Panerai

Giovanni Panerai (1825-1897) opened his first watch shop in Florence, Italy in 1860. His grandson Guido Panerai expanded the business and in 1915 invented radium-illuminated gun sights, leading to the Radiomir luminous compound. Panerai became an official supplier to the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy), providing precision diving instruments. Between 1935 and 1970, the Florence workshop delivered approximately 1,600 diving watches, mostly to the Italian Marina Militare. Watch cases were manufactured by Rolex, with movements supplied by Cortébert. Panerai produced only the dials. In 1950, the Luminor case design with its crown-protecting bridge was patented. The GPF 2/56 was produced for the Egyptian Navy in 1956. Around 1965, Panerai developed Luminor, a tritium-based luminous compound replacing radioactive Radiomir. Military production ceased by 1970. The brand entered the civilian market in 1993 with limited editions. Sylvester Stallone wore a Luminor in the 1996 film Daylight, sparking global interest. Vendôme Luxury Group (now Richemont) acquired Panerai in 1997. In 2002, Panerai opened its manufacture in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and in 2005 launched its first in-house movement, the P.2002.