Are you ready to learn great facts about the Panerai radiomir watch? Then you have come to the right place. Officine Panerai which is mostly referred to as Panerai, might not be one of the largest and most famous companies that manufacture watches, but it is a brand which has a rich history and a strong reputation amongst watch users.
Panerai has a full range of watches which are based on different historical models of the brand. With the passing of time (no pun intended) the brand has expanded its range to be able to offer larger arrays of watches which include high horology complications and precious metals.
The brand of the watch is best known due to its oversized watches and iconic case design. Over the past years, there are watches which have been released from Panerai which were up to 60mm in diameter.
In building the brand to what it is now Panerai has tried to value its heritage and looked at it whenever developing improvements to their products.
Here are some fascinating facts about Panerai:
The models of Panerai initially were toxic (and they still might be) Panerai is a brand which is known for using large luminous indexes which makes them easy to read.
Their history dates back to when Panerai watches were used by the Italian Navy which was in need of watches which were readable easily while in the water. At that time, people didn’t know that the luminous material which was used in the indexes was from- Radium-which is one of the radioactive chemical elements that are found in the world.
When the material was used on the Panerai watches, nobody knew that it was dangerous but now in the modern world, people know about the dangers of Radium. When it was first used, Radium was even considered to be very healthy and a good treatment against cancer and other illnesses.
The worst part is that the luminous materials which were used in the Panerai watches were applied using bare hand and brushes. There are some female factory workers who used it to paint their nails while others even licked the brushes.
When the material was used on the Panerai watches, nobody knew that it was dangerous but now in the modern world, people know about the dangers of Radium. When it was first used, Radium was even considered to be very healthy and a good treatment against cancer and other illnesses.
The worst part is that the luminous materials which were used in the Panerai watches were applied using bare hand and brushes. There are some female factory workers who used it to paint their nails while others even licked the brushes.
They were radioactive and they still are. The half-life of Radium is 1600 years and thus, it means that they will continue being radioactive for a very long time. Even if the luminance does not glow in the dark as a result of the presence of the Zinc sulfide that is present in the paint wearing out, there is still radioactivity ongoing in the watch’s indexes.
Nowadays, the material which is used for the Panerai luminous indexes is not radioactive. Even though the old model of these watches tend to still be radioactive, the watches are still loved by those who collect Panerai watches due to their limited and exclusive nature.
· The Panerai brands were made for the Germany and Italian navy. The Panerai watch might be famous due to the fact that it is an Italian watch. In the beginning, the company used to supply watches for the German and Italian navy.
· Radiomir watches were the first ones to use plexiglass. When the Radiomir watches were released by Panerai in the 1930s the plexiglass didn’t have the negativity it is currently having in terms of having it on watches. But in the world today, many people see the Plexiglass as being cheap and something which should not be present in a watch which is considered to be luxurious.
When Panerai used plexiglass on their watches, it was not to save on cost, but rather, considered to be a new material which was revolutionary and came with great benefits. Unlike crystals or glass in watches the plexiglass didn’t break easily or shatter. Due to this fact, glass crystals were believed to be inappropriate when diving as the glass could break during the mission. While when it comes to scratches while the plexiglass is less resistant, it does not break as easily as glass.
· The Panerai company was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy. Unlike the majority of luxury watch brands, the Panerai was not founded in Switzerland but instead, founded in Florence, Italy. Nowadays the Panerai watches are manufactured in Switzerland and you can easily see this on the bottom of the dial where it is written “Swiss made”
Panerai was founded by Giovanni Panerai:He lived between 1825 to 1897 and founded the company with a shop, workshop and watch making school.