{"id":26018,"date":"2021-03-28T08:57:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T08:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/the-panerai-luminor-1950-3-days-acciaio-663-watch-hands-on\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T12:30:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:30:30","slug":"panerai-luminor-1950-3-days-acciaio-663-article-photos-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/en\/panerai-luminor-1950-3-days-acciaio-663-article-photos-price\/","title":{"rendered":"The Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663 watch hands-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the indexes on your Panerai Radiomir <\/strong>watch\u2019s dial had been made of radium<\/em>, your timepiece would be worth a lot of money and its black dial would have slowly transformed itself into something that is similar to the light chocolate brown dial of the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663<\/strong>. Panerai<\/strong><\/span> has come up with one of the dials that best represents the birth of an icon, the glorious era between the 40s and the 50s when the Italian manufacturer was the official provider of the timepieces worn by Italian<\/strong> Navy<\/strong>\u2018s frogmen.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663_quattro\"<\/p>\n

A few historical notes on the birth of Panerai watches and the use of Luminor and Radiomir substances, respectively<\/h2>\n

This story might sound a bit controversial since, oftentimes, people tend to mistake the substance (Radiomir<\/strong> or Luminor<\/strong><\/span><\/a>) for the case with the case istelf with or without the crown protections. Radiomir<\/strong> was used to craft the first timepieces created for the Italian<\/strong> Navy<\/strong> and also for the famous first 6154 series<\/strong> that was called \u201cEgiziano\u00a0Piccolo<\/em>\u201d (Little Egyptian) which was specifically ordered by the Egyptian<\/strong> Navy<\/strong> for its exceptional glowing quality when used in muddy waters.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai<\/p>\n

The invention of the Luminor<\/strong> substance has somehow lessened this effect and it is not certain whether Radiomir<\/strong> were ever used on timepieces with crown protectors also. Despite all, it is certain that the \u201cEgiziano\u00a0Piccolo<\/em>\u201d is one of the most coveted Panerai<\/strong> timepieces ever created (in 2012 it was sold at Christie<\/strong>\u2018s for more than 300k<\/strong>\u20ac).<\/p>\n

The new Luminor PAM 663<\/h2>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663_due\"This story is also the main idea behind Panerai<\/strong>\u2018s decision to launch two<\/strong> limited<\/strong> series<\/strong>; one with a Radiomir<\/strong> 1940<\/strong> case and the other one with a Luminor<\/strong> 1950<\/strong> case. To summarize: the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663<\/strong> is based on the Pam 372<\/strong>, the Luminor<\/strong> that falls between the Radiomir<\/strong> and the Luminor<\/strong> Marina<\/strong>. The dial is hazelnut<\/strong> brown<\/strong> in colour and it features yellow<\/strong> indexes<\/strong> made of grade<\/strong> A<\/strong> SuperLuminova\u00ae<\/strong>, one of the many existing SuperLuminova\u00ae<\/strong> types that also features the lowest decay index.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663_cinque\"The main difference between this timepiece and the 372<\/strong> is something that might be overlooked at first sight; the dial is of the sandwich type, whereas the indexes of the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663<\/strong> are cut and filled with glowing material. This detail makes this timepiece ideally similar to the \u201cEgiziano\u00a0Piccolo<\/em>\u201d and the final result is a dial that looks as if it were one thing with glass; a plexiglass<\/strong> that is very\u00a0thick and is so curved that it is virtually impossible to take a picture of it without incurring the glare effect. It is definitely the most bizarre dial that I have ever seen on a Panerai<\/strong> and I am sure that it is just the beginning of a new era.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663_sei\"The see-through case shows a sapphire glass that is mounted on a P3000<\/strong> caliber. Panerai<\/strong> has slightly modified the caliber by inserting four movement plates (including that on the balance wheel) thus making the caliber aesthetically more appealing;\u00a0it is an in-house-built caliber<\/strong> that runs at 3Hz<\/strong> and that provides up to three<\/strong> days<\/strong> of power reserve<\/strong> and a good precision rate<\/strong> (if I compare it to the same movement that my Panerai Radiomir<\/strong> California<\/strong> PAM 424<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is equipped with). For those of you who like hand wound timepieces like this one, you will be glad to know that the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663<\/strong> sports a special function that allows you to adjust the hours hand<\/strong> separately from the minutes<\/strong> one<\/strong> when you are travelling eastbound or westbound.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663\"<\/p>\n

Price of the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio PAM663<\/h2>\n

The AISI316L<\/strong>-made case measures 47mm<\/strong> and is coupled with a brown \u201cPonte Vecchio<\/em>\u201d strap featuring ecru stitching<\/strong> and the OP logo<\/strong>. The strap is thick and a bit hard on the wrist but it has been specifically designed to give this timepiece a vintage look the more you wear it. Like its similar Radiomir<\/strong> version, the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Acciaio 663<\/strong> will be crafted in 1000 pieces<\/strong> only and each of them is sold in a wooden box with an additional<\/strong> plexiglass<\/strong> and it retails at 9.900<\/strong> euro, just a small step behind the psychological 10K-euro-threshold.<\/p>\n

\"Panerai_Luminor_1950_3_days_acciaio_pam663_tre\"It is pretty interesting to see how Panerai<\/strong> is more and more openly talking about the techniques used to craft their watches, a marketing move that, only a few years ago, would definitely be generally unheard of because of no interest and also because unable perhaps to boost sales. Today, technical features are back in fashion and are slowly becoming vital in an industry where manufacturers need to come up with timepieces sporting unique features. While browsing the brand\u2019s website I also found out that all their Submersible<\/strong><\/span><\/a> watches are ISO<\/strong> 6425<\/strong> certified as it is clearly indicated on the collection\u2019s online landing page.<\/p>\n