Taken from another forum.
Today, in Florence, the spiritual home of Panerai; Mr. Bonatti & Eric Lein introduced the new P 3000 movement; here is the press release:
P.3000
Entirely designed, developed and produced in the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel, the hand- wound P.3000 calibre presents the main characteristics of the Panerai movements both in terms of structure and in terms of performance, robustness, accuracy and its long power reserve.
The thickness of the calibre P.3000 is 5.3 mm and the diameter is 161?2 lignes, a substantial size which traces its origins from that of the movements which were fitted to the historic Panerai models. The calibre is immediately recognisable by its construction, which is similar to that of a three-quarter plate movement: a large bridge, next to another smaller one, covers the majority of the mechanical parts and it is fixed to the bottom plate by a series of screws of substantial thickness, thus forming a particularly rigid structure.
The movement has 21 jewels and it uses two spring barrels connected in series. Such an arrangement enables long, thin springs to be used, which ensures the delivery of a more even force and also does so over a longer period of time, with a power reserve of 3 days. The balance wheel is unusually large (13.2 mm) and it is the variable inertia type, with four adjusting screws arranged externally round the ring, so that the rate can be regulated without it being necessary to remove the whole assembly. Supported by a bridge with twin supports – a fixing much safer and more stable compared to the cantilevered single bridge – the balance wheel oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz, equivalent to 21,600 alternations per hour. It is fitted with an Incabloc® anti-shock device and is free-sprung, so there is no regulating lever.
With brush-finished bridges and chamfered angles – that is, with the angles smoothed and polished – the P.3000 calibre is also fitted with the device for the rapid adjustment of the time: a star wheel with 12 points and a small spring clutch enable the hour hand to be moved one hour at a time, without interfering with the movement of the minute hand or the operation of the watch.
Functions
• Hours, minutes, small seconds
Technical specifications
• Hand-wound
• Power reserve 3 days
• 160 components
• 21 jewels
• 161?2 lignes in diameter
• 5.3 mm thick
• Two spring barrels
• Frequency of oscillation 3 Hz
• Incabloc® anti-shock device
This new movement will be fitted in watches whose price will range from €5,000 to €7,000 and over the years additional complications will be added.
The company is committed to producing all its movements in house at some time in the future but for the next few years will continue to produce watches with outsourced movements.
The movement is already in production & watches fitted with it will be available immediately after their launch in January 2011 at the SIHH in Geneva.
