Four men, four watches, fourhundredandfourteen pages of history – so far… The translation process from our german core text into italian and english language has been started and will be embedded into the layout of the first volume “history1″ in february.

After months of construction, the chapters’ pages will be filled up with complete content in all three languages very soon… Meanwhile there are more than 200 historic photos which need some kind of a “cure” to appear nice…

Further details will be published soon. Thanks for being patient.
[Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

The text of the four chapters are ready for translation. By completing the last watch description of our new book we crossed the 400 page mark.

Further details will be published soon. Thanks for being patient.
[Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

Panerai watches entered my life in the spring of 1998 while on holiday in Florence. Little did I know, how much my life was going to change. The simple design and the rich military history had me scouring the internet to find out more and more about this special time piece that I couldn’t even pronounce correctly.

Over the years of collecting and researching, it always seems to brings you back to the beginning of it all… Vintage Panerai.

In 2006, after about a year of looking for the right one, an opportunity opened up for me to get a Radiomir Panerai, 3646 / Type C. With the help of a friend, the dream came true. 60 years of history was now a reality. With it’s clean dial and simplicity of the case with the Rolex movement, the 3646 says it all.

I suppose that I have always been a “collector” of things, starting with bottle caps, baseball cards and comic books when I was a child to Oktoberfest steins as an Adult. My interest in watches came rather late. I started with simple watches, but very quickly became interested in older timepieces. This lead me to pocket watches and of course eventually Panerai.

I never really thought that I would have the chance to own a vintage Panerai so I purchased many modern pieces. Eventually, the opportunity to buy an original 3646 “Kampfschwimmer” with complete provenance was placed in front of me. I did not hestitate to sell many pieces that took me years to collect in order to buy it.

My connection to Panerai is simple. The deep history is endless and the people that I have met along the way are priceless and will be friends forever. Everytime I stare at the patina on the dial, I see that that watch is still alive. It has many stories to tell and will have many more even after I am gone. I am fortunate that I have been given the opportunity to preserve the watch for the next generation.

www.paneristi.com – the unofficial resource for Officine Panerai - is celebrating it’s tenth anniversary in 2010. Today, the moderators of paneristi.com have announced a special edition watch (PAM360), which can be ordered at Panerai via e-mail only. Read more here.

Kudos to all involved persons behind this project, especially Mr. Angelo Bonati, his crew and the owners and moderators of paneristi.com!

photo credits: www.panerai.com / www.paneristi.com

It happens rarely, and probably only in Italy, that you can spot a Vintage Panerai on a wrist “in the wild”. So it was when we visited the Museo Technico Navale (“Arsenale”) in La Spezia during the X Meeting Club Panerai.

Our museum guide was wearing a stunning Ref. 6152/1 with “Marina Militare” dial, Rolex movement, double pencil hands (sharp heads). The caseback bears a rare S.M.Z M.M. matriculation number. Fantastic piece – one more for our database!

Packing my bags today to travel to Viareggio for the long weekend, meeting Panerai collectors from Italy, Europe and Overseas. Radiomirs and Luminors at its best! It will be exciting to see especially one yet surfaced 3646 watch again, which have been auctioned recently and took a long way to his new owner.

Read some travel reports of the last Club Panerai Meetings published at paneristi.com here.

Wishing all attendees safe travels and a great time – a presto! [Volker Wiegmann]

A collection of various Officine Panerai torches.

Top left and and base left: GPF Mod. Dep. 3002, lenght 16 cm. Waterproof 50 meters. Panerai patent 563039 / november 14th 1956.

Top right: “Elux” torch (blue light). GPF Mod. Dep. 3002, lenght 17 cm. Waterproof 50 meters. Panerai patent 563039 / november 14th 1956.

Base right: “VIDOR” torch (made in Britain), equipped with Panerai patented mechanism, signed “Brevet IT 563039″. Lenght 25 cm.

Two rare combat knifes used by italian and german units in the 2nd world war, placed on an original newspaper dated november 1944.

The photo shows a group of german “Kampfschwimmer” units winding their Panerai watches. This type of knife is visible on the right unit’s belt, fixed by a carabiner.

You can read more about combat swimmer’s equipment in our first book “Vintage Panerai – Watches with History”, chapter III.

“Inclinometro Elux Panerai” – Inclinometer for tanks, measuring degrees (+/- 30) by an enclosed black ball infront of an electroluminescent panel (case size 14,5 x 5,5 cm). See small detail images: daylight (zero level), nightview (1 degree left).

A 3 digit matriculation number is placed on the backside of the power unit. Produced in 1971. Brevetto 846567 (october 1968).