SIHH 2011: Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days PAM00372 - 47 MM

In the 1930s and 1940s the names Radiomir and Luminor identified the luminous materials used by Officine Panerai to increase the night-time and underwater visibility of the dials of the watches designed for the commandos of the Italian Navy. Over the years, these two terms have come to identify the two different case shapes of the iconic watches of the brand, one of which is a development of the other. In fact, the Luminor case came into being as a result of the need to make the Radiomir case still more water-resistant. To this end, the bridge device with clamping lever was added, protecting the winding crown and making it more water-resistant, while the large, straight lugs, milled with the case from a single block of metal, replaced the wire strap attachments, welded in place.

For the first time, a new Officine Panerai model uses a unique case which marks the historic development of the Radiomir case: the Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm. The Luminor 1950 of the new model, executed in polished steel in the classic size of 47 mm, has a rounded, cuspshaped caseband, directly descended from the cushion design of the case which still today is characteristic of Radiomir watches.

Other details concern the constant search for the best blend between recovering the past and researching for innovation: the flat back with the large sapphire crystal window which enables the manufacture movement to be seen; the slightly narrower lugs which give a greater impetus to the whole; the Plexiglas® crystal; the engraving of the reference between the lugs, for the first time in the recent history of Officine Panerai but in this case directly derived from the historic originals; and the inscription “Luminor Panerai” which is no longer printed, but engraved on the dial in the lettering of the period. The dial too confirms Officine Panerai’s commitment to authenticity and loyalty to tradition: it employs the sandwich construction which provides excellent visibility under all conditions, as aresult of the large quantity of luminous material which is applied between the two thin sheets forming the dial, the radiance of which appears through the figures and the hour markers cut through the upper plate. The hour and minute hands are also covered with the same ecrucoloured luminous material.

The new Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm is fitted with the P.3000 calibre, a hand-wound mechanical movement entirely designed and developed by the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel. With a diameter of 16½ lignes, the P.3000 has the characteristic structure of large bridges, two spring barrels providing a power reserve of three days and a variable inertia, 13.2 mm balance wheel which enables the rate of the watch to be adjusted quickly and easily by means of the screws positioned externally around the rim.

Identified by the reference PAM00372, 3,000 units of the Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm are being made. It is supplied with a leather strap – with vintage treatment making it very similar to the straps of the models of the time – closed by the classic Panerai buckle in brushed steel.

Reference: PAM00372

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/ hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes.

Case: Diameter 47 mm, polished steel.

Bezel: Polished steel.

Back: See-through sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown: (protected as a Trademark) Brushed steel.

Dial: Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers.

Crystal: Plexiglas®, 3 mm thick.

Water-resistance: 10 bar (~100 metres).

Strap: PANERAI personalised leather strap and large-size brushed steel buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap and a steel screwdriver.