1860: Panerai workshop was founded. Giovanni Panerai founded a watch shop in Florence: a shop, a factory, and the first watchmaking school in the city. The history of Panerai begins here. The watch shop was renamed "Orologeria Svizzera" (Swiss Watch Shop) at the beginning of the 20th century and later moved to Palazzo Arcivescovile in Piazza San Giovanni, where it remains today. The headquarters of Panerai in Florence.
1890/1900: Guido Panerai, the grandson of the founder of the brand, expanded the family business and injected new impetus into it, investing in the field of highly precise mechanical engineering and becoming an official supplier to the Royal Italian Navy.
1900: In the new century, the Panerai store moved to Piazza Giovanni in Florence.
1915-1918: During World War I, the Italian Royal Navy used precision instruments made by Panerai, including luminous devices for night attack gun sights, timing devices, and depth measuring instruments. , and a mechanical calculator to assist high-speed torpedo launchers (MAS) in launching torpedoes.
1916: Panerai registered a patent for RADIOMIR. At that time, Panerai had been a supplier to the Italian Royal Navy for many years, providing it with high-precision timing tools. At the request of the military, Panerai created Radiomir, a radium-based luminous material, used as a luminous coating on instruments and dials. Documentation of the name "Radiomir" can be found in the appendix to the patent document filled out in France on March 23, 1916. Its high visibility and excellent adhesion of the paint in water immediately made this radium-based coating an indispensable material in Panerai's production process. Radiomir's patent became the first batch of patented technologies developed by Panerai, thus starting Panerai's long history of innovation.
1934: Giuseppe and Maria inherited Guido Panerai’s father’s business. Maria is responsible for running the "Orologeria Svizzera" watch workshop, while Gisele continues to cooperate with the Italian Royal Navy to provide underwater special instruments, flashlights, wrist compasses and wrist depth measurement instruments. The future birth of the Radiomir and Luminor series of watches should be attributed to Gisé's efforts.
1936: The first RADIOMIR prototype watch is born. On the eve of World War II, Panerai developed the first prototype of the "Radiomir" watch for use by the frogmen of the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy. Many features of this watch still remain today: large stainless steel pillow case (47 mm in diameter), luminous numerals and hour markers, linear lugs welded to the case, hand-wound mechanical movement, wide The extended waterproof strap can be worn outside a wetsuit. Navy historical archives record that only 10 prototype watches were produced in 1936.
1938: RADIOMIR, a watch that continues to evolve. The Radiomir watch, which inherited the characteristics of the 1936 prototype, did not enter mass production until two years later. In order to make this prototype watch better perform its functions, Panerai made many improvements and launched a new Radiomir watch. The new watch has the following features: a double-layer dial, the upper dial has hands and digital time scales, which enhances the readability and luminous properties of the radium coating; the linear lugs are more sturdy and durable, with metal rods at both ends, welded in the middle of the case. The visibility of the dial under water has also been enhanced, with eye-catching Arabic numerals and other hour markers on the four cardinal directions, hour and minute hands, and no small seconds.
1940: RADIOMIR 1940 case. The requirements of the Royal Navy have become even more demanding: watches must be able to withstand the long-term test of the harshest underwater conditions. Therefore, it must have extremely high fatigue resistance. The lugs are reinforced to meet these requirements and cast in one piece with the case to increase its water resistance.
Some of today's "Radiomir 1940" models feature pillow-shaped cases with more pronounced edges on both sides, modified general dimensions of individual parts, and a cylindrical (rather than tapered) winding crown. The Radiomir 1940 special edition model launched at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva in 2012 drew inspiration from these characteristics.
1943: MARE NOSTRUM watch. The Panerai watch factory has launched a prototype watch specially designed for civilian naval officers on duty: the Mare Nostrum dual-dial chronograph. It is said that only two or three of this watch were produced at that time. Only some photos of them can be seen today, and only one of them was discovered in 2005. Panerai began to initially develop and design this watch in the 1940s. The half-moon steel crown guard prevents seawater from penetrating into the case and protects the crown seal from damage due to winding stress.
1949: RADIOMIR was replaced by LUMINOR. Luminor can emit light by itself and replaces the original radium paint. This tritium (isotope of hydrogen)-based compound was patented on January 11, 1949, and the registered trademark is "Luminor". Inspired by this new patent, Panerai developed and launched another classic watch after the Radiomir – the Luminor watch.
