From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: the different collections of Panerai, and their differences.
Created to meet the needs of the Italian Navy in the early 1900s, Panerai watches did not reach
a mainstream audience until 1993, when they began to offer their collection to the public.
A huge part of Panerai’s success is their highly recognizable design blueprint,
which remains faithful to the original Italian designs of the early to mid-20th century.
While this makes Panerai watches some of the most recognizable watches ever,
it can also be difficult for new collectors to grasp the difference between their designs,
which are more diverse than ever before.
With that, here’s our simplified guide to Panerai’s main watch collections.
Today’s Panerai Radiomir (radio-meer) references the
brand’s earliest military watches from the 1930s.
The term “Radiomir” was derived from the luminous
radium-based paint that Panerai used to make the dials glow in the dark.
The defining characteristics of the original Radiomir watches were:
a 47mm cushion-shaped case, an oversized onion-shaped crown, a simple dial with luminous
hands and indexes, and a water-resistant strap long enough to fit over wetsuits.
Of these, the case shape and crown are still found on today’s Radiomir;
while the case size has been expanded to 42, 45, 47, and 48mm.
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The Radiomir 1940, as its name suggests,
is a tribute to the modified versions of the Radiomir released in the 1940s.
Panerai changed the Radiomir’s lugs from thinner wires welded onto the case, into
broader lugs made from the same block of steel, for stronger resistance to elements underwater.
The corners of the case are also more pointed than those of the previous models;
and the winding crown is cylindrical, rather than flared or onion-shaped.
Just like the Radiomir, the original Luminor watches got their name from the
luminescent paint compounds used on their dials.
In 1949, Panerai switched from the toxic radium-based paint,
to Luminor, a safer tritium (tree-tium) based
paint that is also more luminous. In 1950, Panerai released the Luminor – a
case characterized by its crown-protecting bridge, wire lugs created from the same block of steel as
the case, a 47mm cushion-shaped case similar to the Radiomir 1940, and a flat wider bezel.
In 1993, designer Alessandro Bettarini created the modern Panerai Luminor. He brought back
the crown-protector bridge and the Luminor name from the archives, but with a smaller 44mm case.
In 2002, Panerai introduced the Luminor 1950 case in the form of the Luminor Pam 1-2-7.
A homage to the original Panerai combat reference 6-1-5-2 created in 1950,
it reprised the original 47mm case - the highly domed crystal protecting the dial and of course,
the now iconic crown protecting device.
With its resounding success, it laid the groundwork for today’s Luminor 1950 collection.
What sets the Luminor 1950 apart from the Luminor case is a domed,
taller crystal and a crown guard device marked R-E-G-T-M.
Launched in 2018, the Luminor Due (doo-eh) line is a more refined and fancier take on the Luminor.
Positioned as elegant and dressier alternatives to the robust Luminor models,
its restrained proportions open up the Panerai line to a new audience,
who are looking for more wrist-friendly case dimensions.
Luminor Due watches also have much lower water resistance of 30 meters,
which categorizes them more as dress watches rather than dive watches.
Originally part of the Luminor collection,
the Submersible line was segregated as a dedicated line of dive watches in 2019.
What sets them apart from other Panerai watches is that they come equipped with standard dive
watch requirements – such as water resistance of up to 300 meters and unidirectional rotating
bezels.In sum, they are actually dive watches, as opposed to luxury watches inspired by diving.
With this simplified guide, we hope you you’ll be able to distinguish between Panerai models,
and be on your way to becoming a true Paneristi.
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