Luminor Panerai

Panerai’s history extends all the way back to 1860 when Giovanni Panerai opened his first boutique in Florence. The brand evolved to become the official time piece of the Royal Italian Navy mostly due to the watches performance underwater and its easy readability. This enhanced readability was marked by todays iconic model, the Luminor which used a luminous substance that makes the numbers on the dial glow. This model is also iconic with its crown protecting bridge with reinforced wire lugs made with the same block of steel as the case.
The Luminor actually takes center stage and becomes a huge hit in 1997 after Richemont group acquired Panerai. This acquisition had a lot to do with Sylvester Stallone who discovered Panerai while browsing a jewelers shop in Rome. When describing this encounter Stallone said, “I immediately knew this watch had star power”.
Stallone infact ordered several Panerai’s that he gifted to many of his friends including Arnold Schwartzneger. This celebrity fascination with Panerai continued as we have seen Panerai on the wrists of Jason Statham, Dwayne the Rock Johnson, as well as Hugh Grant.
Luminors success story continues today due to its full range of models with advanced functions from the GMT, full chronographs as well as Tourbillons. This year marks Luminors 70th anniversary and Panerai’s commitment to evolve Luminors offering with the use of innovative materials and remarkable engineering.