Left-handed watches have been, and still are, important instruments in naval units. Contrary to popular belief, they were not designed for left-handed people even though they are indeed useful that way. In the past commandoes in the Italian Navy need to wear several instruments such as a compass and depth gauge in addition to their dive watch. Each of these instruments is crucial to the success of their missions and very often their lives depend on them. This is the genesis of the left-handed watch.

For as long as Panerai was the official supplier of naval instruments and tools to the Italian Navy, it has always made left-handed watches. Among the modern creations, we have the Luminor Marina Left Handed PAM26 in PVD steel, Luminor 1950 Left-Handed 8 Days Titanio PAM368, Luminor Base Destro PAM219 – curiously all are Luminors. 

The new Luminor 1950 Left-Handed 3 Days PAM557 comes with an additional feature reminiscing the heroic era of divers and armed combat. While offering ergonomic comfort, the cusp-shaped case also dishes out yet more history as this case had evolved from the Radiomir’s cushion and would eventually inspire the hefty Luminor case.

Like a long lost twin of the 2012 Luminor 1950 3 Days PAM372, PAM557 contains all of the important hallmarks of the manufacture – a pure classic sandwich dial, vintage coloured SuperLuminova, gold hands, an in-house manufactured manual-winding movement (Calibre P.3000), and a 47mm case. Also, this model is fitted with a Plexiglas crystal instead of sapphire.