Panerai
History
While Italy does not have a strong tradition for manufacturing watches, Panerai is one noteworthy exception to the rule. In the panorama of high-end and luxury watches, Panerai has carved its own niche and confirm itself to be solid, affordable (for the features), and distinguishing watch manufacturer, with a strong military character.
The maison was founded by Giovanni Panerai (1825–1897) who opened up his first watch shop in Florence, Italy in 1860. His grandson, Guido Panerai (1873–1934) expanded the watch shop "Orologeria Svizzera" (Swiss Watchmaker) and combined his experience with the one stemming from her wife’s family business, a small precision mechanical workshop, creating a new company and naming it “G. Panerai e Figlio”.
This new company focused on creating precision instruments - not only watches - and form 1913 onwards, it became an official supplier to the Regia Marina (the Royal Italian Navy), supplying all kinds of technical equipment. As it was common in that era, the production of watches was mostly made using precision imported Cortébert movements supplied by Rolex, and suitably modified by the firm’s artisans.
The invention of the Radiomir luminous substance dates to 1915 and gives the name to a popular series of watches by the maison.
The Florence-based workshop produced a limited amount of watches and other instruments for the Italian Navy. The Radiomir watch is encased in 1936 in a special version for the Italian frogmen “Gamma” force, and its make is maintained as a secret for years. Only 350 copies of this rare and coveted watch have been made.
In 1956, the company manufactures a special, oversized version of the Radiomir, with a rotating bezel, for the Egyptian Navy, creating another famous model, the Egiziano.
The records of the production of the company are rather incomplete, as most of the documents have been destroyed by the notorious flood in Florence of 1966.
The military production of the maison was very small, totaling around 1,600 watches only, and trickled down during the years almost to nothing, as the watches were not competitive with the Swiss-made ones. This is why in 1970 Panerai stopped sourcing them and directed its production to the civilian market only.
One of the biggest fans of the brand is the actor Sylvester Stallone, who fell in love with the products of the company in the 1980s and they are among his favorite watches ever since.
As common in the field, the Panerai company was then bought in 1993 by the Richemont group, which relaunched the maison, focusing it as a luxury timepiece manufacturer, and invested heavily into marketing and R&D, so to continue manufacturing beautiful assertive, military-styled watches which stay in line of the company’s tradition, and creating their in-house movements as well.
Today, Panerai has over 75 boutiques worldwide, including an 11-story flagship on Canton Road in Hong Kong.
Iconic pieces
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The most iconic models of Panerai are mainly two: the Radiomir and the Luminor, and the company offers watches across four different marketing lines: Historic, Contemporary, Manifattura, and Special Editions, in limited runs of 500, 1,000, 2,000 or 4,000 units—each carrying an issue number on the case back.
The company also issues Special Editions every year, dedicated to famous characters in line with the tradition of the brand.
There is also a special collection of Panerai watches, made for five years in cooperation with Ferrari motorsports. The collection offers 11 models in two lines, Granturismo and Scuderia, and as you might suspect, there are several chronograph models in this striking collection.
The watches from Panerai are quite distinctive, with their large size (mostly over 40 mm), very legible dials with Arabic numbers and cushion cases.
1 - Radiomir
The Radiomir collection comes straight from the model presented in 1936 for the Italian military divers, with their large size, tough steel cushion case and cone-shaped crown. The modern watches belonging to this line are still very similar to the original ones that the maison manufactured for the Italian military.
The case was changed a bit with the 1940 Radiomir model, having stronger lugs, a straighter case, and a different crown shape, but there is no point in denying that the style is still very much Panerai’s. In this collection, you will find both men’s and ladies’ references.
2 - Luminor
The name of the Luminor comes from its patented luminous material and differs mainly from the Radiomir model by the presence of the big crown protecting bridge which has rendered it one of the most famous watches of the world.
One of the interesting facts is that the Luminor is made with a so-called sandwich dial, composed of two overlapping discs. The bottom one is covered in luminous material, and the top one is instead cut in shapes of the numerals and indices.
3 - Panerai Ferrari
The Panerai Ferrari collection interprets the classic Panerai elements in a different way, creating a collection of watches with a very assertive character and great-looking aesthetics. Most of the watches belonging to this line are chronographers, and their dials, apart from the classic Panerai black, show also the house colors of Ferrari, vibrant red and canary yellow.
