Perfecting
Panerai
Officine Panerai Rolls
Out the New P.9000 Movement in Style
While the brand was long well-known for its distinctive design and superior technology for marine watches in particular, it might surprise many that the creation of a purely in-house movement by Panerai is a relatively new endeavour. In 2005, the brand made its first foray into machine-making with the P.2002 movement. Since then, efforts have been multiplied and many advancements
have been seen in Panerai’s production capabilities.
In 2009, Panerai is marking another milestone with the creation of the P.9000, P.9001 and P.9002 movements to power a whole new series of Luminor 1950 watches. While the learning curve has been short, the differences and advancements made over these few short years have been quite remarkable and will surely provide a big bang for Paneristis the world over. Each of the new calibres are created with a 13 3/4 ligne diameter and provide a double-barrelled movement with 72-hours power reserve.
A sophisticated ratchet device attached to the balance wheel allows the rotor to power the movement in either direction and makes the new movements technically superior. Similarly, the date display and stop second mechanism allows for adjustment of the hands to follow an external time signal. The P.9000, 9001 and 9002 are all fitted into the latest Luminor 1950 cases as part of the Manifattura collection.
Calibre P.9000
The 195-component P.9000 movement has been fitted for the new Luminor 1950 Marina and the Luminor 1950 Submersible, two classic collection pieces of Panerai. The Luminor 1950 pieces are distinguished by their 44mm steel case, black sandwich dial and small seconds subdial at nine o’clock. Both cases are water-resistant to 300 metres and are offered with either a leather strap or steel bracelet. In addition, the P.9000 has been fitted to the Luminor 1950 Submersible. This classic collection piece offers a larger 47mm diameter case with water resistance to 300 metres and is built using titanium for a lighter piece that is perfect for underwater
Beyond the P.9000
Aside from the P.9000, Panerai has also developed a new Calibre P.9001 with a GMT function. This new function utilizes a 12-hour reading at nine o’clock, a second reset function that formerly was used for synchronisation and a power reserve indicator that can be read in the back of the case, a design feature that has been a hallmark of many Panerai pieces over the years.
The P.9001 has been fitted to two references of the Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic version. Available in either an attractive alligator leather strap or steel bracelet reference with a 44mm case, these watches offer a level of sophistication to the wearer. At the same time, simple design functions such as the black sandwich dial have been maintained. The final movement for 2009 is the 236-component P.9002 movement with power reserve indicator on the dial of the watch for greater readability.
This movement is featured in a single reference of the Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic. Available with an improved alligator leather strap, this is a sophisticated yet classical version of a Panerai staple. All told, these three new movements represent yet another step in the continuing development of Panerai’s burgeoning machine-making operations.But clearly, each new movement has stayed to the tried and true formula of what makes Panerai great, simplicity and elegance combined in a masculine form.
