The sports watch market has been very popular in recent years, especially diving watches, which are the most eye-catching. Here, what cannot be avoided is that the watch brand is the "outdated internet celebrity" Panerai . Paner has a long history of diving equipment. He has been producing military-purpose maritime precision equipment for the Italian Navy since World War II, including timing devices. Among them, the diving watch series Submersible series has a significant appearance feature to be used today.
▲The picture shows a diving watch made by Panerai from 1930 to 1950 for wrist wearing instruments, depth meters, and compass.
Panerai's history started in Florence, Italy, and then moved to Switzerland to establish a watchmaking factory, combining Italian design with Swiss watchmaking technology. Italian design has a huge impact on the Swiss watch industry, including many of our popular watches today: Patek Philippe Nautilus, Omega Constellation, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, etc., which are designed by Italians.
Panerai has two main appearances. One is that it has an crown protection bridge, called Luminor, and the other is that it has no crown custody bridge, called Radiomir. But those who are familiar with Panerai know that Panerai has a more detailed division under the two shell shapes of Luminor with a bridge and Radiomir without a bridge, which divides Panerai into five major series. Radiomir, Radiomir 1940, Luminor, Luminor 1950 and Luminor Due each have their own advantages, and have various functions and match audience members.
Panerai brought an impactful invention in 1916: Radiomir - a radium powder that makes the aiming instruments and instrument panels glow, which Panerai used on instruments developed for the Royal Navy of Italy and for the team's first Radiomir watch that can only be used underwater.
▲To solve the problem that divers are reading in deep water, Panerai applied a luminous coating on the dial scale, which can emit fluorescent light in dark light.
At that time, Panerai only made watches for the Royal Italian Navy. In order to allow divers to operate the watch smoothly underwater, the watch diameter was particularly large, waterproof and had a fluorescent coating luminous scale. To complete the first three situations, Panerai uses a unique sandwich dial and also invents a unique lever bridge guard device that is secured with screws to protect the crown. These innovative designs give the watch more waterproof and easy to read.
▲As one of the earliest brands to make diving watches, Panerai increased the waterproof depth of the watch to 2,500 meters in one fell swoop.
Panerai then invented Luminor, which uses tritium as the main substance, replaced the radioactive Radiomir material, and obtained patented technology for the first time in Italy in 1949. In 1956, Panerai developed the Radiomir diving watch for the Egyptian Navy. The watch, called "Egyptian", was wide in size, sturdy and durable, and was equipped with a scale box to calculate diving time. In the same year, Panerai also registered a patent for the crown guard, a technology that later became an iconic feature of the Luminor model.
▲ In 1995, Slytech (Stillon) limited edition watch model was produced, which was the nickname of Italian-American Hollywood movie star Shives Starron
Panerai was sure of the future market of waterproof watch . As early as 1995, the famous Hollywood action movie star Shives Starron was invited as his brand ambassador to launch a series of tough guy professional diving watches. Strom also likes Panerai very much and once customized a limited-edition professional diving watch (Submersible) to wear it in the movie Daylight (100,000 Urgent). Later, Panerai asked to make a white dial watch named Daylight, and re-tailored the Mare Nostrum chronograph, with Stalon's signature engraved behind these watches. It is also these watches that have gained popularity for Panerai.
1997 The Vendôme Group (now Richemont Group) included Panerai as its subsidiary, taking over the production of watch factories' watches, compass, flashlights and depth measuring instruments.It is precisely because of capital intervention that Panerai's development is awesome. Around 2013, our cousins may remember that some of Panerai's watches were hard to come by...
There is also a popular word " California faces", which is the hottest watch in Panerai series. Every time Panerai launched California meter watches, it is widely sought after and loved by Panerai fans. The biggest feature of the California surface is that the upper half of the dial uses Roman numerals , and the lower half uses Arabic numerals. There is an inverted triangle at 12 o'clock. The 3, 6, and 9 o'clock are similar to the scales on the ordinary dial. The 3 and 9 o'clock are mostly horizontal bars, and the 6 o'clock may also be dots.
Regarding "California Noodles", we have to mention Rolex . Panerai was not a professional watch manufacturer at first, but a watch agent and precision instrument manufacturer. Therefore, the early Panerai was basically OEM by Rolex. In the 1930s, Panerai received a watch order from the Italian Navy. Because Panerai lacked experience in making diving watches, he found the Rolex, which was famous for making waterproof watches at that time, and Rolex provided Panerai with California noodles.
does not have the ability to make watches by yourself, so it was manufactured by Rolex for Panerai, and it also uses Rolex ambitiousness, so some people often say, "Pealao is a family."
. As for why Rolex designed and produced such a strange dial with two digit scales at that time, Roman and Arabic, there are two main explanations now circulating:
❶ For the convenience of reading;
❷ In order to provide customers with a sample so that users can know that they can provide dials with two digit scale fonts of Arabic numerals and Roman numerals. What is the specific truth about
is now impossible to conclude, but it is certain that Rolex originally designed and produced a large number of such unique watch faces. What is interesting about is that the Rolex, which created this unique dial, did not continue to produce California face watches afterwards.
Panerai launched a professional 00961 diving watch at SIHH 2019. is mainly a militarized style and a case made of military-green rubber strap and carbon composite material. This case has an uneven matte black appearance and has a unique Damascus steel or marble effect.
This watch is limited to 33 pieces, and if you buy this watch, you can participate in the training session of the Italian Navy Diving Commando "Comsubin". This also shows us Panerai’s desire to return to the aura of sports charts. Let's wait and see.
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