Officine Panerai

Since its inception in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai in Florence, Italy, Officine Panerai has produced precision instruments for use by the Italian Navy, migrating to watches made specifically for these Navy Commandos as early as the 1930's. With the revival of Panerai - kick-started by the Vendome Group, before Richemont taking over in 1997 - the firm has taken their patented design to a new level.

Today, Panerai produces a relatively small number of watches, approximately 35,000/year, for collectors, historians, enthusiasts and celebrities alike. The key characteristics of the brand include the large size, cushion shape, and unique crown lever. Panerai produces several models over a variety of different model lines. 

Panerai was the first in the industry to create an illumination system to allow time telling in the dark. In 1910 the first experiments with luminous materials began and a system was developed to make instrument dials, sighting and telescopic devices luminous. 

Panerai achieved luminescence using a mix of zinc sulphide and radium bromide. They inserted this mix into tiny glass tubes to increase its' resistance over time. This mix later called Radiomir was the subject of a patent applications by Guido Panerai in Italy and other countries. From 1915-1918 the Royal Italian Navy employed precision instruments supplied by Panerai. They included luminous devices for the sights on naval guns, timing mechanisms, depth gauges and mechanical calculators to launch torpedoes. In 1938 the production of Radiomir watches began for the Italian Navy with screw-down crowns and luminous dials which were easy to read underwater and in the dark. 

In 1949 the patent was granted for Luminor, a substance based on tritium, which replaced the previous Radiomir mix. Panerai Luminor is still one of the best 'night-vision' watch. 

Two models are especially much sought after by collectors -- the Panerai PAM 127 1950 aka "Fiddy" and PAM190 Radiomir "8 Days".