1950: LUMINOR case. Radiomir has completed its evolution to Luminor. After World War II came to an end, Panerai continued the technical research it had conducted at the beginning of the war and perfected the development of Luminor. The new Luminor watch is unique because of its crown bridge protection. The linear lugs have also been strengthened and cast in one piece with the case. The case continues the pillow-shaped case and flat, wide case of the Radiomir 1940 model. Table frame. The model now equipped with this case is called Luminor 1950.
1956: Panerai developed the "EGIZIANO" watch. Panerai developed a Radiomir watch called "Egiziano" (Egyptian) for the Egyptian Navy. This watch is large in size (case diameter 58 mm) and durable: it is extremely waterproof and has a graduated bezel for calculating dive times. Its unique crown-protected bridge design first appeared on Panerai's prototype watch and was also recorded in the Italian Navy archives of the same year. It became the classic shape of Luminor watches and the iconic feature of the Panerai brand.
1956: Panerai accepted the commission from the Egyptian Navy and launched the Radiomir watch equipped with Angelus movement. The watch has an 8-day power reserve and a graduated timer with 5-minute intervals for calculating dive time.
1972: Panerai’s year of transformation. Guido's son Giuseppe Panerai passed away. Engineer Dino Zei took over the management of the Panerai family business and changed the company's name from "G.Panerai & Figlio" to "Officine Panerai S.r.L.", a name that already appeared on the first few models. During this period, Panerai remained a secret supplier to the Italian Navy. It has long-term provided and developed related instruments for the Italian Navy, including compasses with excellent waterproof functions in the deep sea, depth gauges worn on the wrist, and pressure-compensated underwater flashlights. This also opened a new chapter in Panerai's history. .
1980: The titanium diving prototype watch was released. The pressure-resistant design made the waterproof depth up to 1,000 meters.
1993: The first Panerai limited series. Panerai launches three limited edition watches for the first time to the public: Luminor, Luminor Marina and Mare Nostrum watches, which are inspired by military watches created for World War II and are used by many collectors. Compete with people who love Panerai watches to buy them. The collection was officially unveiled in September 1993 aboard the Italian Navy's cruiser Durand De La Penne, with Duke Amedeo D'Aosta in attendance to celebrate.
1997: Panerai becomes an important player in the fine watchmaking market.
The Richemont Group (formerly the Van Dun Group) acquired Panerai and later established a network of authorized distributors in Italy. In the following years, Panerai made its mark in the international high-end watch market. This series includes two models: Luminor and three Luminor Marina models. The Mare Nostrum watch was first launched in 1993. This new watch has a smaller frame, a screw-in bottom cover, and an auxiliary gear set around the hour ring.
2000: Panerai designed the Luminor Submersible 1000-meter professional diving watch, which fully complies with the Swiss Watch Industry Standard (NIHS) diving watch specifications and can withstand 1,000 meters of seabed pressure. The sapphire crystal glass on the surface is 5.1 mm thick, and the case layer is 3 mm thick. It is equipped with a special helium valve for pressure reduction.
2001: Panerai returns to its homeland. The Panerai store in Piazza San Giovanni in Florence reopened after careful renovation and decoration. This boutique is a gathering place for Panerai watch fans and collectors. In addition to the general watch series, the store also collects special collections that are rarely seen in the market.
2002: Panerai opened a watch factory in Neuchatel, Switzerland: this was a milestone year for Panerai. The brand integrates sophisticated Swiss watchmaking technology, unique design and exquisite craftsmanship. Relying on continuous technological research and development, Panerai continues to add new technologies and various functions to product design. Panerai also had the courage to explore the Asian market and opened Asia's first boutique in Hong Kong's landmark building, Landmark Prince.
2003: Panerai opened a store in Portofino.
2004: The Radiomir series becomes more prominent with the 8 Days model.
This watch has a retro feel and re-adopts the key to modern mechanical watches - the hand-wound 8-day power reserve movement that has successfully passed the test of Officine Panerai. The representative model for forty years uses the Angelus movement, while the latest model is based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre movement. The case diameter is 45 mm, which complements the brand's patented exquisite lugs and curved outer ring of the case. It is screw-in. The case back and crown ensure water resistance to a depth of 100 meters.
2005: The first in-house movement developed by Panerai, P.2002, is launched on the international market: this manual winding movement is equipped with a dual time function and an 8-day power reserve, similar to the 20 Angelus movement from the 1940s. This movement is named after the year Panerai founded its own watch factory, paying tribute to this watch brand originating from Florence.
