Panerai Luminor 1950 submersible depth gauge for the pangaea expedition
With the Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge Officine model Panerai marks its historic continuity and reaffirms its great traditions in the field of professional precision measuring instruments. The first professional divers’ watches in history were created by Panerai and supplied to the commandos of the Italian Navy in the first half of the 20th century. Panerai also made the depth gauges which these pioneers wore on their wrists. Today these two indispensable measuring devices have been combined in a single instrument: the Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge. This new model from the Officine Panerai manufacture is an underwater watch with automatic winding and a chronometer certificate (C.O.S.C.) It is fitted with a depth gauge, the measurement accuracy of which has been individually tested and certified by the officially qualified body METAS (the Federal Office of Metrology based in Berne, Switzerland). Officine Panerai was keen for this watch to have this certification, being well aware of the fact that malfunctioning of the depth gauge or the display of inaccurate measurements could result in dangerous situations for the divers. The Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge is officially recognised as a professional instrument.
With the unmistakable case of the Luminor models, milled from a solid block and distinguished by the bridge with the lever device protecting the winding crown, the Depth Gauge is water-resistant to 120 metres. It is 47 mm in diameter like the historic models and is executed in titanium, a hypo-allergenic metal that is extremely resistant and at the same time very light; in contrast, the depth gauge push-piece and the bridge protecting the winding crown are in brushed steel.
Unlike the historic wrist depth gauges used by the Italian Navy, which were usable to a depth of 30 metres, the innovative Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge measures depths to 120 metres, and it also memorises the greatest depth encountered in the course of the dive. This is achieved by a sophisticated electronic device, an independent instrument fitted inside the case of the watch. A wholly mechanical depth gauge was not selected since the technology available would not have satisfied the standards of safety and accuracy required by Panerai for a professional instrument. A ‘third way’ has therefore been chosen, with a mechanical movement measuring time and an electronic module measuring depth. Depth measurement is activated by pressing the push-piece at 10 o’clock and the depth is displayed by a central yellow hand with an arrow head moving over the graduated scale.
Before the dive, the Depth gauge function is started by pressing the push-piece; as soon as this is done, the hand moves from the Off position and indicates the maximum depth reached in the previous dive. Next the push-piece is pressed a second time for six seconds, the hand moves to zero and the device is activated. Then, as the dive proceeds, measurements are taken every 1.25 seconds with a tolerance of a maximum of 20 cm and the hand indicates the depth reached. During the dive the maximum depth reached can be checked simply by pressing the push-piece; after six seconds the hand returns to indicating the current depth of the instrument at that particular moment. Measurements can be taken for a maximum of four hours (the average duration of a dive is 45 minutes), after which the hand repositions itself automatically at the Off position.
The depth gauge is powered by a lithium battery, guaranteed to supply energy to the electronic module for 500 hours. For even greater safety, the Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge incorporates a device which gives a warning if the battery is nearly exhausted. In this situation, the hand, when it is activated, moves very slowly from the Off position towards zero, then returns equally slowly to the Off position and all the functions of the depth gauge are locked. To ensure safety at sea it is therefore essential to have the watched checked by an Officine Panerai after-sales service department at least every two years, or more frequently if the depth gauge is intensively used.
The Luminor 1950 Submersible Depth Gauge this year will be created in a millesimed edition of 600 units (the selling price being 11,000 euros). It is completed by two personalised straps, one of rubber with the traditional large-size buckle made of brushed steel, personalised with the logo of the Officine Panerai Manufacture, and the other, a spare one for wearing over a diving suit (supplied with the screwdriver for changing the strap).
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, exclusive Panerai OP XV calibre, 13¼ lignes, 21 jewels, monometallic balance in Glucydur®, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 42 hours. Côtes de Genève decoration on the bridges. Oscillating weight personalised PANERAI. Chronometer Certificate (C.O.S.C.). Depth gauge module with individual certificate issued by METAS (the Federal Office of Metrology based in Berne, Switzerland).
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds. Depth gauge functions: indication of maximum depth reached during the previous dive, indication of depth during the dive.
Case: Diameter 47 mm, in titanium. Push-piece in brushed steel at 10 o’clock for the depth gauge functions.
Bezel: In brushed steel, unidirectional anti-clockwise rotating bezel with a scale graduated for calculating the time of immersion, one click every minute. Applied polished steel markers.
Back: Screw back, in titanium.
Device protecting the winding crown (protected by Trade Mark): In brushed steel.
Dial: Blue with luminous markers and Arabic figures.
Crystal: Sapphire, made from corundum, 3 mm thick. Anti-reflective.
Water-resistance: 120 metres.
Strap: Strap in rubber and large-size brushed steel buckle personalised PANERAI. Supplied with a steel screwdriver and a second changeable strap for wearing over a diving suit.
