Founded in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai in Florence, Italy, Panerai has grown from its roots as a timepiece store and watchmaking school into a global luxury brand that makes some of the most recognizable Swiss-made watches on the market.
Panerai watches have been a symbol of quality, design, and craftsmanship for over 125 years. It is the only luxury Swiss watch brand that is produced in the same factory as the famous Rolex brand. Panerai watches are a prestigious and high-luxury brand. It has a classic design and is one of the most sought-after watches among watch lovers. Find your dream watch from our selection of Panerai watches for sale.
During the early part of Panerai’s history, the company was an official supplier of precision instruments to the Italian Royal Navy. In 1916, the company received a patent for a radium-based luminous substance called Radiomir, which it used on those military instruments. A few decades later, in 1949, Panerai received another patent for its luminous substance, this time called Luminor. As we’ll soon see, these once luminescent material names became the names for the most famous Panerai watches for sale: the Radiomir watch and the Luminor watch.
In 1935, Panerai developed a prototype watch for the Italian Royal Navy, modifying an existing Rolex watch. The waterproof cushion-shaped case, wire lugs, stark yet well-lumed dial, and oversized winding became signature details of the Radiomir watch as we know it today.
In the 1950s, Panerai developed a dive watch for the Egyptian Navy featuring a crown-protecting device and a rotating bezel to calculate immersion times. The oversized crown-protecting device operated by a lever is the signature design detail of modern Luminor Panerai watches while the rotating dive bezel is part and parcel of the modern Submersible models.
During most of its history, the public couldn’t buy Panerai watches; they were reserved for military use. This changed in 1993 when Panerai introduced three collections for civilians. Three years later, actor Sly Stallone wore a Panerai in the Daylight movie and propelled Panerai into the culture. In 1997, Richemont Group purchased Panerai and grew it into a global luxury watch brand.
Today, most Panerai watches for sale fall into four main collections: the vintage-inspired Radiomir with wire lugs and unprotected crown, the bold Luminor with the distinctive crown-protector, the slimmed down and dressier Luminor Due, and the dive-ready Submersible.
Despite the various models and collections, what you’ll almost always find when you buy Panerai watches are broad cushion-shaped cases, a mix of Arabic numerals and batons for hour markers, plenty of lume on the dials, and leather or rubber straps. In short, Panerai watches can be spotted a mile away thanks to their particular style, and that strong design language has garnered plenty of fans, affectionately referred to as Paneristis.
Along with a specific aesthetic that’s largely based on vintage military dive-ready watches, Panerai has been focused on developing and using cutting-edge materials in recent years. For instance, there’s Ti-Ceramitech (a blend of titanium and ceramic) Carbotech (a carbon fiber alloy), BMG-Tech (a metallic glass alloy), and Ceramica (a Zirconium Oxide-based synthetic ceramic). In addition to these modern materials, there are also plenty of Panerai watches for sale made from more traditional materials such as stainless steel, titanium, gold, and platinum.
Although Panerai’s roots are Italian, the company now makes high-end Swiss-made watches, powered by mechanical movements. For instance, the Top Gun Pilot’s Watches, named after the famous