Joined the XI Meeting Club Panerai in Viareggio/Italy, hosted by www.clubpanerai.com
Another fantastic long weekend in Tuscany with many Panerai collectors and friends.

Find my detailled reports posted in the public forum at www.paneristi.com below:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

Thanks to Piero and his crew for making another great meeting in Italy, home of Panerai!
[Volker Wiegmann]

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

The illustration shows the following caseback versions:
Ref. 3646 / Type D Brevetee Rolex S.A.
Ref. 3646 / Type E (plain / only number)
Ref. 3646 / Type F Brevetee Rolex S.A.
Ref. 3646 / Type G (plain / only number)

You can read and see more about the different versions of Ref. 3646 watches in our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s. Find the illustrations of  ref. 3646 / Type A – Type C casebacks here.

Pretty nice weather conditions during the easter weekend in Germany… I just had to take out the “Arillo Luminor” Ref. 6152/1 and tried to catch nice lights and shadows on the dial…

Happy Easter!

Our friend Piero Lapiana from www.clubpanerai.com has informed us, that last week Ivano Salvetti, father of a very friend of Piero, Roberto who lives in Viareggio, has passed away.

Ivano Salvetti was a helmet diver of the Decima MAS in La Spezia and then on board of the
ship “Littorio” in Taranto, in the period 1941-1943, also with Emilio Bianchi and Eugenio Wolk.

Interesting to compare different compasses made in the 40’s and 50’s. With Ralf’s latest piece of his collection, we can compare three different cases and plexi dome shapes.

The flexible lugs are an eye catcher on the first (and probably the oldest) compass. Remarkable are the solid lugs and the black painted case of the 2nd compass, which has the same construction on the bottom of the case (6 screws going into the plexi dome) as the version with flexible lugs (see side view on the 2nd photo). Click here for more details.

Both small compasses have a short bearing line which is drilled horizontal into the dome (see top view on the 1st photo). The big compass made in the 1950’s has a longer bearing line across the entire dome. The position of the screw to open the plexi dome for filling it up with fluid is is at 3’o’clock position (90°), while on the smaller compasses the position of the screws is different (at 225° on the flexible lug version and at 45° on the small version with solid lugs).

The compass rose on all three compasses is divided into 22.5° sections, commonly used in seafaring circles. Note also the different shape (hight) of the plexi domes on the small compasses.

[photos by Ralf Ehlers]

Great addition in Ralf’s collection: a WW2 compass, probably made by Panerai. This type of compass is visible on photos taken during the war and it is a similar version of the small compass which we have published here.

It is interesting to see the strong lugs, which are similar to the compasses made in the 1950s and 1960s by Panerai, which have a bigger case. Remarkable is also the black coating of the case.

The position of the six screws on the backside and also the screw on the plexi dome are similar constructed as on the small Panerai compass linked above, which has thinner and flexible lugs.

[photos by Ralf Ehlers]

A yet unknown Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” surfaced recently.

During a visit at the german navy divers in Eckernförde, Ralf was able to put another watch into our database. One more piece of the big puzzle is placed into its right place!

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260518
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

The watch has the original strap fitted on, including the “bent down” crome coated brass buckle and bears a fantastic individual engraving on the solid caseback: “Marine-Kampfschwimmer 1945 – RD” (“RD” are the initials of the unit, which used the watch during his missions. The engravings are done in the same style (with the same tool) as other watches of this type have been “personalized”. The watch is matching our database perfectly, of which we published several identical watches in chapter I.IV of our book “The References”.

Its a big pleasure to see a “clean” Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement in this watch. It underlines our database theories as well. It bears the typical features of a Type 1 movement, beside the fact that no parts of this movement have been replaced or changed with others.

[photos by Ralf Ehlers]

The Ref. 3646 Panerai watch with the “HK” initials and “Einsatzgruppe Keller” caseback engraving is in our database since 2005.

The initial onion shaped winding crown has been replaced with a Rolex Oyster crown of a different type. Parts of the luminous material on the steel minute hand have been broken out by aging process. Both features are not illustrated in our graphics (left), but of course part of the database for identification use.

The watch comes with a completely documented history of its initial owner, a german “Kampfschwimmer” unit, which makes it a very interesting and collectible piece – a true “warbird”.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260630
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Always a pleasure to take off the watch and just look at its caseback. I read the names of the two previous owners, Mario Arillo M.O.V.M. and Fabio Castellani. I remember the story behind and the excitement when I held it in my hands for the first time in may 2003. In fact it is the first Ref. 6152/1 “Luminor Panerai” watch I ever saw… and it still fascinates me today just like in the very first moment.

Our fellow collector friend Assaf Burstein from Israel provided some very nice comparing photos of the brand new PAM372 next to his 6152/1.

It is great to see that Panerai has introduced a watch with so many historical features, carrying the DNA of the brand into the future.

The long waited for “fiddy base” watch is here, giving applause to the designers in Milan.

Paneristi wanted this watch since years –
Panerai made it real!

Technical details of the “Luminor 1950” PAM372 (find more at www.panerai.com):
Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur balance, 21,600 alternations/hour. Incabloc anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions:
Hours, minutes.

Case
Diameter 47 mm, polished steel.

Bezel
Polished steel.

Back
See-through sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown
(protected as a Trademark) Brushed steel.

Dial
Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers.

Interesting to see the case construction / shape from different views. The lugs are comming out of the case much deeper than on the original 6152/1 case. They reminds on the lugs of the 6152 and 6154 watches, which is underlined by the strong edges on the sides of the PAM372 case. From a top view this is nearly not visible, but good to see from Asi’s comparing photos. Nice, that Panerai placed the reference numbers between the lugs, just like on their “vintage grandfathers”, which hold the Rolex reference number and individual six digit case number.

By the way: “Asi, it looks good on your wrist, and nice shirt too!”

The “Luminor Panerai” engraved dial is just great! The old font has been used for that, which is much nicer than the modern Helvetica font. Giving applause to the fact that the names are not printed onto the dial, but engraved into the dial. The “double pencil” hands seem to be a little bit too small / short, but I can imagine that this will be changed on later production models. It would be not the first time, that Panerai presented a watch to the public at the SIHH which later appears with small modifications… On the display back we can find again the historical correct fonts used for the “OFFICINE PANERAI BREVETTATO” – very nice! The see-thru chrystal is a nice feature to show the new P.3000 movement.

The trademark signatures on the crown protecting device are causing a little “head down” in me, but as it is the number 1 feature of the brand, Panerai must bring it – honestly I would have been off the roof to see an engraved “BREV. ITAL.” on the backside of the crown protecting device. Overall its really a wonderful watch, the star of the 2011 Panerai collection for me. Regular production 3000 pcs., hopefully enough for all who like to wear the heritage of a legendary brand on their wrist …a Panerai “Luminor 1950”.

[photos by Assaf Burstein – thanks mate!]