Once you are done admiring the green flange, and the green-rimmed subdials, which represent the small seconds and day/night indicators, it is hard to miss out on the green accented arc on the power reserve indicator of this new version of Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio, 47mm. These features are of course, new to this edition.
Panerai simply uses the abilities of laser printing to create a case for the watch, with materials that are lighter than traditional titanium. The new PAM 768 has a subtle design change, where we see the power reserve on the dial front, whereas in the last version it was placed at the caseback. The reason why I bring this feature up is because it showcases the fact that Panerai pumps in a 144-hour power reserve or 6 days.
Under the Dial
Let’s give credit to the three stacked mainspring barrels that allow the hand-wound P.2005/T Caliber to generate power reserve for 6 days. The movement is Panerai’s in-house patented tourbillion. Most of the movement’s components are crafted from titanium, thus lighter than the brass that is typically used.
Since the construction of the watch is open-worked, in many ways it makes the Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950, one of the lightest three-barrel, 47 mm tourbillons. To make the green flange, Panerai brings into play its proprietary carbon-based material, which is lighter than titanium, and of course, tougher than steel.
Making it different from the PAM 767, the PAM 768 comes with a sandblasted finish case. When it made its appearance in 2016, the Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm, the PAM 578, originated from Panerai’s Laboratorio di Idee or laboratory of ideas. After that we saw the PAM 767 in 2018 with a deep blue flange along with a strap with complimenting stitching to it.
About the 3D Printing
The PAM 767 was a complicated watch, but what stood out the most was the inclined tourbillon, GMT second time zone function and most importantly a case made using 3D printing.
We all know that most industries use 3D printing for prototyping, but for this watch Panerai has used something called direct metal laser sintering. In this process the case is printed layer by layer and uses a fiber optic laser with grade 5 titanium to do the job. This way, the case is 40% lighter than a conventional titanium case.
The case measures 47 mm and overall the style conforms to the Luminor collection. The Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm (PAM 768) is limited to only 150 watches that will retail at $149,900. Let’s call it $150,000 for good luck!
