Do you really understand the big Panerai watches?

　　As an authentic Italian watch manufacturer founded in 1860,Panerai, long supplied precision instruments, including timepieces, to the Italian military, a fact many are familiar with. What puzzles some friends is why the Panerai headquarters in the famous Italian city of Florence bears the sign 'Orologeria Svizzera' (Swiss Watch Shop). I believe those who have visited or read official Panerai introductions will find this 'oddity' quite easy to understand. There is even a record stating: In 1900, Panerai moved its workshop to the Palazzo Arcivescovile in Piazza San Giovanni, Florence. This workshop remains the location of Panerai's Florence headquarters today, and the 'Orologeria Svizzera' sign on the door is still faintly visible, showcasing Panerai's prestigious Swiss heritage. Many friends ask in confusion: shouldn't Panerai also be a Swiss brand? Does Panerai particularly admire Switzerland? Is it because Panerai is a member of the Swiss Richemont Group? In fact, these answers are not 'scientific'.

　　First, Panerai was once a distributor for Swiss watch manufacturers.

　　The 'Orologeria Svizzera' sign at the headquarters of the Italian watchmaker Panerai has its origins. In the early days, the Panerai company was a distributor for Swiss watch manufacturers such as Patek Philippe and Rolex, so the sign on the door was to tell everyone that this was once a watch shop, and specifically a shop selling famous Swiss watches. This is not hard to understand, as the Panerai company had long focused on the production and research of precision instruments related to military industry. Beyond these core businesses, the company opened a business distributing famous Swiss watches. Relevant documents contain this text: In 1934, Giuseppe and Maria inherited the business from Guido Panerai. Maria was responsible for managing the 'Orologeria Svizzera' workshop, while Giuseppe continued to cooperate with the Italian Royal Navy. This shows that the Panerai company had a very close relationship with some Swiss watch manufacturers; for example, the first military watch produced by Panerai for the Italian military (also the first watch produced by Panerai) used an automatic movement produced by Rolex. Later, being acquired by the Richemont Group was when Panerai began to transform into producing civilian watches, but that was 1993 years later, which is a long time compared to the history of that sign.

　　Second, Panerai was a purely military enterprise for a long time.

　　If Panerai had not been a purely military enterprise but also had strong civilian timepiece products, there would have been no need to advertise for others in front of its own door; taking care of its own brand would have been the priority. As mentioned above, the Panerai company's transformation from military to civilian use and its acquisition by the Richemont Group happened 1993 years later. However, Panerai was founded in 1860, and for a long time before that, it focused on military production, much of which was equipment or instruments related to the wrist, such as flashlights, wrist compasses, and depth gauges. It supplied not only the Italian Navy but also foreign militaries such as Egypt. During this period, Panerai invented night-vision materials called Radiomir and Luminor, respectively. Today, these two names have become the names of classic series after Panerai's civilian transformation. Therefore, in addition to the rugged appearance represented by the unique crown guard, the advantage of night vision has always been Panerai's specialty. Of course, as a pure military watch factory, it is understandable to do some overseas watch business related to the industry within the limits of the law. Moreover, keeping that sign there to this day shows Panerai's respect for the past or history, because don't forget that Patek Philippe and Rolex are competitors of the Richemont Group, and even some of their products are competitors of Panerai.

   Panerai Luminor 1950 series automatic mechanical watch PAM00351, this is a dressy Panerai featuring an automatic mechanical movement, stainless steel case, date display, exhibition case back, 44 mm case diameter, and 50 metres of water resistance.

　　Not only with Panerai, but looking back at watchmakers' pasts through history and tracing their growth trajectories allows us to discover the development and evolution of brands or the watchmaking industry itself, thereby understanding the features or expertise of these prestigious timepieces. This also provides an important perspective for getting to know watchmaking brands.