Panerai - Old-school sailing
Ten yachts and their crews will leave Lanzarote in the Canary Islands today in a race across the Atlantic Ocean to Martinique in the Caribbean. But the yachts are not high-tech, futuristic multihulls (one is nearly 90 years old) and their skippers are far from being superstars of sailing.
As its name suggests, the Panerai Transat Classique is more concerned with reminiscing about the golden age of sailing, pitting the wits of the skippers against the elements and the weather. In keeping with the spirit of the race, some skippers choose to navigate only by sextant.
Gildas Rostain, skipper of , the winner of the inaugural 2008 edition of the race, sums up the atmosphere on this unique regatta: "The days pass too quickly, so you owe it to yourself to remain positive every minute you are aboard, even in the most difficult moments. Make the most of the special moments. Have a drink, sit back and enjoy the sunsets in the trade wind zones, the shine of the varnished wood, that obedient spinnaker... Don't miss a second of it!"
What's more, for the third edition of this transatlantic race, the organisers have made the course even more difficult. Right at the start, the skippers have to take a gamble: head south to pick up as soon as possible the powerful trade winds that will carry them across the Atlantic, navigate through the Canary Islands archipelago to save on distance (it's the shortest route) but risk getting caught in the calm of the lee of the islands, or seek out the ber, but often more fickle, winds to the north. You can follow their progress in real time, and see whose gamble paid off, on the official website of the Panerai Transat Classique.
Panerai - Luminor 1950 Left-Handed 8 days Titanio - 47 mm
Press Release
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.A new Officine Panerai Special Edition repeats this feature, which not only has its roots in the history of the brand but which also provides better functionality and comfort for everyone who prefers to wear a watch on the right wrist: the Luminor 1950 Left-handed 8 Days Titanio - 47 mm..
The Luminor 1950 case, in the classic Panerai size of 47 mm in diameter, is made of brushed titanium with a polished bezel and a sapphire crystal back which enables the manufacture P.2002/9 movement to be observed and the power reserve to be read. The buckle which closes the brown antiqued leather strap is also made of brushed titanium, a material chosen for its characteristics of lightness and strength as well as its hypo-allergenic qualities.The brown sandwich dial has the small seconds dial at 3 o'clock, perfecting the aesthetic balance of the watch which has the bridge protecting the winding crown positioned on the left. The sandwich structure, the justification of which lay in the need to maximise the dial's legibility when used underwater, consists of two superimposed discs between which is placed the luminous material with which the markers and figures are displayed. The hour and minute hands, as well as the small seconds hand, are coated with Super-LumiNova®. On the dial, as well as the inscription "Luminor Panerai", the inscription "8 DAYS" refers to the movement's lengthy power reserve, which also has historic origi
The Luminor 1950 Left-handed 8 Days Titanio - 47 mm is fitted with the P.2002/9, calibre, completely designed and produced within the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel. The hand-wound calibre has three spring barrels which provide a power reserve of eight days, displayed on the back of the movement, and the seconds reset function, which zeroes the seconds hand, thus enabling the watch to be perfectly synchronised with a reference time signal.Water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (100 metres), the Luminor 1950 Left-handed 8 Days Titanio - 47 mm(PAM00368) is a Special Edition of only 1,000 units.
Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.2002/9 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾ lignes, 8.2 mm thick, 23 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device. 8 days power reserve, 3 highspeed spring barrels, seconds reset device. 246 components.Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator on the back, seconds reset.Case: Diameter 47 mm, brushed titanium.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. Seconds at 3 o'clock.Crystal: Sapphire, formed of corundum, 2mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.Water-resistance: 10 bar (~100 metres).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.Reference: PAM00368.Calibre P.2002The P.2002 hand-wound calibre is the progenitor of the P.2000 series and it takes its name from the year in which the project was launched to supply Panerai watches with movements entirely designed and developed in the Manufacture in Neuchâtel.
The P.2002 calibre consists of 247 components; it has 21 jewels and a thickness of 6.6 millimetres. Hand-wound and with a power reserve of 8 days with linear indicator on the dial, it has the characteristics peculiar to all the calibres of the P.2000 series: great structural strength; three spring barrels; GMT function with 24-hour indicator; seconds reset; rapid adjustment of local time; freesprung balance; balance wheel oscillating at 28,800 alternations per hour (a frequency which is unusual in a movement with a large power reserve).The three spring barrels in series, the design of which is an Officine Panerai patent, ensures the delivery of an even, optimal force which remains stable for 8 days, thus delivering a force which is constant for all the days of the power reserve.The P.2002 calibre also has the seconds reset device which resets the seconds hand to zero, enabling the watch to be synchronised perfectly with a reference time signal. The operation of the system designed by Officine Panerai is very special: when the winding crown is pulled out to the second position, a thin blade moves into contact with the balance wheel, stopping it. At the same time, a small hammer lever moves downwards and acts on a heart-shaped cam which instantly moves the seconds hand to the zero position. As soon as the winding crown is returned to the normal position, the balance wheel is freed, the hammer lever is raised, thus releasing the cam, and the seconds hand resumes its normal course.Functions- Hours, minutes, small seconds- Date- GMT 12/24 h- Seconds reset- Rapid adjustment of local timeTechnical specifications- Hand-wound- Power reserve 8 days- 247 components- 21 jewels- 13¾ lignes in diameter- 6.6 mm thick- Three spring barrels- Frequency of oscillation 4 Hz- KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device