As of January 2017, Officine Panerai is an Official Partner of the 35th America’s Cup. As part of this new partnership, Panerai released five new limited edition watches at the SIHH 2017 and three of them are specific to the Oracle Team USA. The Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio PAM 726 is one of them and is available in a 200-piece limited edition. Fitted with a 47 mm titanium case and blue and red accents on dial and strap, this new chronograph is very sporty and eye catching. Something we absolutely love about the Panerai PAM 726 is the interesting functionality as a regatta countdown chronograph.
The Dial
The new Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Titanio PAM 726 features a matte black sandwich dial with white superluminova and the official colors of the Oracle Team USA. The dial is rounded out by red and blue hands for the chronograph and the regatta countdown function and a graduated flange with a knots scale and a 15-minute graduation for the regatta countdown.
The dial layout is very well balanced with running seconds with blue hand at 9 o'clock and 12-hour chrono register at 3 o'clock. The only thing that could've made this watch better from a functionality standpoint would've been a date function; however, that would've made the dial busier and less appealing. Around the flange, one can find a graduation in knots from the 8 o'clock marker all the way through the 12 o'clock marker in counterclockwise direction.
Then for the regatta countdown, the flange features a 15-minute graduation in white, blue and red from the 9 o'clock marker through the 12 o'clock numeral. The first five minutes are marked with white rectangles to indicate when the preparation time starts 15 minutes before the regatta race, then five blue rectangles mark the official 10-minute countdown followed by the last five red rectangles that indicate the critical five minutes right before the race starts. To use the regatta countdown mechanism, one needs to synchronize the red hand with the graduation on the flange and the official timer during a regatta race.
The Case & Pushers
The new Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Titanio PAM 726 is equipped with a satin-brushed finished 47 mm titanium case with the Panerai patented crown protecting device always present across the Luminor cases. The case features two pushers on the left caseband and a third pusher right below the crown protecting device.
This third pusher marked with a red inlay is the pusher utilized to synchronize the red hand that is used for the regatta countdown mechanism. As one presses this pusher, the red hand moves backwards to be aligned with the precise minute marker within the 15-minute scale on the flange.
Meanwhile, the two pushers located on the left caseband are utilized to start, stop and reset the flyback chronograph function. While the top pusher is marked with a letter 'S' and is utilized to start the chronograph function, the bottom pusher is marked with an 'R' and an 'F' and is utilized to stop, reset or flyback the chronograph.
The Strap
This new Panerai Oracle Team USA PAM 726 is fitted with a black Calf Ponte Vecchio —untreated raw strap— with blue contrast stitching near the lugs and red contrast stitching along its edges. The strap is equipped with a satin-brushed finished pin buckle also in titanium. Additionally, the strap is personalized with a heat-embossed America's Cup logo on both ends and the contrast stitching complements the accents on the dial in a remarkable way.
The Movement & Case Back
The new Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA Chrono Flyback Titanio PAM 726 is powered by the Panerai automatic calibre P.9100/R. This double-barrel movement composed of 328 parts, provides a power reserve of 72 hours when fully wound, while beating at a frequency of 28,800 vph. Protected by a solid titanium case back with a beautiful engraving of the Oracle Team USA, the watch is water resistant to 100 meters.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA PAM 726 wears true to its size and with impressive wrist presence. The PAM 726 is definitely our favorite watch released by Panerai as part of their partnership with the America's Cup and is available in a limited edition of only 200 pieces.
Sticker Price $17,900 USD. For more info on Officine Panerai click here.
