Panerai caliber P.3001/C

P.3001/C description

The P.3001/C hand-wound calibre is presented in an extraordinarily innovative version, semi-skeletonised, completely without additional lubrication and with only four jewels. By using a wide range of solutions, specially devised for the individual parts of the movement and associated with the unique properties of carbon, the plates, bridges, barrels, escapement and anti-shock device use self-lubricating and dry lubricating materials, and are hence exempt from any liquid lubrication. To remove the need for further lubricating the main bridges and the plate, these components are made of a completely new material: a low friction composite which integrates a Tantalum based ceramic. This new generation of composite is notable for its high percentage of carbon which minimises pivot friction, making jewels and their related lubrication unnecessary. Also eliminated is the need to lubricate the escapement, as a result of making the main components from silicon and applying a special coating of DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) to the wheelwork. A good two years of testing by the Laboratorio di Idee in the Panerai Manufacture identified the best type of coating – based on carbon – with which to treat the components of the two spring barrels of the P.3001 calibre, so as to make conventional lubrication superfluous. The solution was to use a series of layers and sub-layers of coating, the surface one being coated with DLC. Last but not least, a surface coating of DLC on the four jewels means that there is no need to further lubricate the Incabloc® anti-shock device.