Who owns panerai watches

Since then the brand has continued to expand its range of calibers that are now a mix of handwound and self-winding. Not only is the piece solely responsible for the current boom of bronze watches in the watch industry today, but it is also one of the few Panerai to near-immediately command a premium above its retail price when pieces began to hit the secondary market. Though some collectors voiced concerns as Panerai has issued a few more limited-edition bronze watches, the original Bronzo seems to be holding its own just fine.

His curiosity and fondness for the realm of horology developed, quickly spiraling to full watch-world immersion. Over the years he has written for Esquire, Bloomberg, High Snobiety, as well as a year as the Senior Editor of the watch category for Robb Report magazine. View More Articles. Related products 80 Other products we think you'll like view all. Luminor PAM Submersible PAM Radiomir PAM Related articles Based on your browsing history. You're now subscribed to our mailing list.

In , Guido Panerai passed away and the family business passed to another family member, engineer Dino Zei, who changed the name officially to Officine Panerai S.

In the ensuing decades, Panerai had a small, but somewhat obscure, business in Italy. In , the brand released three updated collections, including the Luminor and Mare Nostrum. The watches caught the attention of actor Sylvester Stallone, who was filming a movie in Italy called Daylight.

He walked by the Panerai boutique in Florence and fell in love with the bold look of the watches. He bought one and wore it in the movie. Additionally, he asked Panerai to make more for him, with his name on the dial. The brand created the limited-edition Sly-tech, ten of which had a black dial and five with a white dial, which Stallone brought back to America for friends.

Rupert turned to then-Cartier executive Angelo Bonati to oversee the new, fairly fledgling firm and planned an international launch of Panerai for Working with a tiny marketing budget, Bonati had to get very creative.

He focused on product first, unveiling a collection in that had an inscription on the back and the watch number, starting with the letter A. Every year thereafter, the watch numbers started with the next letter of the alphabet. Also, because Stallone still wore the watches in movies and had gifted one to Arnold Schwarzenegger who also wore his regularly, consumers around the world were seeing Panerai watches. Soon, a group of watch lovers took note. Bonati cultivated those collectors and the cult-like following of watch lovers formed what is known as the Paneristi.

This was a huge move in the watch world, especially in the year Never before did a watch brand have such a loyal following who would meet and talk about their watches. It is thought that only two or three of these watches were ever made, probably in the s, and all that remains of them are some photographic plates and a single prototype, purchased by Officine Panerai's own museum, at an international auction in With the increasing involvement in underwater operations, the Navy's requirements become even more specific after the Second World War: military watches had to remain underwater in extreme conditions for long periods of time.

In , two new references, the Ref. Some of today's models were inspired by them, commercially known as Radiomir , the case is made from a single block with fixed handles, retaining the cushion shape, with more pronounced edges on the sides.

They received a general aesthetic revision of the individual parts and adopted a screw-down winding crown, tubular cylindrical replacing the conical cylindrical of the historic Radiomir. After careful analysis of the tests, some modifications were made and the definitive reference 1 was born, also with reinforced lugs and made from solid steel from the same block as the case.

Just over sixty models were made, entirely assembled in Florence by the master watchmaker Linder. The innovations that characterise this model are remarkable, starting with the imposing size of the case, with a diameter of 60 mm and a sufficient resistance and a considerable level of water resistance, the graduated rotating bezel to calculate diving time and the Swiss made Angelus calibre with an 8-day power reserve used as a movement.

This was the first time, the element that most identifies a Panerai watch, even today, was structurally introduced: the crown protecting device. The evolution of the Panerai Ref. In the process of assembling the overlapping disc dials, the use of radium-based paste disappeared, and with it the name Radiomir.

The luminescence now comes from a new low-radiation tritium-based compound which takes the name Luminor. The crown-protection bridge is inserted and adapted to the middle case of the Ref. In roughly 80 units, a Swiss-made Angelus SF mechanical calibre was adopted for the first time, with an 8-day power reserve.

The power reserve thus became a fundamental element in the DNA of the Florentine brand. In some models the solid and closed case-back is replaced by one with a transparent centre made of plexiglass, allowing the mechanism to be seen. Panerai was therefore one of the pioneers in the production of watches with a visible case back.

Another fundamental chapter in Panerai's production, which particularly developed in this period, concerns the precision instruments created and supplied at the Italian Navy's request such as compasses and wrist-depth gauges with different calibrations, as well as underwater signal lights to compensate for the pressure, which provided greater resistance at great depths.

In , Giuseppe Panerai, Guido's son died. The management of the family business, together with all the exclusive supply contracts for the Italian Navy, was taken over by engineer and former Italian Navy officer Mr. Dino Zei, who was nominated the new CEO of the company. The Company name changes from "G. The company's technical department designs a new diving watch, which incorporates all the technological developments in watchmaking and diving from the s and s, to be subjected to the severe tests used to specify the equipment of the Italian Navy.

In order to tackle the serious economic and political crisis that started worldwide in , Officine Panerai decided to go into to the civil watch market, launching three collections, originating from ten total references in numbered and limited editions: the 44 mm Luminor and Luminor Marina watches and the 42 mm Mare Nostrum chronograph, which drew inspiration from the historical models created for the Underwater Commandos division of the Italian Navy.

This relieved Ing. They quickly become highly sought-after items for collectors and enthusiasts.