I don't get it at all about Panerai and power reserve indicators

I love Panerai and its watches but I always have one problem with some of their releases.  Their watches are nice but sometimes lack in execution of certain features.

Take their latest release for instance

Panerai has just released their newest movement the P5000.  It is a manual winding movement with 8 days power reserve.  The 510 and 511 are the models which feature this new movement.  The 510 is in stainless steel and the 511 is in rose gold.  It has been known for sometime but finally released to the general public.

The thing I don't understand is why a Power Reserve indicator was not included.  A power reserve indicator is useful especially for a 8 days movement because it gives the wearer an indication of when the watch needs to be wound again.

Panerai have gone down this road previous with the limited edition 339.  It can be argued no PR indicator was included because it had a cool composite case and it would ruin the aesthetic beauty of the watch overall.

Time will tell if a P5001 movement will be released just like P3001 movement which has a PR indicator on the back.

Update on things

Have been busy with Uni assignments and exams which are finally done for the semester.  Still waiting on my Bronzo.  The waiting game continues with that.

I didn't post on my blog that I dropped my Panerai 8 feet down the stairs and screwed the movement.  Luckily that was the end of the problems and it got sent off for repair.  Its fixed and I need to collect it.  It has been missed and I am looking forward to getting it back on my wrist.

Panerai SIHH 2013: PAM 512 Luminor 1940 42mm

For a person with a small wrist, a 44mm PAM is the most my wrist can take without looking completely silly.

The 512 at 42mm in the eyes of purists it should be its historic 47mm.  It utilises the 1940's style Panerai case.  I like it for its smaller size and will definitely consider adding it to my collection.

 

MOVEMENT

Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.999/1 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 12 lignes, 3 mm thick, 19 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 60 hours. 144 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds.

CASE

Diameter 42 mm, AISI 316L polished steel. Screw-down winding crown personalised OP.

BEZEL

Polished steel.

BACK

See-through sapphire crystal.

DIAL

Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. Seconds at 9 o’clock.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 1.6 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

10 bar (~ 100 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalised alligator strap and trapezoidal polished steel buckle.

* The trademark Velcro® and Coramid® are not property of Officine Panerai.

Panerai SIHH 2013: LUMINOR 1950 REGATTA 3 DAYS CHRONO FLYBACK TITANIO PAM 526

This is an interesting new release from Panerai.  The PAM 526 utilises a new movement from Panerai with a Regatta function built onto it called the P.9100/R.

It is designed for the use in sailing races.

The orange push-button at four o’clock moves the central orange chronograph minute hand back one minute at a time, until it is at the correct position in relation to the length of the countdown.  On starting the chronograph,by pushing the chronograph stop/start button at ten o’clock, the relative hands begin to move, indicating first the minutes and seconds remaining until the start, and then, when the countdown has finished, the time elapsed since the start of the race. The push-button at eight o’clock ends the time measurement, returning allthe chronograph hands to zero.  Alternatively, if it is operated while the hands are still moving, it activates the return-to-zero (flyback) function, thus enabling a new time interval to be measured immediately without operating the stop and reset buttons.

 

MOVEMENT

Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9100/R calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾ lignes, 9.55 mm thick, 37 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 328 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds, flyback chronograph, regatta countdown, knots scale for calculation of boat speed, seconds reset.

CASE

Diameter 47 mm, brushed titanium. Engraved brushed titanium buttons for the chronograph functions at 10 o’clock and 8 o’clock. Brushed button and orange surface for the regatta function at 4 o’clock.

BEZEL

Polished titanium.

BACK

See-through sapphire crystal.

DEVICE PROTECTING THE CROWN

(protected as trademark) Brushed titanium.

DIAL

Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. Chronograph hour counter at 3 o' clock, seconds at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds and minutes hands.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 1.6 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

10 bar (~ 100 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalised rubber strap and trapezoidal brushed titanium buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap, a tool for changing the strap and a steel screwdriver.

* The trademark Velcro® and Coramid® are not property of Officine Panerai

Panerai Special Edition 2013: PAM 446 Ceramica

For the pocket watch lovers out there is now the  Pocket Watch Tourbillon  GMT Ceramica.  It features a Tourbillon, 2nd Timezone function with 24hr indicator and Power Reserve indicator on the back.

Exclusive Special Edition created in only 50 units.

MOVEMENT

Skeleton hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.2005/S calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16¼ lignes, 10.05 mm thick, 31 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 6 days, three barrels. 277 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds, second time zone, 24h indicator, power reserve indicator on the back, tourbillon.

CASE

Diameter 59 mm, black ceramic.

BEZEL

Black ceramic.

BACK

See-through sapphire crystal.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 2 mm thick. Double anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

3 bar (~ 30 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalized watch chain in black ceramic.

* The trademark Velcro® and Coramid® are not property of Officine Panerai.

Paneri Special Edition 2013: PAM 508 CERAMICA

The next model is the PAM 508 CERAMICA.  It is a Submersible with a completely Ceramic case.  It does have a Titanium caseback though.  It does look quite good and the vintage look lume works well in contrast with the black.

