PANERAI Luminor 1950 3 Days TITANIO PAM00629

By TLex Excuse me while I wipe the slobber off my keyboard. Panerai have released two drool-worthy Special Editions of the Luminor 1950: the Luminor 1950 3 Days Titanio AKA PAM00617 and this gob smackingly gorgeous watch, PAM00629. 

The watches which are available in a limited series of 300 pieces of each were unveiled along with other Panerai novelties, earlier this week in Hong Kong at Watches & Wonders.



Shared specifications of the two models (which apart from their dials are identical to each other, include: a 47mm DLC-coated Titanium case recalling the Florentine company’s historical military models form the 1930s to 50s – 

such as those worn by Italian Navy commandos for whom the watches were originally created as part of their diving equipment for conducting underwater missions.



One special detail that distinguishes these two watches from other Luminor models, is the ‘’1950’’ that has been engraved on the lever of the trademark crown-locking device. ‘’1950’’ refers to the year that the iconic lever was developed to allow the watch worn by the Frogmen of the Italian Navy to be even tougher and more water-resistant.



A second detail and one that I absolutely love can be found on the dark brown leather strap with its contrasting stitching that has been stamped with the Officine Panerai logo. Damn, that’s hot!



The two new Luminor 1950 3 days Titanio DLC models differ from each other in the dial, which in both cases is protected by a rounded crystal. The PAM00629 has a black dial with a combination of Roman and Arabic numerals and graphic markers; this variant is known as the California dial and is much sought-after by collectors because it recalls the design of the first Panerai watch in history, the Radiomir of 1936.



The movement of the new Luminor 1950 is the P.3000 caliber, hand-wound with a power reserve of three days. The P.3000 caliber is 16½ lignes – a size typical of the vintage models – and it has a very sturdy, reliable structure, with a wide balance wheel 13.2 mm in diameter, firmly held in place by a transverse bridge.



Most of the wheelwork is covered by wide, brush-finished, chamfered bridges, a finish which gives the movement a sporty yet sophisticated appearance. 

Entirely designed and built by the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel, the caliber also has the device for quickly setting the time, enabling the hour hand to move in jumps of one hour at a time, without interfering with the movement of the minute hand or the running of the watch.