Panerai Luminor 1950 Instructions Manual page 12

THE PANERAI LUMINOR 1950
TOURBILLON GMT CERAMICA WATCH
The Panerai Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica watch is equipped with
the Panerai P.2005/B manufacture calibre. This movement has a tourbillon
escapement, the greatest technical expression of mechanical horology: a
complication notable for the difficulty of its construction.
The special feature of the regulating organ developed by Panerai lies in the fact
that the Tourbillon cage rotates on an axis at right angles to the axis of the
balance wheel and that it makes two rotations per minute: this rotation ensures
greater accuracy, providing the best compensation for the irregular rate
caused by the effect of the force of gravity. The fascinating motion of the
tourbillon (G) can be admired from the back of the watch, while on the dial side
at 9 o'clock there is an original indicator (D), consisting of a series of dot
markers, which travels twice as quickly as the seconds hand because it moves
at the speed of the tourbillon cage.
(G)
TOURBILLON MOTION
20
T
HE HISTORY OF TOURBILLON
The Tourbillon is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating inventions in
mechanics applied to watchmaking. Its birth is to be attributed to Abraham-
Louis Breguet, who designed it in 1795 and patented it in 1801.
This device was invented with the purpose of eliminating errors in rate (that is,
faster or slower deviations in the indication of time) caused by changes in the
effect of gravity on the balance, imperfections of workmanship, thickening of
lubricating oil and the consequent varying friction in the different positions of
the watch. To make it, Breguet constructed a cage containing the balance,
escapement and relative pivots which itself rotates continuously. In this way
any variation in rate which may occur when the balance is located in a
particular position will be cancelled out when the balance is in the opposite
position. For over two centuries the tourbillon has been synonymous with
extreme constructional difficulty, demanding the greatest precision in
manufacture, and for only a few years has it been used in wristwatches which
are inevitably of the highest quality. The tourbillon escapement has fascinated
generations of enthusiasts and it has always been recognised as a substantial
technical challenge. Officine Panerai has taken up this challenge and it has
even managed to make innovations in a horological speciality which has been
substantially unchanged since it was first invented.
T
HE CASE
The Panerai Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica watch has a case of
48 mm made of black ceramic.
The ceramic used by Officine Panerai is a special synthetic ceramic made by
a complex series of working and finishing processes on zirconium oxide
powder. In this way all the positive features of this material are enhanced: its
extreme hardness (up to five times greater than steel), its strong resistance to
a wide range of temperatures, and the fact that when worn for long periods
the watch does not become scratched, damaged or corroded.
21