In the run up to SIHH 2015, Panerai has revealed the, take a deep breath now, Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Ceramica. The timepiece contains many elements that have made Panerai the iconic brand that it is today, with several less usual ones that add a sense of novelty.
As its name suggests, this new watch (PAM580) is a flyback chronograph, which allows consecutive events to be recorded without any lag time spent on stopping, resetting, and restarting the chronograph. Panerai has chosen a less common layout with both the chronograph second and minute totalizers in the centre, a la the Lemania 5100 movement. In lieu of differentiating the hands with different shapes, however, Panerai has opted to colour code them instead. The second totalizer is blue, while the minute totalizer is a rhodium-plated silvery grey. By moving the latter to the middle, the legibility of the watch is greatly improved, and its user can read off the elapsed time instinctively, just like how he would the minute hand.
PAM580 is driven by Panerai’s Calibre P.9100, the first self-winding chronograph calibre completely developed and produced in-house by the manufacture. Besides its flyback function, the movement has several features that elevate it above a “basic” chronograph movement. For one, its winding mechanism is bi-directional for greater efficiency, since the rotor will wind the mainspring whichever way it pivots. The chronograph itself is actuated by a column wheel and vertically coupled, which confers a smoother pusher action and less power loss from the main gear train.
Of course, the improvements and new developments above are grounded in classic Panerai styling, beginning with the Luminor 1950 case with the brand’s signature crown protector. The case is executed here in ceramic, which Panerai is no stranger to, for greater scratch resistance than steel, at a lighter weight. PAM580 also comes with a sandwich dial, with indices cut out from the upper dial to reveal the Super-LumiNova coated lower dial.
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