4b5ca7a3e339441de45c755673474fa4657d61fe

FEATURES

Panerai Hats Off To History

Editorial Team

15/03/2016

History has always been the foundation of Panerai. As a traditional haute horology manufacturer, Panerai is always ahead of its time in innovation and technology, but also values its heritage and stay very true to its roots. In this year’s SIHH, they for the first time adopt the 3D printing technology to create the case, as a tribute to Galileo Galilei. They paint the dial of PAM 662 and PAM 633 in tobacco-brown to recall the luminous susbstance Radiomir in the 1930s and 40s, and then talk about their long history with Sylvester Stallone by a pair of Luminor watches.

Lo Scienziato Luminor
1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio – 47mm PAM578

Dedicated to the great scientist Galileo, the PAM578 is a complication housing a tourbillon and GMT function from the Lo Scienziato lineup. The movement is nicely skeletonised and has a power reserve indicator of 6-day at the back. Besides the features and functions we can obviously see, the Manufacture never disappoints by showing us an innovative technology: the 3D printing, a increasingly popular technology over the recent years. The titanium case is, absolutely, like no others.

The 47mm PAM578 is thick yet surprisingly light on wrist. Apart from using titanium to make the case, the bridges and plates of the hand-wound movement P2005/T is as well made of titanium. So the weight of the movement is 35% less than that of the P.2005/S skeletonised movement. Through the new technique of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) from 3D printing, the case is hollowed out internally so that it is 40% lighter than steel.

To briefly explain the production process, the DMLS builds up a 3D object layer by layer by means of a fibre optic laser using powdered titanium. The successive layers – each one only 0.02 mm thick – merge together and become completely solid. The lightness of the hollow case can only be felt when you wear it around your wrist. To appreciate the mechanical beauty, just look at the 30-second tourbillon with a cage perpendicular to the movement plates at 11 o’clock.

Specification：
表殼︰鈦金屬
直徑︰47mm
機芯︰P.2005/T手上鍊
功能︰時、分、小秒、兩地時間、陀飛輪、表底6天動力儲備顯示、日夜顯示
防水︰100米
限量︰150枚
售價︰約$1,080,000

Luminor 8 Days Set
Luminor Black Seal Left-Handed 8 Days Acciaio DLC – 44mm
Luminor Daylight 8 Days Acciaio – 44mm

Found in 1860, the Florentine house supplied precision instruments and watches for the Royal Italian Navy until 1993. It then released its products to civilian market and its rising popularity soon caught the attention of the Richemont Group, which acquired Panerai in 1997. The period between 1993 to 1997 is known as the “Pre-Vendome era” in Panerai history. The high quality and reliable timepieces make the Manufacture quickly achieve an exceptional worldwide success. Besides, a world-known movie star also exposed the brand to wider publicity. In 1995, Sylvester Stallone spotted and bought a Panerai Luminor and wore the watch in the movie “Daylight” debuted in 1996. Notably, he later even placed a great many orders for custom Panerai watches.

To pay tribute to this story, Panerai unveils this year the Luminor 8 Days Set, which is originally created for Stallone. The Black Seal is a left-handed model featuring a black dial, while the Daylight boasts a white dial, blue numerals and markers, and luminescent dots. This rare pair of watches is limited to 500 sets, supplied in a pear wood box containing a model of the slowspeed torpedo, together with a rare publication about the military equipment of the special forces of the Royal Italian Navy. Collectors have to fend off others to score it.

Specification：
表殼︰不鏽鋼/DLC不鏽鋼
直徑︰44mm
機芯︰P.5000手上鍊
功能︰時、分、小秒、8天動力儲備
防水︰300米
限量︰限量500套
售價︰約$159,900

Luminor 1950
3 Days Acciaio – 47mm PAM663

Radiomir 1940
3 Days Acciaio – 47mm PAM662

The four pillar collections of Panerai are namely, the Radiomir, Radiomir 1940, Luminor 1950, and Luminor. Each collection has its own specific origins and history, and, of course, its supporters. This year, the Manufacture revisits the past – from the history that the luminous substance Radiomir turned the black dial into brown – to present two brand new models with tobacco-brown dial in Radiomir 1940 and Luminor 1950 case.

