Officine Panerai, which is also simply known as Panerai, was founded by watchmaker Giovanni Panerai in 1860 in Florence. It was not only the watch shop but also the first watchmaking school in the city. Since 1936, this watchmaking company became official supplier of the Italian Royal Navy. The brand was associated with and only manufactured timepieces for the Navy throughout war times. Symbolically, in 1993, Panerai watches jumped into the civil market and were finally able for its enthusiastic fans to purchase.
Panerai filed numerours patents in its history. The first innovation is making use of Radiomir, a radium-based powder, to provide brighter dials of instruments and sightseeing devices in 1916. Since then the brand has worked to create watches with maximum practicality. Today, well-known Penerai watch collections such as Radiomir, Luminor, Luminor 1950, Luminor Due are available.
Panerai Watches And Celebrities
It all started in 1995, actor Sylvester Stallone discovered this Italian timepiece at a boutique when he was filming the movie Daynight in Rome and wore a Panerai Luminor watch on the set.
With its history of producing timepieces for the military, Panerai watches are well-known to be intertwined with Hollywood action movie scenes. Famous action stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Rock Dwayne Johnson have shown their love for Panerai watches. Besides, Panerai watches have been seen worn and beloved by singers, CEOs, and former presidents.
In 2021, the brand named Chinese actress Dilraba as its first female global brand ambassador for Panerai Piccolo Due, that is also the first watch collection for ladies.
Here, we have summarized 8 Panerai watches that are oftern worn by celebrities.
1. Panerai Luminor Logo Pre Vendome
1993 was an iconic year for Panerai. In that year, their signature watch, Panerai Luminor, was finally introduced to the public. Since then, the collection has received enormous success.
The 5218-201/a was the first Luminor watch out in the market. With the black dial of 44 mm and 3.5 mm thickness of sapphire crystal, this watch has a classic look and is the first generation of Panerai Luminor. Besides, 5218-201/a is also nicknamed “Logo” as it has the brand’s “OP” (Officine Panerai) logo right above the number “6” on its dial.
This Luminor masterpiece that was worn by Sylvester Stallone in Daynight was auctioned off in December 2020 with a total of about HKD1,671,000, marking it as one of the highest prices of the brand in vintage market.
2. Panerai Luminor 1950 GMT
The Panerai Luminor 1950 was initially produced to enhance the night vision accuracy of viewing time for the Italian Navy. The Panerai Luminor 1950 series is historic with elegance.
Star Dwayne Johnson was spotted with what appears to be the PAM01321 from the Luminor 1950 line when being a guest speaker at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in 2016. The Luminor 1950 GMT ref. PAM01321 automatic watch features a 44mm stainless steel case surrounding a black dial on a black alligator leather strap.
3. Panerai Luminor Due
The Panerai Luminor Due series is a reinterpretation of the Luminor 1950. It kept the design of the Luminor 1950 but reduced the thickness of the case making it thinner for its line.
Besides, the robust cushion case, the large dial surrounded by the bezel, the strongly integrated lugs, and the bridge-shaped device which seals the crown with a lever, all the elements come from the signature Luminor 1950.
As seen on American actor Justin Hartley on Golden Globes 2018 Red Carpet, the PAM00674 is a classic one from the range. This watch has a diameter of 45 mm. It has a sun-brushed black dial with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers, a small second sub-dial at 9 o’clock. It is also powered by Panerai Caliber P.4000 which offers 3-day power reserve plus the function of water-resistant up to 30 meters.
4. Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Oro Rosso
One of the iconic spin-off models from the Panerai Luminor collection is the Panerai Luminor Marina. Luminor Marina watch has a small seconds indicator on the left at 9 o’clock. It is a distinguishing feature of several Panerai watches, particularly the Luminor Marina.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom has been spotted out wearing a Luminor Marina 8 Days Oro Rosso (PAM00511) from the range. This wristwatch has 44 mm diameter and water resistance up to 300 meters. Equipped with a manual winding movement, this watch has an impressive 8-day power reserve. The stylish Panerai Luminor Marina is a great option for your everyday lifestyle.
5. Panerai Submersible Carbotech™
The masculine Panerai Submersible segment originated from Luminor collection. It was first introduced in 1998 and was created as a professional diving watch. Each timepiece from the range provides water-resistant functionality up to 300 meters.
Spotted on English star Jason Statham in production of Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, the Panerai Luminor Submersible PAM01616 is 47 mm in diameter, black dial with bright bold blue luminous coating skeleton hands in which it provides a clear reading in time in the dark. The PAM01616 is powered by the brand’s in-house caliber P.9010 with 3-day power reserve.
6. Panerai Luminor Submersible
Apart from his love for Panerai watches in private, Dwayne Johnson wore this Panerai Luminor Submersible PAM01305 on a scene in San Andreas.
This wristwatch features a large black case (47 mm in diameter) with illuminated hour markers and dots. There is date window at 3 o’clock, and small seconds at 9 o’clock. With its lightweight titanium case, it can be worn comfortably for a long period of time.
7. Panerai Radiomir L’Egiziano
The Panerai Radiomir watches are luminous, bold, and functional.
Today’s Panerai Radiomir watches followed the creation of the Panerai Radiomir PAM03646. It retains many elements from the Panerai watch PAM03646, for example, a 47 mm diameter case with large cushion-shaped, luminous numerals and indexes, and the leather strap. Radiomir was firstly created in 1916 and is the brand’s first patent.
The “Egiziano” (Egyptian) PAM00341, for instance, is a limited edition of the Panerai Radiomir collection and is often worn by the Hollywood legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger. The watch has a huge diameter of 60 mm, a black dial with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers, and a second sub-dial at 9 o’clock. The bidirectional rotating bezel is made of brushed titanium.
8. Panerai Radiomir 1940 10 DAYS GMT AUTOMATIC ORO ROSSO
When the Italian Navy requested a timepiece with longer durability in water, the brand reworked the Radiomir in 1940 and created Radiomir 1940.
The Rock Dwayne Johnson is spotted wearing Radiomir 1940 10 Days GMT Automatic Oro Rosso (PAM00625). Panerai’s famous sandwich dial is featured on the PAM00625 with a GMT function and an incredible 10-day power reserve. It also includes a skeletonized movement and a nice display caseback. The Rock’s huge wrist is well complemented by this big 47mm timepiece. The strap is made of a basic yet robust black alligator strap that lends the watch strength while remaining flexible. It may be dressed up with a suit. The wristwatch is also extremely rare as it is only limited to 150 pieces.
