One more piece to the puzzle added, another gap closed and a remarkable and noteworthy match in our Vintage Panerai database: Phillips features a rare Ref. 3646 / Type E “California Dial” on May, 15th (lot 122, The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE). Added into our records in March 2016, this specimen bears the important and typical internal and external details of a Ref. 3646 / Type E watch.

Watches of the Reference 3646 / Type E are featured in our new book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s in chapter II.V (page 532-573). With this new addition we have now recorded 27 watches in this group, extending the 3646 / Type E number range downwards by six numbers, filling another gap between the watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D and 3646 / Type E.

The information and measurement results provided by Phillips confirmed the cross-section of a 3646 / Type E caseback, which we put in the focus on page 536-539 of our new book. The caseback of this watch has been engraved with a name, date of birth and hometown of the first owner from Bavaria/Germany.

The Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 mod. movement in this “California Dial” watch is another important element, which appears with confirming details of most of the today recorded watches in this number group.

We hope that also this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo with kindly permission / courtesy of www.phillips.com]

Phillips features a very rare Transitional 3646 on May, 15th (lot 123, The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE). Added into our database in 2010, this is one of only five examples which are recorded until today. The rare casing design is based on the pillow-shaped casing of the Reference 3646, on which stronger lugs have been soldered. According to our database it is the only recorded Transitional 3646 with two-lined “Luminor Panerai” dial and Angelus 240 SF movement with date engraving “JUIN.61”.

All known examples of the Transitional 3646 feature a grey anti-reflective coating on the center part of the case, as used on compasses, depth gauges and watches of the Reference GPF 2/56. The screwed-in bezel an caseback are not coated due to the construction of the casing. This example is one of two Transitional 3646 watches featuring a low, two-digit serial (matriculation) number on the display caseback.

Transitional 3646 watches are featured in our book “The References” 1950’s-1960’s in chapter X.II. One of the only five known examples, the Transitional 3646 from the Museo Panerai Collection, is shown on page 1196-1211. The coffee table shot shows page 1208-1209 with a side view of the Transitional 3646.

We hope that this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo with kindly permission / courtesy of www.phillips.com]

After the sale of a Ref. 3646 / Type D earlier this year, auctioneer Wright Marshall features with lot 153 one more Ref. 3646/ Type D with anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dial, blued steel hands and onion shaped crown (Type 11) in their Fine Antique & Collectible Sale on 10 May 2016 in Knutsford, Cheshire (United Kingdom).

The watch has been added into our database, matching the Ref. 3646 / Type D criteria by its Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement in combination with the Rolex hallmark, reference and case number embossed on the inner caseback.

The outer caseback of the watch bears a rare engraving, featuring initials of the first owner, the year 1945 and the words “Kampf-Schwimmer” (combat swimmer) and “L.K. 700”. Only a very few number of Ref. 3646 watches are known today, which are decorated / personalized in a similar way. Another well known example with painted brass dial and identical engraving on the caseback is part of the Museo Panerai Collection.

About the Lehrkommando 700 (short: L.K. 700, as engraved on the caseback): In 1944, several training schools were built for different type of Small Naval Assault in the German Kriegsmarine. Aside the training school for combat swimmers (frogmen), there were schools for explosive boats (Lehrkommando 200 and 600) and further four different types of midget submarines (Lehrkommando 250, 300, 350 and 400).

We have documented and illustrated the various training schools of the Small Naval Assault Command in our book “History1” on page 202-203 in chapter III (see coffee table shot on the left).

The Lehrkommando 700 was based in Valdagno and Venice (Italy) until November 1944 and moved to the island of Sylt (Germany) until the end of the Second World War. Remaining units of the Lehrkommando 700 have been arrested POW by British forces at Sylt. Many Panerai watches changed ownership in these days and became a “souvenir” for returning troops of the allied nations after their service. Some of these watches have survived the war and surfaced after more than 70 years to the public. We expect further watches to be discovered in the future which went a similar way than the Ref. 3646 / Type D offered at Wright Marshall in May.

Wright Marshall provided the following provenance:
“This watch has been in the northeast of England since the early 1960’s when the vendors late father swapped the watch for a carriage clock, it has remained in the family since that date, the watch was serviced by a local jeweller on 20/5/88 for the sum of £28 and the watch has never been used since that date.”

