Panerai 1860 or 1993?

Panerai through Passion, History, Innovation and Design

Panerai  1860 or 1993?

Florence 1860, Giovanni Panerai started with opening a small shop and workshop.  After inventing and supplying the Italian Navy with precision instruments for quite some time. Panerai filed a patent in 1916 for the substance “Radiomir”. A substance with great luminous properties making it ideal for lighting up the dials in dark environments. It is this Patent name that is later used for the first batch of watches made in 1916 soul for the  “Incursori del Comando del 1° Gruppo Sommergibili della Regia Marina Italiana”. Or in plain English the Frogman Commandos of the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy.

WWII

The fact that Panerai supplied the Italian forces during WWI and WWII. Who had chosen side of the German army during the second world war. Never shied them from showing their heritage to the world. Even more so they are proud of their contracts with the Italian Navy. And so they should!  It would be absurd that they can’t be proud of their history. Especially being the small company that Panerai  was in those days. Some may call it chauvinistic but I think it’s this love and passion for the brand that makes it work like clockwork. On the other side you don’t see the different German  brands showcasing their WWII history to the world. They did and are still putting in quite some effort erasing this page in their history books.

Radiomir

In every form a simple watch, it is still part of the innovation process of Panerai. Even in the early days they were trying out different dials. Which eventually led to the “sandwich dial” for instance. Or the lugs of the 1940 case which were reintroduced in 2012 on the Panerai  Radiomir 398 and 399. Since the introduction the Radiomir is one of the best-selling modern cushion shaped watches ever.

Mare Nostrum

A name that is not a 100% politically correct nowadays. In Latin it means “Our Sea” the Romans meant the Mediterranean Sea off course since they conquered nearly all the land surrounding it. But that was then, now it is only used by some nationalist and fascist groups in Italy. Aside from all that,  it is this Officers Deck watch that is quite rare, so rare that probably only 3 original pieces were made in 1943 and only one is still remaining. They did make a few modern ones, the last being introduced in 2010. The Panerai 300. It was a limited edition two counter chronograph of 99 pieces and can be considered to be quite a rare piece.

Luminor

After WWII Panerai continued making watches for the Italian Navy and later also the Egyptian Navy. The name “Luminor” is taken from the new luminous material used for the dial. The Luminor has the same square shape as the Radiomir but has a thicker case and has straight square lugs like the 1940 Radiomir. Most recognisable is the crown protector on the Luminor models. Aside from the normal Luminor there is also the 1950 case model . This case is more or less a mix between the Radiomir and the Luminor. It’s origins come from the early Luminor models developed in 1950. Hence the name 1950. The Egyptian Navy or “Egiziano” Panerai watches have the same design however they are quite a little bit bigger measuring in at 58mm. The result back then was obviously  that they could go deeper and in more extreme environments.

Dino Zei

Then after three generations of Panerai men leading the company. It was after the death of Giuseppe Panerai the grandson of founder Giovanni. That the company came in hands of Dino Zei a high ranking Officer with the Italian Navy who served from 1958 to 1972. During his career he oversaw military development for explosives and ammunition and in 1969 he also became Director of the Centre of Studies of the Naval Commandos and Divers Headquarters. It was in this time that Panerai further specializes in compasses, wrist depth gauges and  torches. These Panerai paraphernalia are also highly collectible!

Then after quite a few years in 1993 they presented the first Panerai watches to the public. The watches were an immediate success and they were turning around the watch industry with their design and size. Now you can’t be this successful without being noticed by the competition. It was the Vendome Group who was successful in acquiring the Italian company.

Present Panerai

I mentioned before that innovation is very important in the watch industry. The last few years Panerai is developing their own movements and keeps their strong position in the international watch industry. They keep close to their Naval heritage with i.e. the regatta versions and cater to the demand of elegant yet functional watches. Aside from this they also showcase their knowledge and skills in 2013 with a tourbillon GMT ceramic pocket watch combining multiple trends all in one. Another important watch is the Panerai “Bronzo” or pam 382. It’s case is made out of bronze, again reflecting to the maritime history that Panerai has. The original retail price of the Bronzo is around 10.000.- euro’s. However prices to currently aquire one are more around 19.000.- euro’s. It are these kind off watches that further more feed the passion for Panerai collectors.

Kind regards,