History of the Panerai Replica Luminor line

　　1993 was a pivotal year for both the panerai replica brand and its iconic Luminor.

　　It was then that the model with this name and its variety Luminor Marina were first introduced,which became available to the general public.

　　Prior to this,Panerai Replica watches were reserved for the military only.

　　But,the first Panerai Luminor made available to civilians in 1993.

　　Incorporating all the traditions of the past,Luminor watches very quickly gained worldwide fame.

　　But before returning to them,let’s take a look at the history of the brand itself and the events that led to the emergence of this legendary line of watches.

　　History of the Panerai brand

　　In 1860,Giovanni Panerai opened his own watch shop in Florence and very soon became the official dealer of leading Swiss brands,including Rolex,Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe.

　　And by the beginning of the twentieth century,Panerai became the official supplier of high-precision measuring instruments for the Italian Navy.

　　An important event was the invention of Radiomir powder containing radium,which made it possible to highlight the readings of the displays on the instruments.

　　The first of a series of patents was issued on March 23,1916.

　　At that time,the radiation effect of this substance was not yet known and it was widely used,even in food,toothpaste and cosmetics.

　　In 1935,the Italian Royal Navy approached Panerai Replica and other watchmakers with a request to develop a watch capable of operating under extreme conditions and showing the time accurately.

　　They were supposed to be used by combat swimmers of the First Submarine Group Command special forces.

　　Panerai introduced the first prototype in 1936,calling it the Radiomir after the luminescent composition used in watches.

　　All tests were passed successfully.

　　The first prototypes of Luminor watches

　　The 47 mm cushion-shaped case with a large,tapered crown was based on a Rolex pocket watch.

　　It used Staybrite stainless steel.

　　At that time,it was steel that provided the greatest protection against corrosion.

　　Ears were attached to the body in the form of a wide arc.

　　The watch was also worn on a water-resistant strap.

　　In addition,the caliber 618,developed for Rolex watches,was also used in the model.

　　Rolex caliber 618

　　At this stage,only 10 prototypes were produced with different dial designs,protected by a 4 mm thick Perspex crystal.

　　Reference 2553 used dashes and dots,while 3646 used Roman numerals on the top half of the dial and Arabic numerals on the bottom.

　　This design was also inspired by some Rolex models.

　　Such dials are now called“California”by collectors because a large number of Rolex Bubbleback models produced in the 1980s that used this style were manufactured by the California-based company.

　　Reference 3646 Radiomir with Roman and Arabic numerals

　　As a result,Panerai Replica won the tender of the Italian Navy and the first watch(reference 3646)was delivered to the customer in 1936.

　　Good readability was ensured by the special design of the dial in the form of a”sandwich”of two plates.

　　On top of the first,containing radium,the second was superimposed-with cut through indices and numbers that opened the luminescent coating.

　　Compared to the prototypes,four Arabic numerals were already used.

　　Later,the watch continued to be improved to meet the requirements of the military and in 1940 the wide bow for attaching the strap was replaced with more massive lugs as part of the steel case(reference 6152-1).

　　Further development of the model range

　　In the years that followed,Rolex ceased to be a supplier and Panerai began equipping its watches with the Angelus 240 movement,which had an eight-day power reserve,a significant step up from the Rolex Caliber 618’s 41 hours.

　　In addition to the Italian Navy,Egyptian sailors also showed interest in fake rolex watches in the 1950s.

　　Special variations of the Small Egiziano(reference 6154)were released without the crown protection system and slightly thinner than 6152-1.

　　In 1956,the Big Egiziano model(reference GPF 2/56)appeared with a diameter of as much as 60 mm and a rotating bezel with 60-minute markings to track dive time.

　　Both versions had the inscription Radiomir on the dial.

　　Deliveries to the Italian Navy continued,but in limited quantities and the military did not disclose these data.

　　Therefore,it is difficult to estimate the exact volumes.

　　Most experts agree that by 1992 no more than 300 copies were produced.

　　This fully explains why watches of those years are highly valued at international auctions.

　　The record for the cost of vintage Panerai watches was set at Sotheby’s auction,which took place on May 14,2014.

　　A very rare example of a 1955 Luminor steel model was sold for 425,000 Swiss francs.

　　This version had a rotating transparent polycarbonate bezel with small black or luminescent dots.

　　Judging by the fact that the detachable bezel was not used in any other models,this was one of the prototypes that was never put into production.