Today I had the chance to stop by at the auctioneer Dr. Crott in Mannheim/Germany. Their 84th upcoming auction features a 3646 / Type C which I wanted to see “in real” before it finds a new owner. After the nightmare experience last week when I was contacted by a collector regarding a fake 3646 “Kampfschwimmer”, it was a pleasure to see such a “raw diamond” as described below:

This “Kampfschwimmer” watch is to me what a vintage Panerai collector can dream of. It appears to be put away in a drawer for decades. It shows a lot patina and proof of wear with thousands of super fine scratches which give the case a nearly matte finish. Lovely aged – I would never put a polishing tool on it. This proof of age is something which have to be kept on this watch (hopefully) by its future owner… Put away in a drawer for decades also mean that it needs a service. I recommend the future owner to go to his “watchmaker of trust” to clean the movement and fix the crown tube.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010147
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Actually the crown can’t be screwed down to the case as the tube has no winding grip anymore. Known as “the #1 part to be worn off”, the onion shaped crown is always something to be sensible with. Imagine that the crown has to be used evey day and if the watch gets many wrist time (which has obviously been the case in this piece…) one day a new tube is needed.

My personal review:
The plexi: original, never polished, shows scratches and wonderful cracks inside, the rare “volcano dome” shape, lurking a bit above the bezel – just as it should be and similar on many other 3646 watches.
Dial and hands: anonymous dial, nicely aged, numbers and markers fading colors from yellow to orange, including some typical cracks inside the luminous material. Both hands appear to have the original luminous material, not broken out, complete pair. Hands show partially stain, a proof that they have never been polished and/or fixed. Nice blueish shine in different ankles…!
The case: full size Ref. 3646 body, never polished. Typical shape of 3646 / Type C watches. Lugs without damage. Patina all over, proof of “age & use” let it look matte – great!
The caseback: fantastic and rare tatoo-style engraved initals with owner’s initials “HD” and “Marine-Kampfschwimmer 1945″. A true tool watch used in WW2. The inside of the caseback shows the typical Rolex SA embossing known for 3646 / Type C watches. Reference and case number 1010147 matching our database perfectly. No surprise at all. Another piece of the puzzle added.
The Rolex movement: typical Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 (17 Jewels, no incabloc). A service is recommended, as the crown is not winding down onto the case to close the watch, tube has to be fixed.
Extra: the buckle part of the original leather strap is still with the watch! These buckles are hard to find alone, especially those which have not bent down. A strapmaker can make the other part in similar leather or take off the buckle from the original strap to create a complete new strap in same color and style.

You can also read and see more about the different versions of Ref. 3646 watches in our 2nd book “Vintage Panerai – The References”. [Volker Wiegmann]

Recently we have added another yet unknown watch into our database.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 1010168
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

You can read and see more about the different versions of Ref. 3646 watches in our 2nd book “Vintage Panerai – The References”. Find the illustrations of  ref. 3646 / Type A – C casebacks here.

After the auction house Dr. Crott has provided more details to us, we were able to add the watch into our database with all important features to compare it with other existing watches of this number group.

Our database entry (click above) shows the following detials: Inner caseback signed 1010147. Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement. Anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dial with aged numbers and markers. Steel hands. Original, nicely aged Plexiglas. Onion shaped “Brevet+” crown.

This watch will be auctioned at Auktionen Dr. H. Crott on their 84th auction on november 12th, 2011. Further details about this LOT 33090 are published at their website. You can also read and see more about the different versions of Ref. 3646 watches in our 2nd book “Vintage Panerai – The References”.

We hope it will find a good new home!

A very interesting 3646 / Type C watch will be auctioned at Auktionen Dr. H. Crott on their 84th auction in November 2011. Further details of the auction and this LOT will be published at their website soon.

The watch is matching in all details with our database. Until today 39 watches of this type are known, and only 4 of them have an anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dial. The caseback bears a rare engraving (“Marine Kampf-Schwimmer 1945″) with the initials “HD” of the german frogmen. It comes with the original brass coated buckle and one part of the original strap.

A similar watch can be found in chapter I.III of our book “Vintage Panerai – The References”. We hope it will find a good new home!

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010147
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

[Photo courtesy of Auktionen Dr. H. Crott / S. Pflaesterer]

The Ref. 3646 Panerai watch with the “Einsatzgruppe Keller” caseback engraving is the 6th watch in our book “Vintage Panerai - The References” (chapter I.III), published in 2009.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Radiomir Panerai” (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010117
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

The Ref. 3646 Panerai watch with the “Marine Kampf- schwimmer” engraving is the 5th watch in our book “Vintage Panerai - The References” (chapter I.III), published in 2009.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Radiomir Panerai” (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010186
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

The 3646 ”Lehmann-Radiomir” is the second watch in our book “Vintage Panerai - Watches with History” (chapter I.II), published with 9 different photos and its complete history in 2007.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Radiomir Panerai”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010186
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

An example of our classification work: The reference 3646 is divided into seven production groups (Type A – Type G), of which the different caseback markings and numbers (inside) are just one of the most important indicators.

The illustration shows the following caseback versions:
Ref. 3646 / Type A Oyster Watch Co (large)
Ref. 3646 / Type B Oyster Watch Co. (small)
Ref. 3646 / Type C Brevetee Rolex S.A.

You can read and see more about the different versions of Ref. 3646 watches in our 2nd book “Vintage Panerai – The References”.

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.

Although I had collected Panerai for several years, my jaw dropped when I was first able to see in person a vintage Panerai wristwatch. Thinking about the events it had ’seen’ was thrilling to me, but equally as much was knowing its role as the inspiration for the modern watches that we all know today.

Among the vintage models, the 3646 always held a special place for me. It was the first production Panerai watch and what helped the small Italian company to become a leading supplier of military wristwatches and precision instruments for many decades to come. I always said to myself should I be fortunate enough to own a vintage, that it would be my first choice. Only recently, after many months of searching (and some sleepless nights), my dream was achieved.

While I also appreciate the contemporary watches of today’s Panerai, the differences found in every vintage piece makes each uniquely special. Learning about the technical differences and historical background of each watch is something I can take part in for many years to come.

As a friend commented to me when I first acquired my 3646, ‘these watches drip history’.  
I could not have said it better myself.