5 Reasons You Will Love the Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233

5 Reasons You Will Love the Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233

Panerai reached a new threshold when the launched the Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233.  The reference PAM 233 comes with Panerai’s first in-house caliber, the P.2002.  This finally put Panerai on an even playing field with the greatest watchmakers in the world.  Although Panerai has a very long history of creating new milestones in horological history, the watchmaker leaned heavily on Rolex over the years to provide its watch assembly and even the in-house movement.  

Although many of these timepieces from the 1930s through the 1960s are highly prized and rare finds, the advent of the P.2002 and PAM 233 establish Panerai as a premier watchmaker with end-to-end precision and excellence. Here are the 5 reasons you will love the Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233

Reason 1: The Luminosity of the Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233 is Amazing. 

Panerai is one of the first watchmakers to add luminous markings to their timepieces.  In 1916 Panerai patented its luminescent application, it called Radiomir which was based on the newly discovered Radium.  Radium (discovered by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre in 1898) was widely used as a cure-all.  It was thought it created a healthy glow, and it was used to cure ear infections, tumors, and used as healthy baths. 

Only later was it discovered that Radium was actually dangerous.  Guido Panerai had the goal to create luminous diving equipment and he designed compasses, depth gauges, and other underwater devices.  Panerai began providing equipment for the Italian Navy and the early Radiomir plus Oyster water resistance cases provided the perfect tool watch for the navy frogmen.

However, soon radium was found to be causing all sorts of deformity and even death, even to Marie Curie herself.  Radium therefore became a banned substance for watches.  Panerai had to find another substance to replace Radiomir without the harmful radiation.  They developed a new product called Luminor which utilized a tritium-based paint.  This was utilized in all Panerai watches until 2009 when they switched to a new fluorescent substance called Luminova.

The Panerai Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233 has a sandwich dial which gives an incredible 3-Dimensional effect when the timepiece is illuminated.

Reason 2: The 44mm Case is Strong and Large

One of the things that famous actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone initially found attractive about Panerai was the large and powerful cases.  Both actors bulked up significantly for their roles and the large timepieces just fit much better on their wide wrists.  The ties to the Italian Navy also had a military appeal to it, which was entirely masculine.  Even Rolex has very few timepieces that reach the 44mm mark.  

The case is made with the anti-corrosive and hypoallergenic AISI 316L 1.4435 stainless steel.  This material is also resistant to extreme environmental conditions that the military operates under.

Reason 3: The Panerai Luminor 1950 has 8 Days of Power Reserve

It is very rare to find timepieces today with a power reserve that come close to 8 days.  In fact, Rolex timepieces, until recently, only supported 2 days of power reserve.  In the past few years, Rolex has extended their performance to a miniscule, by comparison, 3 days.  Yet, the Panerai still eclipses the power reserve performance of Rolex by 5 whole days – more than double the performance.  This is important to many watch owners who may want to wear a variety of timepieces in their collection.  Most owners don’t want to have to set their timepieces every time they wear it.  With the Panerai Luminor, they can go more than a week without having to set their time.

Panerai achieved the extended power reserve by introducing an innovative power train with three barrels.  The force of the spring provides consistent, accurate and optimized movement for the duration of the 8-day period.  

Reason 4: The Patented Crown Protector

The crown protector is unique to Panerai. Although many watchmakers have crown guards on either side of the winding crown, only Panerai developed the locking mechanism that will not only protect the crown, but also solidify the water resistance of the timepiece itself.  

Reason 5: The P.2002 is Panerai’s First In-House Caliber

In 2006, Panerai developed its first caliber in-house and it is an amazing achievement.   The Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233 is powered by the P.2002 hand-wound mechanical caliber.  It has 8 days of power reserve.  It boasts a Glucydur® balance, which beats at 28,800 alternations/hour and a KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device.  

Built with 21 jewels and 247 components, the P.2002 brings an amazing assortment of features to the watch owner.  It features Hours, Minutes, Small Seconds, and a Date aperture.  If that was not enough, it also features a full GMT second time zone feature set at the 9 o’clock position and a Power Reserve Indicator at the 6 o’clock position.  It also has a Seconds reset function.  

Bonus Reasons You will Love the Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233

The black dial and polished steel bezel give the PAM00233 an almost dress watch appeal to it.  Panerai even affixed a black leather band to it with tang buckle, to dress up the timepiece even further will increasing the comfort fit.  However, Panerai kicked it up a notch when it added a quick-release function to the strap, allowing the Paneristi a quick-change capability if they want to swap the band for another color or even a rubberized band.

This timepiece can still support 330 feet of water resistance and has extreme visibility in both day and night.  The see-through sapphire crystal gives the watch a scratch resistance found on luxury timepieces and the steel case provides exceptional protection against dings and wear.   

Rubber B has developed an impressive 4 lines of bands that fit the Luminor 1950 8 Days GMT PAM 233.  The Solid Series is the Rubber B patented “Blocked Integration” series which has a tight fitting band to the Panerai case.  Rubber B has 6 luxury colors to choose from in this series.  

The Swimskin Alligator series pictured above has the look and feel of real genuine alligator hide, but is actually 100% rubber, making it waterproof for all aquatic activities.  Swimskin Alligator comes in both expresso and jet black.  

The Swimskin Ballistic series has a Kevlar look to it, but is also 100% pure vulcanized rubber.  It has the toughness and texture you would expect a rubber band to have, while maintaining a comfortable fit.  Rubber B offers both a military green and a jet black option in Ballistic.

The Vulchromantic Series is similar in design to the Solid Series.  It, too, employs the “Blocked Integration” of the Solid series, but adds a complimentary stripe down the side, also in pure rubber.  

Rubber B manufactures all of its bands in Switzerland with the highest specifications, made with no coatings, blends, or bonding.  Although these bands come with a 316L Stainless Steel Tang Buckle, the original Panerai tang Buckle fits perfectly onto these straps.  

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