5/20/2011

Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days 47mm Review


In this year's SIHH, we can clear know the trend of this year from the models was launched by various factory, one is simple and prctical. Though in the past few years, Swiss plants were chasing for the complex watches, in fact every brand value was built up on comsumer trust. Many fancy and easily broken super complex watch, will not improve the brand image, it is often short-lived, I think most of users can easily find out some failed cases. In the Geneva SIHH venue, I saw Panerai introduced P.3000 manual winding movement, meanwhile used on several special models, I think, Panerai has filled the final piece of the puzzle. In 2010 Panerai luanched P.999 manual winding movement I think so, as its size is slightly thinner and mini(diameter 27.4, thickness 3.4mm), thus cannot put the P.999 into the 44mm case diameter watch. In this way, are Panerai continue to push ETA 6497-2 as its subsidiary seconds main movement? But this problem soon solved by the relwased of P.3000 manual winding movement.


This year Panerai five new models all adopted the P.3000 movement, which show the factory's reliance on P.3000. This time we introduce PAM00372, this is the most easily start model among the five models. This Luminor 1950 3 Days 47mm watch, though belong to LUminor series, fans familiar with Panerai can find out the case shape is quite different with the general Luminor. In fact, Panerai factory in order to improve the waterproof performance of Radiomir case, Luminor case come into being. Luminor case added fastening rod crown guard, both protection of the crown and substantial increase the waterproof performance. What's more, it adopted large and straight lugs instead of welded Radiomir case's line lugs. In the following days Luminor watches gradually evolving into a modern masculine, thick case model. Thus the appearance of PAM 372, is the fist generation model of former luminor models, so you probably identify this model, combined with Radiomir iconic round cushion-shaped case lines, and Luminor crown guard and lugs design. Although this design of Panerai is still the frist time in recent years, it is also directly follows the design of prototypes watches.


PAM 372 not only is loyal to present the past case style, but also in other small details, still follow the original design. Plexiglas® glass face(thickness 3mm), it is the most frequently used material by various watch factories before the age of 1970. Because at that time sapphire cystal material hasn't been developed, but the general glass materials were so easy to break, thus Plexiglas® became the mainstream material. This kind of glass material has good flexibility, so will not so easily borken by impact, but the drawback is easy to scratch the surface if use for a long time. However, it can return to the original bright by polished. In addition, Panerai PAM 373, 376 and 379 also adopted this material. About the dial, still continue to use the traditional sandwich design, there are light brown luminous material between the upper and bottom layers, in dark place, can easily perfor this function. In addition, the word "Luminor Panerai" adopted the early font engraved on the dial instead of printed.


One big feature of this watch is used P.3000 manual winding movement. We can through the screw-down sapphire crystal case back appreciate the movement, the size is alarming, according to the original data, the diameter is 16¾ lignes, thickness 4.5mm almost the same. But the P.3000 movement has double hairspring boxes, power reserve to 72 hours, longer than the ETA 6497-2's 56 power reserve. You can know the excellent design by operating the crown, because first I think this movement has the same function of ETA 6497-2, but when pull out the crown to adjust time find out that, it has two function: one is quickly adjust short hour hand, the other is adjust time. One brand officer revealed, this movement will added with GMT function, become a full range of manual winding movement in the future.


Look at this movement carefully, we can find that the plate still similar to the previous style: like the ¾ plate design and use two plates one large and one small, covered most of the movement parts, then fixed by thick screws at the bottom plate, became a very strong structure. Further more, the movement surface adopted mattle-finish, the edge of every piece of plate has been chamfering processed. And Panerai special equipped rare large screws fine tunning balance wheel(13.2mm) for this movement,through its strong and power operation, provide accurate chrono results. The vibration frequency of balance wheel is 3Hz, Eequivalent to 21,600vph. there are four fine-tune screws around the balance wheel, via the turning screws to change the inertia of balance wheel, providing a more precise fine tuning speed effect, this is the future trends  design of top-end movement. From the new launched P.3000 movement, we can see Panerai put its efforts on this movement, and a very complete functional planning.

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