As usual, the Panerai touch is well-felt in these timepieces: the cushion case in steel and the short, effective lugs of these watches reveal their origin.
News
During SIHH 2019, Panerai has launched several references dedicated to experiences in our big world. In particular, one, the PAM985 Mike Horn Edition Submersible, limited to 19 pieces.
This very unique special edition wants to be an expression of his motto: “The impossible exists only until we find a way to make it possible.” Mike Horn is globally acknowledged as the world’s greatest modern-day explorer, and this watch gives you the honor of learning about nature and how to safeguard it.
This Panerai experience will offer the 19 owners the opportunity to learn about the world with a few days of intensive training along with Mike among the ice floes of the Arctic.
This not only gives the owner a chance to test and confront the rigors of nature but also to become personally aware of the dangers to our ecosystem caused by the impact of humans.
Panerai has made a very conscious effort to build a watch that not only possesses the rugged and strong design ideals of the brand but also uses materials that were sourced in a way to have a very low impact on the earth: these materials are very unique and different to the watch world and really embrace Mike’s passion towards the Earth and all its inhabitants.
For example, the strap is upcycled from PET bottles.
Gossip/Style
Apr 2017 - One of the last ambassadors for the firm, the Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo, has starred in a very special agent film called Time Agent, produced by Italian high-end watchmaking brand Officine Panerai. He plays a secretive agent wearing a Panerai Luminor Due watch in the film and using it to help him finish the assignment.
Huo is a longtime passionate collector and connoisseur of Panerai, he perfectly embodies the same values of authenticity and passion of Panerai.
"Panerai is a timeless brand, coherent with its history and identity that has always offered an uncompromised quality to its fans. It's the same approach that I apply to my career. Only authenticity and passion stir true emotions," said Huo.
May 2019 - Panerai has opened its first boutique in Rome at number 130 of the renowned Via del Babuino. The CEO of Panerai, Jean-Marc Pontroué, has stated:
"We are very proud to open a new boutique in Rome. As well as being the brand's home country, Italy is Panerai's leading European market. To celebrate the opening, we presented a special edition of the iconic Luminor Marina, dedicated to collectors in Rome”.
This is a version of the iconic watch of the brand, which will be produced in a limited edition of only 130 pieces, like the house number of the boutique. Besides, the timepiece shows other details inspired by the Eternal City, the engraving on the back of Piazza di Spagna and the staircase leading to the church of Trinità dei Monti and the strap with red and yellow stitching, which are inspired by the colors of the city's coat of arms.
The opening night has ended at "La Lanterna di Fuksas" where the guests have celebrated the event with a dazzling dinner party.
May 2017 - You might be expecting everything from a Panerai, but the fact that it has become a piece of art, thanks to one of the most controversial modern artists, Damien Hirst, is really unique.
Says Hirst, “I hope the painting makes you think, we are here for a good time, not a long time.”
The English professional, who is a longtime Panerai lover and estimateur, has incorporated Panerai dials into his 2011 painting Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting.
The ‘Beautiful Sunflower’ is made with the technique of spin painting. Dozens of watch components, all strictly without hands, are assembled upon the canvas surface. For Hirst, the absence of hands is like the death of Kronos and the triumph of Kairos.
Current Most Popular Models
The simplicity of the Panerai offering is extraordinary: apart from the Ferrari Panerai, which composes its own niche dedicated to the motorsports enthusiasts, the maison has only two different models that come straight from its history, the Radiomir and the Luminor.
What is different between the models is their personalization in several sub-lines and special editions, that differ from each other by tiny details and the mechanical complications contained within, making for a very clear and functional setup.
The two lines are further divided into sub-lines. The Luminor features also the Luminor 1950, the Luminor Marina, the Luminor Chrono, and the Luminor GMT automatic, while the Radiomir comprises the Radiomir 1940 and the Radiomir Black Sea.
These watches can go from the simple two and three handers to the most complicated timepieces like the amazing PAM00920 - that is, the Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phase Equation of Time GMT - 50mm, also known as the L’Astronomo, a jewel of technology of extreme rarity and refinement, that the house has dedicated to Galileo Galilei.
Current Approximate Price List By Line/Model
The Radiomir line
Based on the iconic watch developed for the Italian divers before WWII, the Radiomir, which name comes from the luminous material that is used for its indices, the Radiomir has been modified in time to create several other sub-lines.
