Officine Panerai

amanico
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Back to the Roots

True Pieces of History >>>

I had the opportunity while meeting a friend yesterday to shoot a Radiomir 3646...

This is the 3rd Vintage I saw in the flesh...And it's always a great experience.

For a Panerai lover, making this trip back in the early times of the creations of this brand is just wonderful!

So guys, here is a big part of the Panerai History.

1st, this Radiomir 3646:

In 1936, we all know that the first ( Rad prototype apart, wit the ref 2533),Radiomir was the Cali...



Ok, I hear some saying that this Cali has a Rolex Case, a Rolex Dial, and a Rolex movement, so that this watch is more a Rolex than a Panerai...But, this is the 1st known reference, and the watch is not that ugly...LOL

In 1938, came the 3646, with a non Cali Dial...The same than the Cali, but with a dial made by Panerai, so for the extremists of the brand, this is the 1st Panerai...

This watch is a perfect example of wonderful design, purity and functionnality, even if I nebver got how military swimmers could no afford a more precise watch, I mean with a second hand...
for their Military operations...

Here is the beast:

The 1st pics I took were without the plexy, and you will understand why...

The dial is a pure masterpiece. This is a sandwich dial, with numers and indexes which get a fabulous patina...The color is close to my ex Marina Militare pre vendome with its non matching dial...Orange/brown...
Just splendid!







Now some pics with the plexy on the watch...

This watch in its original condition, the past owner, and the present one never gave it for anythin else than servicing the movement, so no polishing case, not changing plexy, nothing, as it was in the early time of its life, but with the years...
This is a stunning feeling when you see, and wear such a watch, you're literally shivering at its contact...
You feel the job of the Time on it...Not to speak about the supplement of soul...



The light conditions were very bad, so it amplifies the bad condition of the plexy in a dramatically way, as I had to use the flash...



But here is a quite nice pic of this Rad...As you can see it it's not THAT catastrophic...



The interesting thing is to compare this 3646 to a Pam 21, and a 232....

You will immediately notice that the 3646 is way thicker than the 2 others...
The plexy , the case back, all is bigger, higher, thicker on this 3646, and the shape of the plexy achieves to give this watch a perfect, harmonious look...God, help me ,and make that I forget this watch soooon! LOL
That 's why I regret that on the 232, Panerai didn't put a plerxy, as they did for the Cali...

Now let's see the case back...

The hint, first...



Defenitely, Rolex has something ot do with this watch...LOL
Not convinced? Let's call Cortebert!

I love a lot this pic...

The movement is not only reliable in any circumstances, it's also nice, very nice...



Well, this meeting was a confirmation for me, this Vintage Rad is something, this is pure Panerai DNA, a true piece of History, as the 2 piece I will post now, the 6152/1....

Well this watch belongs to Asi, and I took some pics of it during our last meeting in Paris, in a Restaurant...

If I had to choose only one Panerai Vintage, I'd go on a Small Egyptiano, as for me the nicest of all...
If I had to choose 2 watches, this will certainly be the 3646, and this one,thjis 6152/1!

Here is Asi's monster...

The Luminor came a bit later in the Panerai History, as it appeared in the years ' 40...
Ad was also used by the Italian Miitary Swimmers for their operations.

As you can see it on the first two pics, the watch is big, 47mm, like the Rad, but visually even more impressive than the Rad...Due to the shape of the case, and certainly, to the crownguard too...





THe luminescent material used for the numbers and indexes is not anymore Radium, like on the 3646, but a mix of Radium and Tritium, if I'm not wrong on this point...Hence the color which is not the same, much less orange brown, more pale...
And the dial is a sandwich one, about indexes and numbers...which is the case on the 127, and 217...which have both sandwich dial, as on the 203...The difference with the modern re interpetations of the 6152 is that the sandwhich is less deep than on the radiomir 3646, and looks, if you don't pay enough attention on it, as I did at the beginning, like a painted dial....



Isn't that Plexy sexy???





On these 2 last pics, you can have a quite good idea of the volume of this Luminor...Big, but very appealing, well balanced, and as on the radiomir 3646, a very geometric and legible dial.

As for the movement, it's the same that on the 3646...A Rolex Cortebert...

On the wrist, it's just perfect!



With these 2 wathces, you have a nice idea of the Panerai Roots..Let's hope that this year, we'll see something like this 6152/1...

Hope you'll enjoy this post, as much as I enjoyed making it...
I here want to thank the friend I saw yesterday for bringing me this fantastic 3646, and of course, Asi for his friendship, and for authorising me to take these pics of his watch...
Best to All
Nicolas
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2008-04-01 10:13:34