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拍品专文
Following the success of wristwatches made for the Italian Military from the 1930s to the 1950s, Officine Panerai was commissioned with the development of a new diving watch specifically for the Italian Navy. The watch had to be antimagnetic, waterproof to great depths and easy to read and two initial prototype designs were launched under the supervision of Alessandro Bettarini. Both versions were fitted with an ETA automatic movement, black dials with luminous 3, 6, 9 and 12 numerals and luminous baton hands. The dial was changed several times, two of the titanium versions, including the present one, featuring printed metal and Plexiglas dials, the final version using a thicker Plexiglas dial fitted with inset luminous Traser glow tubes replacing the baton markers, similarly the hands were fitted with glow tubes. Initial prototypes used Plexiglas crystals, replaced by a thick sapphire crystal in later editions. The titanium case featured canted fixed lugs, the bronze version a large circular case with movable lug, both with plain rotating bezels.
The final version was presented to the Italian Navy and although it successfully passed the rigorous tests, no orders were placed. The experiment however opened up the watch for the re-launch of the Officine Panerai brand had been established.
For a similar example produced in titanium please see lot 308 from Christie’s Important Watches, Geneva, 10th November 2014.
The final version was presented to the Italian Navy and although it successfully passed the rigorous tests, no orders were placed. The experiment however opened up the watch for the re-launch of the Officine Panerai brand had been established.
For a similar example produced in titanium please see lot 308 from Christie’s Important Watches, Geneva, 10th November 2014.