Panerai

Panerai traces its origins to Giovanni Panerai’s watch shop and workshop in Florence in 1860. The business supplied precision instruments to the Italian Navy. Its official history documents the Radiomir name in a patent context from 1916 and the development of military diving watches during the following decades.

From military instruments to civilian watches

Panerai entered the civilian market with a collection in 1993. Richemont acquired the business in 1997, and a manufacture opened in Neuchâtel in 2002. Radiomir, Luminor and Submersible are names used across different periods and collections.

Identification

Do not transfer specifications from a modern Panerai to an older watch. Record the reference, case dimensions, case back, dial, crown protection and movement. Some historic watches used movements or base components from other suppliers. A familiar case shape alone therefore does not establish model, age or originality.

Source: Panerai, History.