The story began in 1936. It was Radiomir, the radium powder, which was used on the dial of the first ever Panerai watches. But people later were concerned about the radioactivity of radium powder. And therefore in 1949 the Manufacture patented Luminor, a new luminous substance based on tritium, some 20 times less radioactive than radium. Unexpectedly, the effect of the radium-based powder – and also to a lesser extent that based on tritium – has been to bring about a change in the colour of the dials, transforming the original black into brown. And these vintage Panerai watches carrying such characteristic brown are surprisingly well-liked by watch aficionados.

The latest Radiomir 1940 3 Days Acciaio PAM662 and Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio PAM663 both feature a tobacco-brown dial (not decoloured by radioactive materials). The Super-LumiNova hour markers of the watches are non-radioactive in nature and have exceptional night visibility. Besides, the crystal is made not of sapphire glass but of Plexiglas, as a tribute to the past. It is also worth mentioning that the PAM662 is inspired from the legendary “Egiziano Piccolo” (Ref.6154), which was produced in small quantity of no more than 30 or 40 examples for the Egyptian Navy in 1954. As a modern iteration of the Egiziano Piccolo, the PAM662 is sure to become a collectible.

Specification：
表殼︰不鏽鋼
直徑︰47mm
機芯︰P.3000手上鍊
功能︰時、分、72小時動力儲備
防水︰100米
限量︰各限量1,000枚
售價︰約$75,600（PAM662）/ 約$78,600（PAM663）

Radiomir 1940 3 Days GMT

Of all novelties launched this year, over half of which (including special editions) are Radiomir 1940 watches, signaling the collection the star of the year. And these four Radiomir 3 Days GMT automatic watches look so alike, but we can still tell which is which. For Panerai’s watches can be distinguished by subtle differences. Let’s have a closer look on each piece.

Speaking of the dial layout and functions, they all boast a date window at 3 o’clock, small seconds dial at 9 o’clock, GMT hand, and day/night indicator. What set them apart is the position of the power reserve indicator: the PAM627’s and PAM657’s are at the caseback, while the PAM628’s and PAM658’s at 5 o’clcok. Both the PAM627 and PAM628 are characterised by the Paris hobnails dial and paired with black leather strap; the other two have vertical stripes on their dial and are complemented by brown leather strap.

Two different types of movements are housed among the 4 watches. The ones with power reserve indicator at the back house the P.4001 movement, while the ones with power reserve indicator on the dial side house the P.4002 movement. Developed from the P.4000 movement, the two movements are newly-created this year and equipped with a micro-rotor and double barrels providing 3-day of power reserve. When pulling out the crown, you can reset the subsidiary seconds dial to zero to adjust the time conveniently. And it also enables you to move the hours hand forward and backward without interfering the running of the watch.

Radiomir 1940
3 Days GMT Power Reserve
Automatic Acciaio – 45mm
PAM628
約售$92,000

Radiomir 1940
3 Days GMT
Automatic Acciaio – 45mm
PAM627
約售$91,000

Radiomir 1940
3 Days GMT Power Reserve
Automatic Acciaio – 45mm
PAM658
約售$92,000

Radiomir 1940
3 Days GMT
Automatic Acciaio – 45mm
PAM657
約售$91,000

Specification：
表殼︰不鏽鋼
直徑︰45mm
機芯︰P.4001/P.4002自動
功能︰時、分、小秒、日期、兩地時間、日夜顯示、3天動力儲備顯示
防水︰100米
限量︰各1,000枚

Radiomir 1940
3 Days Automatic Acciaio – 42mm
PAM655

We don’t usually see Panerai’s watches featuring a white dial; yet quite a number of watches released these two yeas come in white dial with blue or black numerals to give a refreshing look. Looking at this PAM655, I’m thinking will the white be the new black? Being the first Radiomir 1940 watch with a white dial, the PAM655 comes in a 42mm case, a unisex size catering for both men and women. Its Arabic numerals, yellow luminous dot markers and hands lend together the piece a vintage touch.