Unique edition of 1000 units

MOVEMENT

Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾  lignes, 7.9 mm thick, 28 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 197 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time.

CASE

Diameter 47 mm, black ceramic.

BEZEL

Black ceramic anti-clockwise unidirectional rotating bezel with graduated scale for calculating the time of immersion and ratchet click at minute intervals.

BACK

Screw, titanium with special hard black coating.

DEVICE PROTECTING THE CROWN

(protected as a trademark) Black ceramic.

DIAL

Black with applied luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 4 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

30 bar (~ 300 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalised leather strap and trapezoidal titanium buckle with special hard black coating. Supplied with a

Panerai Special Edition 2013: PAM 507

The next special edition is the PAM 507.  This is another Bronze model after first one the 382.  This new model utilises the P.9002 movement with the power reserve showing on the dial.  Personally I prefer the 382 since the dial is a lot clearer.

Unique edition of 500 units

MOVEMENT

Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9002 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾  lignes, 7.9 mm thick, 29 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 237 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, seconds reset, power reserve indicator, calculation of immersion time.

CASE

Diameter 47 mm, brushed bronze.

BEZEL

Brushed bronze with polished edges, anti-clockwise unidirectional rotating bezel with graduated scale for calculating the time of immersion and ratchet click at minute intervals.

BACK

Brushed titanium with see-through sapphire crystal.

DEVICE PROTECTING THE CROWN

(protected as a trademark) Brushed bronze.

DIAL

Green with applied luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock, power reserve indicator at 5 o’ clock.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 2.9 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

30 bar (~ 300 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalised leather strap and trapezoidal brushed titanium buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable

Panerai Special Edition 2013: PAM 364

Panerai have releases their special editions for 2013.

First up is the PAM 364.  This is a re edition of the PAM 285 "Subzilla".  The 364 now has the in house P9000 movement.

Unique edition of 500 units

MOVEMENT

Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾  lignes, 7.9 mm thick, 28 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 197 components.

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time.

CASE

Diameter 47 mm, brushed titanium. Polished titanium helium valve.

BEZEL

Brushed titanium with polished edges, anti-clockwise unidirectional rotating bezel with graduated scale for calculating the time of immersion and ratchet click at minute intervals.

BACK

Screw, brushed titanium.

DEVICE PROTECTING THE CROWN

(protected as a trademark) Brushed titanium.

DIAL

Black with applied luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock.

CRYSTAL

Sapphire, made of corundum, 5.9 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

WATER-RESISTANCE

250 bar (~ 2500 metres).

STRAP

PANERAI personalised rubber strap and trapezoidal brushed titanium buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable

The Power of the Light

I took this shot last night.  It made think about technology and how it has progressed.  My Panerai is sitting atop of my Wireless Modem.

Who would have thought back in the 90's we would be able to access the internet on our computers without any wires attached.

As for the Panerai, its method of illumination has also evolved over the years.  At first the method used was a mixture of radium and paint which allowed the dial to glow in low lit condition.  Only problem was Radium is highly radioactive.  Case in point is the famous "Radium Girls".

 

After this Tritium was used by many watch companies as it was less radioactive but still provided adequate lumination.    The standard now used is Super Luminova.  It is photoluminescent pigments that are charged up by sun light and release the charge in low lit conditions.

Videos from Panerai

Panerai is among a few brands who have undertaken a complete overhaul of their website to make it more streamlined with use of flash menu's and new design.

They have posted new videos on their YouTube channel to give you an insight into how their watches are made.

They make for interesting viewing.

Perfect Strap for Summer and countries with humid weather

What is the best strap for summer?

A Nato Strap!

A Nato strap is essentially a nylon strap that is threaded through the spring bars of your watch.  One advantage of a Nato strap is that if a springbar fails, the watch will not fall to the floor.

The best thing about the strap is that in the summer months, or for countries with humid weather it is a great looking strap and can easily be cleaned.

I just picked up a Olive Green Nato Strap for my Panerai and couldn't be happier!

When I have a spare moment

I like to take photos of my watches.  There is something about them that makes me happy and just spending time taking photos of them is a nice way to indulge myself in a hobby which some find plain strange.

My Panerai PAM 320 with a Adidas Vespa Bag

Rolex Milgauss GV bathing in the sunlight

One great feature of a Panerai is

Its Luminosity!

PAM in the middle.  On the left a Tag Heuer Monaco and on the right a Ball Engineer Master II Classic

A couple of shots of my only Panerai

This is my only Panerai that I own a 320 GMT.  I first discovered Panerai after trying to look for my first Chronograph.  I liked the look of their white faced Daylight but got the opportunity to get a SS Rolex Daytona without having to wait.

After seeing pictures in Revolution, it sparked my interest again and I obtained my 320 last year.  One of the most comfortable watches I have and I love the shape of the unique case and its "Sandwich Dial".  Everytime I look at the time the watch makes me smile.

I would love to add more PAMS to my collection in the future and my next one shall be a Radiomir.