Wright Marshall CONDITION REPORT: 
The watch was last serviced from a local jeweller on 20/05/88 for the sum of £28 and has been left in a drawer since, light scratches and marks to outer case and U-shaped crack to plexi-glass, minor bending to large fingertip, minor chipping to hands, light wear/use marks throughout around back outer case, green colour around edges, crown partly releases, unable to move the fingers with crown, a simple shake and the watch starts to tick for around 10 seconds, not complete with original led seal.

We hope that this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo with kindly permission / courtesy of www.wrightmarshall.co.uk]

Christie’s features two different Ref. 3646 watches an a “40 metri” depth gauge from Guido Panerai & Figlio in their upcoming auction on 16 May 2016 in Geneva (Sale 1413).

Lot 133: A “Luminor Panerai” depth gauge (case size: 70 x 90 mm) for 40 metres with anti-reflective coating. The back of the depth gauge is signed “OFFICINE PANERAI · FIRENZE · BREVETTATO”, the steel GPF buckle, sewn to the strap, is unsigned. The Guido Panerai & Figlio instrument is accompanied by a heavy, stainless steel knife for underwater works, made by Galeazzi (La Spezia).

Similar depth gauges in various versions (aimed for proper use in different depths depending on the underwater activities) are featured in our new book “The References” (second volume / 1950’s-1960’s) in chapter XI (page 1314-1367). An identical “40 metri” depth gauge is shown on page 1364-1366. A similar Galeazzi knife with tool grip has been introduced earlier here.

Lot 134: This watch has been added recently in our database. New to the market, representing another typical “Kampfschwimmer” of the Ref. 3646 / Type D number group with anonymous sandwich dial. The inner caseback engravings which bears the Rolex SA stamp, reference and case number, in combination with the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement, are matching our database criteria for watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D number group.

Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type D are featured in our new book “The References” (first volume / 1930’s-1940’s) in chapter II.IV (page 398-531).

Lot 135: Again up for auction at Christies, the Ref. 3646 / Type C with “Radiomir Panerai” dial, as introduced in earlier postings from a past auction in November and December 2013. The outer caseback is engraved with a matriculation number of the Italian Decima Flottiglia MAS (short “Xa FLOTMAS No. 048”).

Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type C are featured in our new book “The References” (first volume / 1930’s-1940’s) in chapter II.III (page 248-397).

We hope the depth gauge and the 3646 watches will find good new homes and remain surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.christies.com]

Auction House Eppli (Stuttgart/Germany) features a Ref. 3646 / Type D with anonymous, painted brass dial in their auction on April 2nd.

The 3646 / Type D is recorded in our database since February 2016. The watch features a typical Rolex 618 / Type 1 movement (Type 1 = 17 Rubis without Incabloc shock protection).

Watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D are featured in our new “The References” 1930’s-1940’s in chapter II.IV (page 398-531) including a historic photo of a German “Kampfschwimmer” wearing a 3646 with brass dial on page 475.

A similar watch with painted brass dial is featured in our book “History1” in chapter III together with information about the first owner, a German “Kampfschwimmer”.

We hope that also this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo courtesy of Auktionshaus Eppli e.K.]

Sotheby’s London features a Ref. 6152/1 with 8 mm Rolex crown in their Watches auction on March 8th (Lot 139).

The 6152/1 with its brown aged “Radiomir Panerai” dial is recorded in our database since 2013 together with additional information dating back to the year 1992. Back then the faded brown color of the dial and the dark faded luminous material in the “Double Pencil – Sharp Pin” hands were already visible. The watch features a typical Rolex 618 / Type 4 movement (Type 4 = 17 Rubis and Incabloc shock protection).

Watches of the Reference 6152/1 with 8 mm Rolex crown are featured in our new “The References” 1950’s-1960’s in chapter VIII.I (page 878-921).

We hope that also this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo of the Ref. 6152/1 watch with kindly permission / courtesy of www.sothebys.com]

Phillips will feature a Ref. 3646 / Type D in their upcoming The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE (December 1st, 2015). The watch (LOT 223) is recorded in our database since 2010 and is one of the more than 70 recorded watches of the 3646 / Type D number group. The watch has been auctioned in November 2012 at Sotheby’s Geneva before.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260XXX
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Similar Ref. 3646 / Type D watches with anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dial will be featured in the 2016 edition of our new book “The References” in volume 1, chapter II.IV on page 398-531.

Ref. 3646 / Type D watches with anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dials are featured in our books “History1″ (chapter II) and “History2″ (chapter V and chapter VII).

