SIHH 2011: Panerai Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante Left-handed 8 Days Titanio PAM00345

In the history of Officine Panerai, wristwatches for left-handers appeared for the first time in the early 1940s, when the first examples were produced for the commandos of the Italian Navy with the winding crown and bridge protecting the crown on the left; today these are very rare and highly sought-after by collectors.

A possible historic justification for the existence of these watches may lie in the overall equipment carried by the commandos, which included not only the watch but also the compass and wrist depth gauge, which could have been worn on the left wrist instead of the watch.

This historic peculiarity is the distinctive feature of the new Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante Left-handed 8 Days Titanio – 44 mm, a Special Edition fitted with the manufacture P.2004/9 movement, the single-button chronograph calibre completely designed and produced within the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel. The hand-wound P.2004/9 calibre has three spring barrels, which give a power reserve of eight days, and the seconds reset function, which zeroes the seconds’ hand, thus enabling the watch to be perfectly synchronized with a reference time signal. From the constructional point of view, the calibre has a column wheel and vertical clutch, features which identify top-of-the-range chronographs.

The Luminor 1950 case, 44 mm in diameter, is made of brushed titanium with a polished bezel and a sapphire crystal back which enables the movement to be observed and the power reserve to be read, thanks to an indicator placed on a bridge. The cylindrical push-piece which controls all the chronometer functions – start, stop, reset – is at 2 o’clock, on the side opposite the bridge protecting the winding crown. The latter is made of brushed titanium, as is the buckle which closes the brown antiqued leather strap.

The brown sandwich dial has the large figures and hour markers which are typical of the classic Panerai appearance, as well as a continuous seconds dial and minutes counter. The sandwich construction, the historic justification of which was the need to maximize the dial’s legibility in situations of poor visibility, consists of two superimposed discs between which is placed the luminous material with which the markers and figures are displayed. On the dial, as well as the inscription “Luminor Panerai”, the inscription “8 DAYS” refers to the movement’s lengthy power reserve.

Water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (100 meters), the Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante Left-handed 8 Days Titanio – 44 mm (PAM00345) is a Special Edition of only 150 units.

Reference: PAM00345

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.2004/9 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾ lignes, 6.6 mm thick, 31 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device. 8 days power reserve, 3 highspeed spring barrels, seconds reset device. Column wheel, 329 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator on the back, seconds reset, single-button chronograph with two counters.

Case: Diameter 44 mm, brushed titanium.

Button for the chronograph function at 2 o’clock.

Bezel: Polished titanium.

Back: See-through sapphire crystal.

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

Dial: Brown with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. Minute counter at 9 o’clock. Seconds at 3 o’clock, central chronograph hand.

Crystal: Sapphire, formed of corundum, 2 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

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

Strap: PANERAI personalised leather strap and large-size brushed titanium buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap, a tool to change the strap and a steel screwdriver.