Carbotech is a composite material made from thin carbon fibre sheets pressed together with a polymer called PEEK. Panerai was the first watch brand to use it, and introduced it in 2015. Panerai says it is lighter and stronger than ceramic or titanium. Each case shows its own patchy matte black pattern.
How is Carbotech made?
Carbotech starts as thin sheets of carbon fibre. These are built up in layers and pressed together under high pressure at a controlled temperature. A high-tech polymer called PEEK, short for polyether ether ketone, sits between the layers and holds the composite together. There are about seven carbon layers in each millimetre of thickness. Each layer is laid at 45 degrees to the one next to it. The name itself points to the material’s carbon content.
What does Carbotech look like?
The surface is matte black, but not evenly so. It has a patchy look, and that look changes with the way the material is cut. The layered build leaves a different pattern on each piece, so no two Carbotech watches look exactly alike. A Carbotech case works a little like a fingerprint: its markings belong to that one piece and no other.
Where it comes from
Panerai first showed Carbotech at SIHH in January 2015, in the Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech. On that watch, Carbotech was used for the case, the rotating bezel and the crown. It was also used for the bridge that guards the crown. Panerai also describes the material as hypoallergenic, which means it is unlikely to irritate the skin.
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