The famous watch brand Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence by Giovanni Panerai. Not long after its establishment, it became the official supplier of the Royal Italian Navy and expanded to building precision instruments. Among Panerai watches different series, the company is most famous for its Radiomir and Luminor Panerai Watches, notable for their use by Italian commando frogmen, who relied upon their Panerai watches to execute the sinking of Allied naval vessels in WWII.
By the 1930s, the workshop made a range of wrist-worn instruments for frogmen; compasses, depth gauges and the like so as to meet the special demand.
In 1993, officinal Panerai started to reproduce the Luminor, and the Mare Nostrum chronograph, basically for the purpose of meeting the collector’s demand. So, these were produced only in very limited numbers.
In 1997, officinal Panerai was acquired by the Vendôme group. Under the lead of some new bosses, a clever marketing move was launched. A few of “unique editions” were produced each year, with an intriguing movement or case design. Collectors were snapping up vintage models and “pre – Vendôme”, and that was just the beginning of the move. It will be intriguing to see what happens in the next few years.
Panerai issued many watches as either limited or special editions. It produced fewer watches than the market demands. It is this limited numbers that made them much more precious than ever. This clever marketing move was a turning point in Panerai’s history.

Panerai’s success with large watches has also led other companies to introduce larger Panerai Watches, including IWC, Swatch, and even Rolex.

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