Panerai

As supplier to the Royal Italian Navy and specialist in high-precision mechanisms, Panerai perfected the world's first underwater timepieces in the 1930s, which were not only waterproof at 650 feet, but luminescent as well. Until recently these beautifully designed and technically proficient watches were known only to the Italian military and to a select group of connoisseurs, but today they have become a worldwide phenomenon avidly collected by sportsmen and "Paneristi" throughout the world.Original photography commissioned for the volume highlights the unique technical aspects of Panerai designs, with special sections devoted to the precision instruments invented for the Italian navy, and to international collectors such as Sylvester Stallone and Mike Horn, who wore a Panerai Arktos designed especially for him while making the first-ever solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle from 1999-2000. An extensively researched catalogue raisonné of the firm's collections and archives provides a unique resource for collectors and watch specialists.