The common traits are the design, which is still very similar to the original one, even if the material of the case can be chosen today between stainless steel, titanium, gold, or ceramic; the dimension, which is still important, even if the maison has recently started to downsize the cases to capture a different, more global market. These watches mount outsourced movements for the basic references and in-house movements for the more expensive models.
type: luxury sports watch
material: stainless steel, titanium, gold, ceramic
functions: from time and date to the most complicated, including GMT, moon phase, power reserve, skeletonized, chronograph, rattrapante, minute repeater, tourbillon
The basic reference for the Radiomir watch line is the Radiomir Base 3 Days PAM00753 two-hander, in stainless steel, which might be found around $3,300, onwards, or the Radiomir Black Sea PAM00388 with small seconds, from $3,500 onwards. The models in black ceramic start from around $4,500, while the gold models start from around $9,000.
On the top end, you find the tourbillon-equipped models which start from around $40,000, upwards.
There are also a few pieces of haute horlogerie, like the Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon, which represent the very top end of the production, and lie in the area of the several hundreds of thousands.
The Luminor line
The Luminor collection looks like a Radiomir 1940 with the characteristic bridge over the crown, a technical solution used to better seal the crown. As the Radiomir, the Luminor was developed in time into several sub-lines which differ in movement and case materials, and range from the basic time and date to the most sophisticated complications available in the field.
The Luminor, however, generally has a thicker bezel vs. the Radiomir, which in some of the most diving-oriented models like the Submersible is also rotating.
Luminor
type: luxury sports watch
material: stainless steel, titanium, gold, ceramic, carbon, bronze
functions: from time and date to the most complicated, including GMT, moon phase, power reserve, skeletonized, chronograph, rattrapante, minute repeater, tourbillon
The more affordable references of the Luminor collection are the two-hander Base in 44 mm, which start from around $3,800. The Marina, which mount a small seconds dial at nine, start from around $4,200, while the Submersible, with its rotating bezel and the rubber strap, from around $5,000.
In this price range, you would find lots of differently-equipped Luminor models with GMT, power reserve, and even chronograph.
It is also notable that, because of the big bridge, you can find special left-handed versions, with the bridge and crown mounted on the left side. Plan to spend around %5,500 to grab one.
The titanium versions are a tad more costly, but not overly so, while other cases, like the bronze, are definitely more costly - up to 50% more. The gold-cased Luminor starts from around $14,000, while the carbon-based Submersible references start from around $15,000.
The limited editions Luminor lines start in the $15,000 range as well.
On the top end of the range, we find the special versions that make Panerai the watch of haute horlogerie that it really is. The special versions like “L’Astronomo” and “Lo Scienziato” mounts in their skeletonized movements some of the best horological complications, like tourbillons and perpetual calendars. These models start from around $80,000, while the “simple” tourbillon-equipped models start from around $60,000.
Ferrari Panerai
The Ferrari Panerai is a line of sporty watches dedicated to motorsports.
This collection represents a fine match between the two Italian brands and has originated several assertive timepieces.
As you would suspect, chronographs represent the main model of this collection, but the timepieces also feature other interesting complications such as power reserve and GMT.
The design is quintessentially Panerai, with the cushion cases and bold, evident dials in contrasting colors where the red and yellow are protagonists.
Ferrari Panerai
type: luxury sports watch
material: stainless steel, gold
functions: from time and date to the most complicated, including GMT, power reserve, chronograph, rattrapante, perpetual calendar
The Ferrari Panerai collection starts from around $3,500. The models range from the simple date/time with small seconds to the classic bicompax chronograph.
The Granturismo tricompax models start from around $5,500, as well as the rattrapante and the GMT.
The gold-cased models start from around $11,000, onwards. At the top end of the collection, you find the gold model with perpetual calendar, at around $30,000.
Fast and Curious - Q & A (Quora, general questions, amazon / ebay questions, etc…)
What is your opinion on Panerai watches?
https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-opinion-on-Panerai-watches
Why are Panerai so expensive?
https://www.quora.com/Whay-are-panerai-so-expensive
What are some recommendations for my first Panerai watch?
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-recommendations-for-my-first-panerai-watch
Which watch would you recommend, Panerai or Breitling?
https://www.quora.com/Which-watch-would-you-recommend-Panerai-or-Breitling
Are Panerai's in-house watch movements well made, as compared to other expensive watches?