The Florentine watch brand Panerai presents a new ‘Luminor’, which takes several of the characteristic Panerai ingredients – the California Dial, the titanium case coated in DLC and the hand-wound mechanical movement with a power reserve of eight days– and combines them with a new cuff strap of supple natural leather. The look of the new Luminor California 8 Days DLC (Ref. PAM00779) is strong and masculine.
The case of the Luminor California 8 Days DLC has 44 mm in diameter and is made of titanium coated with DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon), an even carbon-based layer which gives the metal a uniform appearance, with a matt anthracite finish and great hardness, resistant to scratches and corrosion. The bridge lever device which protects the winding crown is also coated in DLC and it contributes to the watch’s high degree of water-resistance: 30 bar, a depth of about 300 metres.
Panerai Luminor California 8 Days DLC Ref. PAM00779
The case houses a simple black California dial with a combination of graphic markers with Roman and Arabic numerals, which was used by Panerai on some of its earliest dials. The hour and minute hands of the sporty charactered watch have been oxidized at a controlled temperature (290-300 °C) to achieve a particular metallic blue colour, which as well is a feature of some historic Panerai models.
The strap of untreated leather combines strength with a soft, natural effect to the touch and to the eye. Its varied patina, modified by use and the passage of time, makes each example unique. It can be worn in its basic version or as a cuff strap, using the accessory supplied, originally designed for military use, which prevents the back of the watch coming into contact with the skin. Both the strap and the cuff strap are personalised with contrasting beige stitching and the heat stamped OP logo, and they are fitted with a DLC-coated buckle. A black rubber strap is also included in the box.
Panerai Luminor California 8 Days DLC Ref. PAM00779
The Luminor California 8 Days DLC (PAM00779) uses the hand-wound P.5000 calibre, a movement developed and produced in the Manufacture in Neuchâtel with a power reserve of eight days, inspired by some of the historic watches created by Panerai for the frogmen of Italian Navy. It is 153⁄4 lignes in diameter and 4.5 mm thick, solidly constructed and fitted with a large brush-finished plate with diamond polished chamfering. This almost completely conceals the wheelwork, while revealing the balance which oscillates at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour. The long power reserve is achieved by two spring barrels connected in series.
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