OfficinePanerai

Panerai Ltd. Edition Radiomir Egiziano

As The Classicist noted in a column on Officine Panerai, the watchmaker founded in Florence in 1860, the firm got its start by supplying timepieces (and other instrumentation) to the Royal Italian Navy or Marina Militare. However they also produced special commissions for the elite branches of other countries' armed forces. One highly collectible example of such is a model made for the Egyptian Navy in 1956, limited to only 50 examples. Panerai has now ressurected the watch, dubbed the Radiomir Egiziano (above), for a new limited run. Only 300 pieces will be available at about $30,000 each. The watch features features a large lightweight brushed titanium case, a hand-wound movement with an 8-day power reserve, and a bi-directional rotating bezel. It comes on a thick tan leather strap fitted with a titanium buckle.

Tags: Diving, Egypt, Italy, Military, Officine Panerai, OfficinePanerai, Panerai

Peerless Panerais in NYC Watch Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

In our regular coverage of the world's top watch auctions we usually concentrate on the highest-priced timepieces, which are almost without exception made by Patek Philippe.

On the occasion of Christie's Important Watches sale in New York on Dec. 12 however, we thought we'd focus instead on the unusually high number of beautiful examples by Officine Panerai, the storied Italian brand that's opening a stylish new Manhattan boutique, as we mentioned the other day.

The Panerais on offer at the Dec. 12 auction range from a limited edition 1950 model Luminor (right) est. at $10,000 - $15,000, to an "eccentric seconds" Marina model, est. at $2,500 - $3,500. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Panerais at Auction

OVERSIZED STAINLESS STEEL LIMITED EDITION AUTOMATIC DIVER'S WRISTWATCH WITH DATE

OVERSIZED LIMITED EDITION STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC DIVER'S WRISTWATCH WITH DATE AND HELIUM ESCAPE VALVE

LIMITED EDITION STAINLESS STEEL WRISTWATCH

OVERSIZED STAINLESS STEEL WRISTWATCH WITH ECCENTRIC SECONDS

Tags: Christies, Officine Panerai, OfficinePanerai, Panerai

Panerai to Open NYC Boutique Next Month

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

In December, luxury Italian watch brand Officine Panerai will open a new boutique in New York City, its second stand-alone U.S. store (the other is in Los Angeles). Panerai has been on an expansion binge of late, with recently opened shops in Florence, Portofino, Hong Kong and Shanghai. In addition to the NYC store, openings are planned for Buenos Aires, Madrid, Qatar and Dubai. The furnishings in the Panerai Boutiques are inspired by the sea, as Panerai started out supplying instruments to the Royal Italian Navy. Teak and steel are the predominant materials employed in the shops' nautical design, while furnishing details evoke diving suits and equipment, with porthole-shaped display panels recalling yacht fittings.

Tags: entertainment-awards, New York, New York City, NewYork, NewYorkCity, Officine Panerai, OfficinePanerai, Panerai

The Classicist: Panerai Past & Present

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Photo by Éric Sauvage and Nils Herrmann

Officine Panerai, founded in Florence in 1860, makes some of the most coveted wristwatches in the world. They only produce a limited number of timepieces every year, and there's usually a long waiting list for new models costing several thousands of dollars. The company is credited with perfecting the world's first underwater watches in the thirties; many have imitated its oversized style and the numerous devoted Panerai collectors around the globe are known as "Paneristi." Since 1996 the company has also produced a line of watches for Ferrari and serves as the marque's official timekeeper. An impressive new slipcased volume, called simply Panerai, about to be published by Flammarion, details the fascinating history of these beautiful watches.

Early on the company became the official supplier to the Marina Militare (the Royal Italian Navy), initially providing optical and mechanical instruments. In 1910 they began experimenting with luminous materials to make the instrument dials visible in the dark. In 1936 the Marina Militare asked Panerai to develop a wristwatch suitable for use by commandos under extreme conditions. Thus was born the oversized, water-resistant, luminous dial Radiomir, production of which began in 1938, cementing a place for Panerai in the pantheon of the world's great watchmakers.

Gallery: Panerai: Past & Present