8145
Panerai
Ref. PAM00863
Luminor 1950 Sealand “Year of the Rat”
A limited edition and attractive stainless steel wristwatch with sparsello concealed dial, small seconds, date, warranty and presentation box, made for the Year of the Rat, numbered 56 of a limited edition of 88 pieces
Full-Cataloguing
- Limited edition watch with Chinese zodiac figure
- The Year of the Rat, end model of Panerai’s Luminor 1950 Sealand series
- Traditional Chinese symbol engraved using Italian engraving technique
- Panerai released the first Chinese zodiac Luminor Sealand, the Year of the Ox, back in 2009. Since then, each year a new zodiac watch would be released in correspondence with the zodiac year. In the 12th year, when it was the last year of the zodiac cycle, Panerai released a watch of the first zodiac, the Rat, in a limited edition of 88 pieces. Being typically the first zodiac in order, the Rat in this collection becomes the closing zodiac to this 12-year cycle.
- Despite being a Chinese traditional icon, the cover of the concealed dial is decorated with the Rat using a traditional Italian engraving technique called sparsello. The artisan engraves onto the metal then carefully fills gold into the carved grooves, making the Rat more visualizing.
- The watch houses the Panerai cal. P9010, which is an upgrade to the cal. P9000 used in previous Luminor 1950 Sealand zodiac watches. The three-day power reserve watch allows quick adjustment of the hour hand without affecting the minute hand, definitely a handy feature for frequent travellers. It also includes a hacking function, stopping the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out, which allows more accurate time adjustments.
- Released as a limited edition of 88 pieces, it is a symbol of good fortune and wealth in Chinese belief. The watch is preserved in excellent condition, surely a lovely addition to the collection of Chinese tradition and Italian craftsmanship admirers.
Panerai
Italian | 1860Known for its robust designs and large case sizes, Officine Panerai was established in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai in Florence, Italy. Around 1900, Giovanni's grandson Guido Panerai took over, and Panerai became the supplier to the Regia Marina — the Royal Italian Navy. After supplying the navy with high-precision instruments for a number of years, Officine Panerai created Radiomir, a radium-based powder that gives luminosity to the dials of sighting instruments and devices. By 1936, the Royal Italian Navy approached Panerai again with the request to design a watch resistant to extreme underwater conditions. The watch they created became known as the "Radiomir".
Panerai's watches made during the early twentieth century era were comprised of cases designed and manufactured by Rolex SA, with Cortébert, a Swiss manufacturer, supplying the majority of their movements. The most recognizable designs from the firm are the Radiomir and Luminor. To date, vintage models from the first half of the 1900s, such as the reference 3646 and 6152 models, remain the most desirable among collectors.