Like every other watchmaker, Officine Panerai makes a large number of limited editions (a.k.a., “special editions”). Some of them are dogs (literally). Others celebrate major achievements and personalities, like the Panerai MS Dhoni special editions . . .
For those of you who aren’t familiar with cricket, MS Dhoni is a living legend. wikpedia.org has the full rundown, but here’s a taste:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (born 7 July 1981), is an Indian international cricketer who captained the Indian national team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2016 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. He is the only captain in the history of Cricket to win all ICC trophies.
Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
A right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper, Dhoni is one of the highest run scorers in One Day Internationals (ODIs) with more than 10,000 runs scored and is considered an effective “finisher” in limited-overs formats He is also regarded by some as one of the best wicket-keepers and captains in modern limited-overs international cricket.
Back in November, Panerai launched not one but two 44mm watches dedicated to the cricketing giant and new brand ambassador.
Both the Luminor 1950 44 3 Days GMT Automatic Stainless Steel / Mahendra Singh Dhoni and and the Luminor 1950 44 Chrono Flyback Automatic Goldtech / Mahendra Singh Dhoni embody the best of the Indian’s attributes within Panerai’s classic silhouette.
Like its namesake, the Panerai MS Dhoni GMT is tough and reliable, housed in a solid AISI 316L stainless steel case. The Panerai MS Dhoni Chrono Flyback is obviously the more sophisticated and bling of the two with its Goldtech case. Developed by the Panerai Laboratorio di Idee, the copper alloy practically glows with a rich, intense red hue.
Both dials are green – MS Dhoni’s favourite colour and one of the primary colours of the Indian flag. The casebacks are engraved with MS Dhoni’s signature, his cricketing image in the helicopter shot position (not to be confused with the sexual position of the same name), the number 183 that symbolizes his highest score in one-day international Cricket and an outline of the Indian subcontinent.
As you’d expect from Panerai, both watches are water resistant – the GMT is good down to 300m while the chrono is restricted to 100m. Both twin-barrel movements have a three day power reserve.
The two watches faithfully express the dynamic dual personality of MS Dhoni: determined, dependable and confident in the field; eclectic, impeccable and sociable off of it.
Panerai built 251 Ms Dhoni Luminor GMTs and 77 Chrono Flybacks. You can buy the former for $8,878.96 and the latter for $25,928.67 from ethoswatches.com. Plus shipping.
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