Sailing technology today has gone beyond anything that could have been imagined just a decade ago. Gone are the “regular” sailboats of yesterday, replaced by state of the art sailing hydrofoils or hydrosails, which are essentially, sailboats with wing-like foils mounted underneath their hulls.
As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing the wetted area and dramatically decreasing drag. Naturally, less drag means more speed, and a sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds that exceed twice that of wind speed.
This is the same technology used by the foiling catamarans that raced in this year’s 35th America’s Cup, one of the most celebrated and prestigious sailing races in the world, which was first held off the south coast of England in 1851.
This year, the America’s Cup was held off the coast of Bermuda and Italian watchmaker extraordinaire Officine Panerai was there to take over from British watchmaker Bremont as Official Partner. So, a sporting event that infuses bleeding edge technology into “traditional” watercraft? Sounds like a match made in heaven for Officine Panerai.
Which is why the Italian watchmaker brought along five watches that faithfully represent their history, their infinite passion for the sea, and their ceaseless search for “avant-garde technical solutions to reach ever more ambitious objectives,” all the while keeping man and his requirements at the center of everything.
In this issue, we feature the official watch of the 35th Americas’s Cup: the Luminor Marina 1950 Amerca’s Cup 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 44mm, a special edition of only 300 units transformed with the colors and logo of the oldest international sport competition in the world.
Indeed, the simple, minimalist design of the Luminor Marina 1950 makes it the perfect canvas for modification. Throw in a case historically inspired by the watches created by Panerai for the commandos of the Intalian Navy, and you’ve got a watch practically designed-from-the-ground-up for the oldest sailing competition in the world.
Thus, the 44 mm case made from AISI 316L stainless steel (the acciaio in the name) makes the transition unchanged; as does the lever device that protects the crown from accidental shocks and helps guarantee water-resistance up to 300 meters; as well as the polished bezel that surrounds a classic Panerai black dial with its sandwich architecture.
What sets this Luminor Marina 1950 apart is the phrase AMERICA’S CUP printed in blue at 6 o’clock, along with the red seconds hand and white indications to recall the colors of the celebrated competition. And did we mention the official logo of the America’s Cup appears in relief on the solid steel screw back? This is complemented by the matching black strap of natural, untreated leather and personalized with the logo of the competition heat-embossed on both sides and finished with double sewing in contrasting blue and red thread.
Power comes from the P.9010 automatic movement, made entirely in the Panerai Manufacture at Neuchâtel. The energy needed to accumulate its power reserve of three days is stored in two barrels with springs wound by a bidirectional oscillating weight. The balance, fixed by a bridge with twin supports, oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz) and is coupled to a stopping device, which is activated the moment that the winding crown is pulled out. Further, the time can be adjusted without interfering with the running of the watch, thanks to the device that moves only the relative hand in jumps of one hour forwards or backwards.
