min read

To call your watch a ‘Black Knight’ requires you to have a lot of faith in it. A name as bold as that holds a heavy weight of expectations.

Long before Batman highjacked the title, the name was used as a common stock figure in Arthurian literature. So, what kind of watch could Panerai make to live up to all those expectations?

Behold the PAM 317.  Batman can deem himself lucky to share the same name.

The biggest and arguably most impressive feature is the 44 mm ceramic case. Five times harder than steel, holding this watch is an experience in itself. The case actually had to be created though a special ‘Isostatic pressure’ process, as no other traditional process would live up to the brand’s expectations.

Equally impressive is the movement Panerai decided to fit with this case. It comes with a monopusher chronograph, meaning that it is controlled by a single button which starts, stops, and resets the chronograph. It also has a GMT function with a separate AM/PM indicator. All these features can be enjoyed for over a week without a worry, as an eight day manual wind power reserve is sure not to let you down.

To display all this information Panerai sticks to the classics, and captures the essence of the brand through the beautiful black two-layer ‘sandwich’ dial.

And just like Batman, this watch also has another trick up its sleeve. If all that hasn’t already made you hungry for this watch, then the PVD coated movement with a display case-back surely will. In the production process allegedly 80% of all movements did not make it through Panerai’s quality assurance tests, but the fuss has certainly paid off with this watch and its truly unique flair.

Unfortunately we can’t all be superheroes, and so only five hundred of these were created. For your chance to own one check it out in our shop here.