Destro. Left handed Panerai Luminor's look like a mirror image of the standard Panerai Luminor watche. The crown and clamp on the right side of the watch, and the seconds sub-dial is moved to the 3 o'clock position and the date display is transferred at the 9 o'clock position, when applicable. While seemingly made for, and actually ideal for left handers, these left handed Panerai's were not made for lefties, but they are design to be used on the right wrist. The left-handed Panerai's watches were originally designed to be worn on the right wrist, but not by left handers. Italian Navy divers would wear a depth gauge or compass on their left wrist, leaving only the right wrist available for a wristwatch. These left handed Panerai's are referred to as Destro's.
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| PAM 368 |
At SIHH 2010, Officine Panerai has unveiled two new Luminor Destro's, both Special Edition watches. The 1950 Luminor Left Handed 8 Days Titanio PAM00368 and 1950 Chrono Monopulsante Handed 8 Days Titanio PAM00345.
Titanio. As their name indicates both the PAM 368 and PAM 345 have cases made of Titanium. Titanium is a metallic element which is recognized for its high strength to weight ratio. It was discovered in 1791, by William Gregor. On the Periodic Table, Titanium is symbolized by Ti. Compared, to the most common material used in building watch casings, which is 316L grade stainless steel, commercial grade Titanium alloy has a higher tensile strength, is lighter more and more resistant to corrosion.
Titanium strong resistance to corrosion is due to its self healing properties which is explained by TIMET as follows:
Titanium metal's corrosion resistance is due to a stable, protective, strongly adherent oxide film. This film forms instantly when a fresh surface is exposed to air or moisture. The oxide film formed on titanium at room temperature immediately after a clean surface is exposed to air is 12-16 Angstroms thick. After 70 days it is about 50 Angstroms. It continues to grow slowly reaching a thickness of 80-90 Angstroms in 545 days and 250 Angstroms in four years. The film growth is accelerated under strongly oxidizing conditions, such as heating in air, anodic polarization in an electrolyte or exposure to oxidizing agents such as HNO3, C(R)O3, etc.
The composition of this film varies from TiO2 at the surface to Ti2O3, to TiO at the metal interface. Oxidizing conditions promote the formation of TiO2 so that in such environments the film is primarily TiO2. This film is transparent in its normal thin configuration and not detectable by visual means.
A study of the corrosion resistance of titanium is basically a study of the properties of the oxide film. The oxide film on titanium is very stable and is only attacked by a few substances, most notably, hydrofluoric acid. Titanium is capable of healing this film almost instantly in any environment where a trace of moisture or oxygen is present because of its strong affinity for oxygen.
The composition of this film varies from TiO2 at the surface to Ti2O3, to TiO at the metal interface. Oxidizing conditions promote the formation of TiO2 so that in such environments the film is primarily TiO2. This film is transparent in its normal thin configuration and not detectable by visual means.
A study of the corrosion resistance of titanium is basically a study of the properties of the oxide film. The oxide film on titanium is very stable and is only attacked by a few substances, most notably, hydrofluoric acid. Titanium is capable of healing this film almost instantly in any environment where a trace of moisture or oxygen is present because of its strong affinity for oxygen.
Titanium has roughly the same weight as aluminum and is 100% hypo allergic. The drawbacksto a Titanium watch case is that it has a dull gun metal finish, unlike stainless steel that can be either brushed or polished to different degrees. It is pretty hard to scratch, but if you do you cannot buff or polish out the scratch. In terms of cost, a Titanium watch will cost you a bit more than an identical one with a stainless steel case
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| PAM 368 |
Officine Panerai 1950 Luminor Left Handed 8 Days Titanio PAM00368. The PAM 368 is a large Luminor Marina watch with a 47mm 1950 case. The dial displays the hours, minutes and seconds and features the Panerai classic pancake dial. The brown dial blends nicely in with the brushed titanium finish and is a rather attractive combination.
Inside it a built-by-Panerai P2002/9 calibre which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour making the clicking of the second hand almost imperceptible. The P2002/9 calibre is a rather special calibre for Panerai, being a movement with an 8-day power reserve, the history of which harks back to watches it built for the Egyptian Navy in the 1950's with 8-day Angelus movements.
The dial is protected by a sapphire crystal glass, and a sapphire crystal case back allows you to view the movement. Water resistance is rated at 100 meters.
Production of this watch is limited to 1000 pieces.
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| PAM 345 |
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| PAM 345. The stopwatch functions are all controlled by the single button. |
With a flyback chronograph, you only have one button. To start and stop the counter you press the same button, and press the same button again to bring the seconds hand back to zero. It is useful in case you want to quickly restart the lap counter. Pressing the single button, and keeping it depress will stop the current timer, return the seconds hand to zero and restart the timer.
This functionality is brought by Panerai's in-house manufactured Paneria 2004/9 calibre.
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| PAM 345, note the power reserve indicator |
The PAM 368 is a standard Luminor watch with a 44mm 1950 case. The dial is protected by a sapphire crystal glass, and a sapphire crystal case back allows you to view the movement. Water resistance is also rated at 100 meters.
Production of this watch is limited to just 150 pieces.
About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.
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