Panerai Luminor Chrono Regatta 2003 (PAM00168)

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 synchronised 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 maximise 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.

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 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: PAM00345.

Calibre P.2004

The P.2004 is a hand-wound chronograph calibre with column wheel and vertical clutch, elements which are characteristic of top-of-the-range chronographs. The chronograph function is operated by a single button: start, stop and returning the chronograph hand to zero are controlled by a single push-piece, positioned at 8 o'clock so as not to interfere with the classic design of the Luminor case and its distinctive bridge protecting the winding crown. The power reserve is 8 days and the calibre has all the other functions that are characteristic of the P.2000 series: second time zone with 24-hour indication, seconds reset and rapid adjustment of local time.
 

The column wheel is a special design used in chronographs of superior quality; it enables the functions to be more reliably and precisely selected of compared to the pivoting lever device used in less distinguished watches. The innovative vertical clutch of the chronograph prevents the hands making little jumps forward or backward at the instant the function is activated, and it also avoids premature wear on the wheels.

The constant driving force provided by the three spring barrels, combined with the sophistication of the entire construction, means that, even when the chronograph is running, the amplitude of the balance wheel remains almost optimal and the accuracy of timekeeping falls well within chronometer values.

The P.2004 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- Single-button chronograph- GMT 12/24 hours- Seconds reset- Rapid adjustment of local time
Technical specifications- Hand-wound- Power reserve 8 days- 321 components- 29 jewels- 13¾ lignes in diameter- 8.2 mm thick- Column wheel- Vertical clutch- Three spring barrels- Frequency of oscillation 4 Hz- KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device