Panerai has once again updated its range of watches designed especially for left-handed people. Not adding anything new in style, the recently presented Luminor 1950 Destro 8 Days Titanio Special Edition (PAM 368) certainly adds something in flesh.
Scientists tell us that there is a great number of left-handed people. At least 1/10th of the global population tends to write with their left hand.
In fact, you don’t need to be a left-handed person to wear a watch on your right wrist. Just look at Mr. Putin.
Although Mr. Putin is reportedly in love with Blancpain, it is Panerai that sells several models for the left-handers.
Of course, the reason for offering this sort of design may also have something to do with its enormous crown-guard contraption that protrudes a whole centimeter from the side of the body.
For some people, especially those who prefer to wear their watches on loosely buckled straps or bracelets, this minor inconvenience may become a source of massive discomfort in certain scenarios. Perhaps a right-handed person getting a left-handed version of the Luminor collection is not as extravagant or eccentric as he or she may look at first sight.
One of their new offerings for this niche is the Luminor 1950 Destro 8 Days Titanio (PAM 368.)
The Case
Its huge (huge by choice, right) 47 mm cushion-shaped case and the signature crown guard are made of brushed titanium, while the round bezel is done in polished titanium making the timekeeper look even more salient. The brushing strokes, by the way, are not too fine: they are just prominent enough to give this luxury timekeeper a rugged, tool-like appearance: something that a great deal of Paneristi loves so much.
As usual, the Italian brand partially compensates for the excessive width of its timepiece with extremely short lugs that make the PAM 368 as comfortable to wear as a sub-45 mm watch equipped with normal horns. While the case is still massive making it troublesome to wear it with formal attire, at least it is just wide enough to completely cover the width of an average wrist without overlapping its natural borders.
The Mechanism
Powered by their in-house Panerai P.2002/9 manual-wind movement with three high-speed spring barrels, the ref. 368 sports an impressive power reserve of 192 hours (8 days.)
Featuring their traditional spartanly minimalistic, yet ‘reassuringly expensive’ finish, the movement is fully visible through a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The Dial
I may have already said this a couple of times in other my reviews, but I can’t help to reiterate just one more time that, while I find the general styling of Panerai watches wonderful (the way their cushion-shaped cases are sculpted, as well as the legibility of their dials, are close to ideal,) I hate the fact that most of them look like they are identical twins that were dressed in different pants and jackets for their parents to easier distinguish one from another. Sometimes I even feel something close to compassion for the poor fellows working at Panerai boutiques.
Well, the dial.
The dial features the usual sandwich-style design with an external brown plate featuring numerous slots shaped like sticks and Arabic numerals and allowing the thick layer of greenish Superluminova applied to the bottom plate to shine at you at night making reading time even in the worst lighting conditions as easy as it can get when you are talking about a watch that doesn’t have an electronic backlighting system.
Panerai plans to limit the timekeeper’s production to 1000 pieces. While not helping the gadget to become more “collectible” the decision may help them to move the Destro 8 Days Titanio faster playing on their customers’ insecurities.
See also: Panerai Radiomir 8 Days in Titanium (PAM346)
Photos: Panerai
Panerai Luminor 1950 Destro 8 Days Titanio (PAM 368) specification
Price: $17,100 (MSRP)
Movement: Hand-wound, Panerai caliber P.2002/9, 23 jewels, 31.02 mm in diameter, 8.20 mm in height, 246 parts, in-house, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
Power reserve: 192 hours (8 days)
Case: Brushed titanium
Bezel: Polished titanium
Shape: Cushion
Bezel shape: Round
Size: 47.00 mm
Dial: Dark Brown
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Gold
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Personalized leather strap and large-size brushed titanium buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap, a tool to change the strap and a steel screwdriver
Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Back: Sapphire