2006: Panerai released the new 2006 Panerai watch and Ferrari watch series at the "SIHH Geneva Advanced Watch and Clock Fair". Following the launch of its first self-developed movement in 2005, the P.2002 movement, and the RADIOMIR 8-day power reserve GMT dual time model using this completely self-made movement, Panerai has continued to launch its second model. Luminor adopts 100% Panerai's self-made movement, 8-day power reserve GMT timetable, and creates the first watch series with a fully self-made movement - Manifattura Collection. The Manifattura watch series is absolutely loyal to Panerai's quality standards, with solid quality and a combination of precision technical performance and unique watch style.
In addition to Panerai’s new watches, another eye-catching series is the Ferrari watch series specially created for the Ferrari car factory. The appearance design of the Ferrari watch carefully refers to the car's engine mechanics, body lines and other details, fully revealing the distinctive style of the Ferrari sports car. Ferrari watches are divided into two series: Granturismo and Scuderia. The Granturismo series is full of elegant sports style; the Scuderia series highlights the power and racing elements. Both series of watches fully present exquisite sports style and sophisticated technical connotation.
2007: Panerai launches a new self-made movement. Panerai launches three new in-house movements designed and developed entirely in-house: P.2003, P.2004 and the innovative P.2005. P.2005 is equipped with a beautiful tourbillon specially made by Panerai watch factory, which perfectly integrates its sophisticated watchmaking tradition and also achieves device innovation.
In fact, the frame of the balance wheel and the pivoting escapement are not parallel to the balance axis, but perpendicular to it. Unlike the traditional tourbillon, the Panerai tourbillon frame rotates once every 30 seconds, while the traditional tourbillon frame only rotates once every 1 minute.
2008: Panerai launches P.9000 and P.2006 movements. Both movements are developed and produced by the Florentine-based watch brand. The P.9000 movement with a 72-hour power reserve is installed in the Luminor 1950 and Radiomir series models. The P.2006 movement evolved from the P.2004 single pusher chronograph movement. It adds a split timing function and can Controlled by the second pusher at 10 o'clock.
2009: Panerai and its boundless passion for the ocean. To express its love for the sea, Panerai plans to rebuild the 1936 Bermuda double-rail Eilean built by the legendary Fife shipyard. Restoring Eilean took a full three years. Thanks to the exquisite craftsmanship of the Francesco Del Carlo shipyard in Viareggio, Eilean has regained its former glory. After completing 40,000 hours of work, Eilean’s launching ceremony was held on October 22, at the Italian Navy’s sailing channel in La Spezia. The reissue of Egiziano reflects Panerai’s love for this watch. Egiziano was specially customized for the Egyptian Navy in 1956.
2010: Tribute to Galileo. In order to pay tribute to Galileo's first major invention 400 years ago, Panerai released three watches to commemorate the Tuscan genius: L'Astronomo, Lo Scienziato and the Jupiterium watch Panerai The Jupiterium prototype watch of the sea is a planetary watch. According to the principle of gravity, its perpetual calendar shows the relationship between the sun, moon, Saturn and other Galilean satellites, especially the four main satellites: Io to Jupiter. Wei Si. Thanks to the invention of the telescope, Galileo discovered the Galilean satellites in 1610. Panerai released its P.999 self-made movement and the first Panerai Composite watch at the International Haute Horlogerie Salon.
2011: Panerai launches bronze watch. The Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo is a limited edition watch launched by Panerai. It uses retro elements for the first time, especially the marine elements that have a deep connection with Panerai. Panerai P.3000 self-made movement is a further interpretation of Panerai brand watchmaking technology. Panerai has opened its third store in Paul Harbor, Florida.
2012: A tribute to the past: Panerai launches two RADIOMIR models equipped with classic 1940 cases. Panerai has relaunched its unique classic case, as well as two specially customized Radiomir 1940 models. Unlike prototypes and models produced in the late 1930s, the lugs of some Radiomir watches produced in the 1940s were not made from traditional welded steel wire, but were integrated with the case. Casting method, stronger and better waterproof. The new Radiomir 1940 watch returns to the classic 47 mm diameter dial, as well as other features inspired by the historical model: the Plexiglas?-protected dial, round bezel and cylindrical crown. (Panerai is not the owner of the Plexiglas? trademark.