Luminor Sub Chrono 1000M
Panerai presents the chronograph for the greatest depths
The vocation to confront problems arising from the professional use of its timepieces has persuaded Officine Panerai to devise new technical solutions in which profound knowledge in the field of watchmaking coexist with the application of the latest technological discoveries.
The Panerai Luminor Sub Chrono 1000M realises the full range of themes associated with underwater exploration, the watch being submitted to pressures encountered far beyond the depth of 100 metres that, according to the NIHS 92-11 standard concerning divers' watches, forms the minimum limit for belonging to this particular category.
Panerai challenges these parameters by moving forward towards the absolute: the Sub Chrono, with a case 47 millimetres in diameter, is in fact water-resistant to 1,000 metres, corresponding to a pressure of 100 atmospheres. This is a remarkable achievement for a mechanical chronometer, and its screw-down push-pieces are actually tested to significantly higher values.
The system of fixing the push-pieces is the first substantial difference that there is between the Luminor Sub Chrono and the other chronographs produced until now by Panerai, with locked push-pieces and water-resistance certified to a maximum of 100 metres (apart from the Luminor Chrono Tantalium which is guaranteed to 200 metres).
To be able to survive the pressure of 100 kilograms per square centimetre that is found at great depths, every component has been over-dimensioned and carefully protected: a typical example is the date corrector, set in the caseband at 10 o'clock and hermetically sealed to avoid anything which could result in any possibility of damage. Only by operating it with a suitable tool is it possible to remove the screw and adjust the date.
The case, crystal and seals pick up the heritage of the Panerai Submersible 1000M, from which the helium escape valve has also been transferred; this is a technical device which enables the watch to survive critical situations during the decompression stage following prolonged dives to the sea bed. The bezel is a new design, with applied numerals and markers, soldered in place and then polished to a mirror finish, while the system of seals is the most sophisticated and technological that currently exists.
On the dial, which is black, the luminous hour and minute hands are accompanied by the date in a little window (between 4 and 5 o'clock) and the chronograph information, indicated on the minute counter at 3 o'clock (graduated to 30 minutes) and the hour counter at 6 o'clock, while the small seconds dial is at 9 o'clock.
Inside its steel case, the Luminor Sub Chrono houses the OP XII calibre, an automatic chronograph movement with 27 jewels, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations/hour and supplied with the COSC chronometer certificate.