Panerai: 328 watches with prices

Panerai Watches

Officially named Officine Panerai, this Swiss watch brand has roots dating back to 19^th century Italy when Giovanni Panerai opened his workshops and watchmaking school in Florence in 1860. Throughout the ensuing decades, the oversized watch brand would become a favorite of the military and would even equip the frogmen of the Royal Italian Navy as early as 1936. Today, Officine Panerai retains its strong looks and professional instrument status but also designs for contemporary adventurers. Its cult-like watch collector followers are known as Paneristi.

History of Panerai

Panerai’s history started when a re-known watchmaker, Giovanni Panerai, launched his first shop in Florence in 1860. It operated as a watch workshop and the city’s school for watchmaking. The shop moved to its current location on the Palazzo Arcivescovile by the early 20th century, under the Orologeria Svizzera name.

The Royal Italian Navy was the chief buyer of high-precision Panerai watches for many years. To meet the military needs, Radiomir, a radium-made powder, was used in their watches. Typically, the substance was known to give excellent visibility to the dials of devices and instruments. On March 23, 1916, the company filed a patent in France. This patent was a remarkable innovation that marked Panerai’s history.

In 1935, with the Second World War imminent, Panerai created the first Radiomir prototypes for the Royal Italian Navy’s frogman commandos. The prototype’s primary function was to provide superb readability even while in the water. Today, the Radiomir Panerai watches still have these distinctive features.