Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Panerai - PAM300 Mare Nostrum

Maybe it’s because I just bought a Panerai or maybe it’s because I recently visited the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret. This Weekly Watch Photo shows the Panerai PAM300 Mare Nostrum featuring a re-worked Minerva movement, originally produced in the Manufacture in Villeret.
Martin Wilmsen made the Weekly Watch Photo, which shows Panerai caliber OP XXV. This is the movement of the immense Panerai PAM300 Mare Nostrum, that measures 52 mm in diameter


























Panerai OP XXV is a hand-wound mechanical movement, measuring 12¾ lignes (or 28¾ mm). The base movement is developed and produced by Minerva, now-a-days owned by Montblanc, and is a vintage caliber 13-20. It has 22 jewels, a monometallic Glucydur balance that vibrates with 18,000 v/h. The movement features an Incabloc anti-shock device, a swan’s neck regulator and has 55 hours of power reserve.
Panerai dismantled, refinished, and modified the vintage Minerva movement to meet its technical and quality standards. The movement looks absolutely gorgeous and seems to be finished manually, because we can see the beveled sides of teh levers and bridges. The bridges are also finished with Côtes de Genève decorations.
The original Mare Nostrum had an Angelus movement, however since it had a closed case-back the movement was not visible. A re-issue of the Mare Nostrum, released as Special Edition PAM300, was long awaited by by Panerai collectors and it was widely praised when it was presented at the SIHH 2010.
The PAM300 is made to the same specifications of the original Mare Nostrum, meaning the case shape and size (52 mm in diameter) are the same as the WWII original and even the dial looks very similar. Although it is probably a very desirable collector’s item, we don’t think many people will wear the watch due to its size. We also don’t know how the depth rating of only 30 meters, compares to the original Mare Nostrum that was designed for deck officers in the Italian Navy during WW-II.
 A big thanx to Martin Wilmsen for letting us use his photos again! These photos where also used in a post on his blog called Wristwatch Photo.

Parmigiani - Tonda Transforma Chronograph


Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Transforma Chronograph

Parmigiani Fleurier presents a new watch, or is it a new pocket watch… or maybe a desk-clock? The new Tonda Transforma Chronograph is all of the above! 
The idea is very cool, during the day you’re wearing your wrist watch. Late at night you take it out of it’s holder and insert it into a holder made of macassar (ebony wood) and it becomes your table or nightstand clock. Fancy to wear a pocket watch on a chain? That’s possible as well with the

Parmigiani Tonda Transforma Chronograph.

Inside ticks the same movement as in the Kalpagraph and in the Pershing Chronograph, calibre PF 334, an in-house developed and produced chronograph caliber with automatic winding. Calibre PF 334 has a power reserve of 55 hours. Besides the chronograph, it also has a date function that is visible in a large aperture at the 6 o’clock position.


























The two chronograph function is visible on the raised graphite-colored hour and minute counters (30 minutes and 12 hours), which are positioned at the 9 and 6 o’clock position. The silvered dial features a Côtes de Genève decoration, that is applied in Parmigiani’s own workshops. On the outside of the dial, is a relatively wide ring with tachymeter scale.


The actual watch is fitted inside a steel holder, that can be opened by simply pressing the two lateral push-pieces on the two lower lugs. By pushing the push-pieces the jaw-like holder opens up and the actual watch can be taken out. That can be clipped into the rounded steel fob watch holder, that also provides access to the chronograph pushers as well as the crown (for winding and setting). The steel fob watch holder can be extended by a steel chain, so that the Transforma becomes one of the classics of the watchmaking world.

A third way of enjoying the Parmigiani Tonda Transforma is to place it in a table clock holder made from macassar wood. Once the timepiece is positioned, the rotating presentation case starts up the winding mechanism automatically. At the end of the process, the table clock places the Transforma in a vertical position to make the time readable. Three small compartments on the side have been designed to hold the fob watch and its chain, the warranty card or any other Transforma components.

The steel Transforma is equipped with an Hermès alligator leather strap with deployant buckle and is available for € 24,500 Euro (including tax/VAT).

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