Jester introduces the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-TECH 3 Days Automatic (PAM00692), highlighting Panerai's 'Laboratorio di Idee' and its innovative use of BMG-TECH. This article explores the material's unique properties and how they enhance the watch's durability and aesthetic longevity, making it a significant release for collectors interested in material science in horology.
LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE 1950
BMG-TECH 3 DAYS AUTOMATIC – 47mm
A NEW WORLD PREVIEW FROM THE PANERAI LABORATORIO DI IDEE:
THE FIRST MECHANICAL WATCH CASE MADE OF BMG-TECH, A METALLIC GLASS WITH
EXCELLENT CHARACTERISTICS OF STRENGTH AND DURABILITY WHICH ENABLE IT TO
PRESERVE ITS APPEARANCE OVER TIME. PAM 692
The Panerai Laboratorio di Idee presents an invisible but
revolutionary innovation, resulting from its continuous
research into design and new materials: BMG-TECH. The
secret of this material, which has been used to make the
case of the new Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-TECH 3 Days Automatic, lies not so much in its appearance –
which is similar to that of titanium but darker grey in colour
– as in its atomic structure, which provides a range of very
useful qualities for an underwater watch: extreme resistance
to wear, high strength and great lightness.
BMG-TECH – the material of which the case, bezel,
winding crown and associated protection device are
made – is a metallic glass (Bulk Metallic Glass), that is a
material made from a special glass-like alloy in a way which
prevents crystallization, so that the atoms do not arrange
themselves in regular geometric structures. The alloy
(consisting of zirconium, copper, aluminium, titanium and
nickel) is subjected to a high-pressure injection process at
a high temperature and then to a cooling process lasting for
only a few seconds, so that the atoms do not have enough time to become arranged in an ordered, regular structure,
as normally happens in crystals. The “chaotic” structure of
the material is the secret of its properties – in particular,
its extreme corrosion resistance, its great robustness
and resistance to external shocks and its resistance to
magnetic fields – bringing further advantages to the owner
of a watch which also provides excellent performance while
preserving its appearance virtually unchanged over time.
The innovative properties of BMG-TECH provide
additional features for a model rich in technical content and
of unmistakable Panerai identity. An underwater instrument
with water-resistance guaranteed to 30 bar (a depth of
about 300 metres), the new watch has the bezel with a
graduated scale for calculating the time of immersion,
which rotates only anti-clockwise, the date window at 3
o’clock and the seconds counter at 9 o’clock. The clear
markers on the blue dial – which has a new polished finish
creating fascinating reflections – provide absolute ease of
reading and excellent visibility under all lighting conditions
and even in the dark, thanks to the use of two different
types of Super-LumiNova® on the markers, making it easy
to identify the reference points for reading the time and the
length of immersion.
The back of the new Luminor Submersible 1950 BMGTECH 3 Days Automatic (PAM00692) is made of
titanium and the strap is made of black rubber
Entirely developed and created by the Panerai Haute
Horlogerie Manufacture, the movement is the P.9010
automatic calibre with a power reserve of three days.
Consisting of 200 components and with 31 jewels, the
calibre is 13Âľ lignes in diameter and 6 mm thick, which
enables the thickness of the case to be reduced. The
balance is fixed by a bridge with twin supports and it
oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4
Hz). It is connected to a device which stops it as soon as
the winding crown is pulled out, so that the watch can
be synchronised with a reference time signal. In addition,
the hour can easily be adjusted without interfering with the
movement of the minute hand, by means of the device
which moves the hour hand on its own, in jumps of one
hour forward or backward. This function is very useful
when changing time zones or moving between summer
time and winter time, particularly since adjusting the time
automatically changes the date when necessary
