A close look at a vintage “GPF – Mod Dep” buckle

by on Jun.27, 2012, under General

Put on the macro lens today and tried to catch some details of the “GPF – Mod Dep” buckle, which is mounted on my Ref. 6152/1 “Luminor Panerai” watch.

Used on 26 mm straps, this type of stainless steel buckle exist in three versions: plain, with a matriculation number of the navy (up to three digits) and, as seen here on the photo, with the embossed trademark “Guido Panerai e Figlio” (short version “GPF”). All versions of the buckle have a brushed finish.

The GPF trademark logo, which unites the three initials G, P and F in a circular form, has been used on various documents or instruments shown in the left corner of the photo – which can be called a typographical masterpiece of the last century – it is without a doubt a piece of the Panerai DNA. The short “Mod Dep” (“Modello Depositato”) stands for “registered design” / “trademark”.

A later version of this buckle has been produced with a matte grey coating and can be found e.g. on nylon straps, mounted on Panerai compasses from the 1980’s, Ref. BSP 851 and BSP 852 (hooded version).

Interesting is, that back in the 1980’s the compass has been engraved on the backside with “Officine Panerai” but the buckles with the old company name (“GPF”) were still used…

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