PAA03164 Libretto OK.qxp_exPAA03045 29/07/15 08:50 Pagina 18
HISTORY
Since 1860, Guido Panerai & Figlio in Florence had been producing precision
instruments with a high level of technical content, becoming a supplier to the
Royal Italian Navy. These instruments have indissolubly associated the name
Panerai with marine exploration, time measurement and the development of a
particular standard of quality and safety, a fundamental requirement for
supplying the armed forces.
Officine Panerai began producing watches in March 1938 with the Radiomir, a
model which played a part in the exploits of the commandos of the Italian
Navy who wore it on their wrists.
The Panerai Luminor has been recognised as a historically important watch by
virtue of the robustness and originality of its design; the small number of
examples produced, together with the first Radiomir watches, are some of the
rarities most sought-after by collectors in the field.
Since 1993, Officine Panerai has offered updated Luminor and Radiomir
models on the international market, thus becoming one of the undisputed
leaders in the haute horlogerie sports sector.
Making excellent use of the resources of the Panerai Manufacture, highly
reliable, technologically avant-garde watches are being created; these are
watches meeting the criteria of craftsmanship inherited from the traditions of
the past, tested to resist extremely strong adverse influences.
Panerai watches are distributed through a highly selective international
network of watch specialists as well as through the Panerai boutiques. The
The Panerai boutique in Florence in the early 1900s.
addresses are available on our website www.panerai.com.
19