We hope that also this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photo with kindly permission / courtesy of www.phillips.com]

Christie’s Geneva will have a rare “Luminor Trittico” (LOT 174, set of watch, compass and depth gauge) in their upcoming Important Watches 1410 Auction (November 9th, 2015).

The Ref. 6152/1 watch with “Luminor Panerai” dial, Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4 movement and crown protecting device is accompanied by a compass and depth gauge, both “Luminor” versions. The compass with this luminous material is – compared to the more existing pieces with “Radiomir” a very rare example. The Ref. 6152/1 watch and the “Luminor Panerai” depht gauge (aimed to 40 meters) are both marked with a very rare matriculation number of the italian Polizia di Stato (P.S.).

Features of the watch:
Reference: 6152/1
Dial: “Luminor Panerai” (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 124XXX
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4

Today, less than 90 watches of the Reference 6152/1 with Rolex movements are recorded in our database, of wich ca. 3/4 are featured with the patented crown protecting device by Panerai. The today known 1/4 of these watches come with a Rolex 8 mm crown. More than 80% of all recorded Ref. 6152/1 watches with a crown protecting device are featured with the – typical – Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4 movement (with 17 jewels and Incabloc shock protection), such as the present watch appears in the Christie’s auction.

Watches of the Ref. 6152/1 with Rolex movement and Panerai crown protecting device will be featured in chapter VIII.II of our upcoming book “The References” (2nd edition). Compasses and depht gauges will be featured in chapter XI.

We hope the watch will find a good new home and that it remain surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.christies.com]

Christie’s Geneva will have a Ref. 3646 / Type C “Radiomir Panerai” (LOT 173) in their upcoming Important Watches 1410 Auction (November 9th, 2015).

This watch is recorded in our database since 2006 and is one of the few 3646 / Type C watches with dark red numbers and markers. Most of the today known watches (more than 50 Ref. 3646 / Type C watches are recoded in our database) of this number group hold a “Radiomir Panerai” sandwich dial. The watch is powered by the typical Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement. Under all today known watches in this number group, more than 90% are having this movement version (with 17 jewels and without Incabloc shock protection).

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type C
Dial: “Radiomir Panerai”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 1010XXX
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Further details of the watch are the high version of the bezel, long loops soldered to the case, typical blued steel hands with complete luminous material and the “Brevet +” onion shaped winding crown (Type 11). The inner caseback bears the engraving of Ref. 3646 / Type C watches – the Rolex SA embossing, reference and case number. An overview of the different caseback markings in Ref. 3646 watches can be found here: Type A-C and Type D-G.

This watch will be featured in chapter II.III of our upcoming book “The References” (2nd edition) on page 292-297. A similar watch with dark red aged “Radiomir Panerai” dial is featured in our book “History1” in chapter I.

We hope the watch will find a good new home and that it remain surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.christies.com]

A new entry in our records, another great example of a typical Ref. 3646 / Type D watch made in 1943 / 1944 and used in the 2nd world war, reached our database: Auctioneers Dr. Crott received a yet unknown Ref. 3646 / Type D watch for their 92nd Auction which will be held in Frankfurt, November 14th 2015 (LOT 27).

Surfaced to the market 70 years after the 2nd world war for the first time, consigned by the family of a german “Kampfschwimmer” veteran, this Ref. 3646 / Type D Vintage Panerai watch is marking one of less than 80 watches of this number group Type D known until today.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 2606XX
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Beside the typical features of the watch, such as the high version of the bezel, neccessary for the high sandwich dial from Panerai, the onion shaped Rolex crown (“Brevet +” / Type 11), the short bent soldered lugs and also the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement, its unpolished case and original “volcano dome” plexi are striking features. Actually the onion 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 every 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. The unpolished surfaces of the cushion shaped case, its original blued hands and the original plexi are giving this Ref. 3646 /Type D watch an unique and rare patina.

The outer caseback of the watch bears no personal engraving, the inside of the caseback shows the typical decoration and the Rolex SA stamp with reference and case number. The blued steel hands hold the original luminous material, the four numbers and eight markers of the Panerai sandwich dial faded from dark yellow to a deep orange.

Similar watches of this type with anonymous “Kampfschwimmer” dials are featured in our books “History1″ (chapter II) and “History2″ (chapter V and chapter VII). Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type D number group will be featured in chapter II.IV of our upcoming book “The References” (2nd edition).

We hope the watch will find a good new home and that it remain surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]