Since moving into its manufacturing plant in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Officine Panerai has taken its haute horlogerie to the next level through the development of in-house movements and employing high-performance materials.
The marriage of Italian heritage with Swiss watchmaking has resulted in exceptionally complex timepieces, such as Lo Scienziato Radiomir Tourbillon GMT Ceremica 48mm, which was one of the biggest surprises at SIHH 2010 due to its skeletonised beauty.
Lo Scienziato, Italian for The Scientist, refers to Galileo Galilei, who's regarded as "The Father of Modern Science". The model was one of the three timepieces honouring the Tuscan polymath on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his first celestial observations.
Beforehand, Panerai wasn't really into skeletonisation. Continuing the series, the openwork was executed on Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm presented at SIHH 2016.
The watch appealed not only because of the skeletonisation but also the light yet solid and robust 3D-printed titanium case made possible by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).
This year, Panerai has released a new version of Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm, boasting the same case construction, but redesigned with blue hands, flange and sewing on a black leather strap for a sportier appearance.
Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm.
Housed in the iconic case with a crown-protecting device, the timepiece definitely makes a statement on the wrist, without being a heavyweight despite its 47mm diameter. While titanium is already about 40% lighter than steel, the weight of the titanium case can be further reduced through the DMLS process, which builds up a 3D object layer by layer by means of a fibre optic laser using powdered titanium.
The successive layers -- each one only 0.02mm thick -- merge together and become completely solid, lower in weight and with an even surface.
This technology enables the creation of complex geometrical shapes, without compromising the case's water-resistance, solidity or resistance to tension or torsion.
Besides the ingenious minimalisation on the case, the lightness is due to the in-house manufactured hand-wound P.2005/T calibre, skeletonised with titanium bridges and plates; and the absence of a traditional dial.
Elements of the dial, such as the hour markers, are instead attached directly to the movement or the flange of the watch.
At 3 o'clock, a small dial indicates whether the central second time zone hand (GMT) refers to day or night. At 9 o'clock, a small seconds dial, inside which a small indicator rotates, reveals the tourbillion.
The rotation of the tourbillion cage differs from the normal arrangement by spinning on an axis, perpendicular rather than in parallel to that of the balance, while completing a rotation every 30 seconds instead of once a minute.
This compensates more precisely for the gravity effects on the escapement, thus achieving more precision.
The six-day power reserve is achieved by three spring barrels connected in series, and the remaining power is displayed by an indicator on the back of the movement, visible through a sapphire crystal porthole on the case back.
Both sides of the new Lo Scienziato reveal fascinating details of the mechanism, in showcasing Panerai's surpassing technical prowess.
