Description
As official watch supplier to the Italian Naval Forces, Panerai has quite an interesting history. In 1860, Italian watchmaker Giovanni Panerai opened a watch shop in Florence that retailed popular brands such as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe. However, it wasn’t until the 1930’s that Panerai was commissioned to create professional dive watches for the Italian Marines. These watches needed to be highly accurate, waterproof, and legible in dark underwater conditions. The resulting watch – dubbed the Radiomir – utilized a highly legible “sandwich” dial with markers filled with radium-based luminescent paint. In 1949, Panerai improved on this design by creating a watch with safer tritium-based lime and a patented crown-protecting device that would ensure greater water resistance. This watch was called the Luminor. The Luminor was used extensively by the Italian Forces throughout the 20th century, and remains one of Panerai’s most iconic references today.
With its 44 mm stainless steel case, black sandwich dial, and patented crown protector, the Panerai PAM111 is a faithful modern recreation of the original Panerai Luminor pieces produced in the 1950’s. It features a water resistance of 300 meters, and is powered by Panerai’s OP II hand-wound movement, which is based on the tried-and-true ETA 6497.
This example of the Panerai Luminor Marina is in excellent pre owned condition, with minimal surface scratches on its case. It is sold with its original black rubber strap and stainless steel deployant buckle. There is a small nick in the crystal next to the 10 o’clock marker.
Feldmar Watch Company Certified Pre-Owned – 2 Year Warranty
