One of the more interesting pieces for 2013 from Officine Panerai is
this Luminor Submersible Ceramic aka the PAM 508. This particular
Panerai is notable in that it is the first time the Luminor Submersible
watch has been executed in ceramic. I will now explore the piece, its ceramic case, and other salient details, including some high-res closeup, below.
Production of Panerai Ceramic
Upon closer inspection of the 47mm black ceramic case we see that it
has a fine sandblasted finish, resulting in the uniform matte appearance
of the case. The material, which is synthesized from zirconium oxide
powder (Zr02); to achieve the color, a pigment highly resistant to heat
is added during the production process.
A ratio of ~80% zirconia powder and 20% binding powder are warmed and
mixed slightly, then forced under extremely high pressure into the mold
that takes the form of the component being produced. While still soft,
components are further shaped and refined by turning, milling and
drilling. Then, over a period of about three days, the components are
heated to 1500C and then allowed to cool down; at this stage components
consist of 100% zirconia ceramic (binder has been removed via a chemical
process) and has a hardness of 1200HV, about about 5x that of stainless
steel. The hard ceramic is then workable, via diamond grinding, to its
final shape and sandblasted to a matte finish. In addition to its
hardness, the ceramic has additional desirable qualities such as light
weight, excellent resistance to scratches and corrosion.
Dial Embellishments
As for the various dial elements - lettering, date window and
Superluminova-coated hour markers, graduated bezel scale, and hands – we
see that they are executed in a single ecru color. This provides for a
nice and consistent contrast against the ceramic case.
Speaking of the bezel — it is likewise crafted in black ceramic and
has the graduated scale for calculating dive time immersion as is
standard for the Submersible line.
Caseback and Movement
Turning to the back of the watch, we see a continuance of the black
theme. The case back is crafted of titanium and coated in black. It
features the torpedo engraved in the middle. Underneath it all lies the
in-house hand-wound Panerai P.9000 caliber.
The P.9000 features a double barrel configuration and a bi-directional
winding rotor, working in tandem to a power reserve of three days (72
hours). Also of note is the convenient system for adjusting the hour
hand forward or backward in steps of one hour, at the same time also
changing the date.
Strap
The strap pairing fits the watch very nicely. It is crafted of black
leather, with a distressed finish. It has a trapezoidal black-titanium
pin buckle (not shown).
All said and done, the watch is distinguished by its matte black ceramic
case; in my view the choice is an excellent diversion in materials
while at the same time maintaining the purity of the Luminor Submersible
line. Though typically not a material for dive watches, I expect this
piece to be a hit with Paneristi and sell out quickly. As part of the
Panerai “Special Edition” series, production is limited — in this case
to 1,000 pieces. List price on the PAM 508 price 12,900 EUR (sorry but
I don’t have an official USD price at the moment).
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