Panerai Watch Reviews

In 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened a watch shop in Florence. Later, Guido Panerai took over the company and chose to guide the business in a new direction, making high precision optical and mechanical instruments for the Royal Italian Navy.

It was around 1913 that Officine Panerai began experimenting with luminous materials, applying them to instrument dials as well as sighting and telescopic devices. The luminescence was achieved by combining zinc sulphide with radium bromide, leading to the brand naming the material ‘Radiomir’. This luminescent substance was patented in 1915.

Officine Panerai began supplying pocket watches to the Royal Italian Navy in 1935. This foray into horology would later see the firm produce the ‘first military divers’ watch in history, the Panerai Radiomir (1938). This timepiece, measuring 47 mm in diameter, featured wire strap attachments and a Rolex movement. During the 1940s, the wire strap attachments were supplanted by sturdier horn-shaped lugs. The crown was protected by a patented lever device and the firm moved to a superior luminescent material, ‘Luminor’.

In 1993, Officine Panerai began producing a limited number of civilian-specification watches. A few years later, the firm was acquired by the Vendôme Group (now Richemont). The firm presented its inaugural range of contemporary watches at SIHH 1999 in Geneva. Today, Panerai offers four collections to choose from, namely the Luminor, Luminor Due, Radiomir and Submersible models.