More than two hundred watches of the Reference 3646 are registered in our database today. Among all different Vintage Panerai models, the 3646 marks the reference with the most known specimen in our records. In 2009, eight years ago, 143 recorded watches were featured in the first (sold out) edition of our book “The References”. Within the entire serial number sequence of the reference 3646, we differentiate between seven different variations (3646 / Type A – Type G). The photo on the left shows a Ref. 3646 / Type C with “Radiomir Panerai” dial, which is featured in chapter II.III (page 306-321).

In our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s the watches of the entire reference 3646 are featured in chapter II with more than six hundred pages in the chapters II.I-II.VII following an intro on page 40-49. The seven different variations can be found in our reference quickfinder on page 14-20.

Chapter II.I = Reference 3646 / Type A
(featuring two different watches on page 50-169).

Chapter II.II = Reference 3646 / Type B
(featuring four different watches on page 170-247).

Chapter II.III = Reference 3646 / Type C
(featuring seven different watches on page 248-397).

Chapter II.IV = Reference 3646 / Type D
(featuring nine different watches on page 398-531).

Chapter II.V = Reference 3646 / Type E
(featuring four different watches on page 532-573).

Chapter II.VI = Reference 3646 / Type F
(featuring two different watches on page 574-607).

Chapter II.VII = Reference 3646 / Type G
(featuring two different watches on page 608-645).

See the different inner casebacks of Ref. 3646 / Type A – Type C watches here, as well as the inner casebacks of Ref. 3646 / Type D – Type G watches here. Enjoy reading!

Our “The Reference” books are available in our bookstore.

Introducing another piece of the puzzle – and one more surfaced in Germany: a Ref. 3646 / Type D with anonymous sandwich dial and rare “Kampfschwimmer” engraving with initials of the first owner and year of service (1945) on its outer caseback. The watch is accompanied with matching paperwork of the first owner, dating back to 1944, as well as a small compass.

The watch has been added into our database in early May 2017 and appears with high bezel (a typical feature of the watches with sandwich dials), onion shaped “Brevet +” crown (Type 11) and Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement. The watch has never been polished and still has its original “volcano dome” plexi as well as the original leather strap and large, nickel-plated brass pin buckle. The blued steel hands still hold their complete luminous material. The inner caseback is signed with the Rolex SA hallmark, reference and case number.

Watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D are featured in our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s in chapter II.IV (page 398-531). Small compasses are featured in chapter IV (where a similar version is shown on page 672-675). Chapter V holds information on straps and buckles (page 679-685 featuring the “bottle opener” shaped pin buckles).

Thanks to the owner who provided information for our database.
[Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

Another Ref. 3646 / Type B watch with “Radiomir Panerai” sandwich dial has been added into our database. The actual owner of the watch provided us further information on the first owner with the very rare ID of the german frogman Robert E., dating back to the last months of the Second World War.

The watch appears with its original leather strap and nickel-plated brass pin buckle. The inner caseback bears the typical Rolex hallmark, case and reference number, known in watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type B as well as the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement. The initial Rolex screw-down crown has been replaced with the crown mounted on the watch, shown in the actual photos.

At the age of 17, Robert E. posted to the Kommando der Kleinkampfverbände in February 1945. He took part at a special training course for frogmen and divers, held at a small Danish Island (see page 203 of our book “History1”) documented in his ID by the stamp “Kampfschwimmer- und Tauchlehrgang”.
Another signature in his ID is showing a stamp of the Kampfschwimmergruppe Ost (eastern combat swimmer group), to which he was posted after the training, dating back to April 1945.

A very interesting supplementary note can be found in his ID, hand written below the field post number: Ausgabe einer Dienstarmbanduhr Modell “Radiomir” confirming that a diving watch was issued to him for duty, even more mentioning the particular model being a “Radiomir”.

Rare documentation, such as an ID of a frogman, providing interesting information about which ways these watches took many years ago. Thanks to the owner for providing the additional info aside the details of the watch, being a new entry in our Vintage Panerai database!

You never know how long it takes until a “new”, yet unknown watch surface after many years. This happened quickly twice in the last weeks, with another addition into our database in shape of a Ref. 3646 / Type B with “Radiomir Panerai” sandwich dial and completely engraved “Kampfschwimmer” caseback.

Different to the Ref. 3646 / Type C with riveted plastic dial introduced earlier here (which included a month-lasting research for the family of the frogman), this rare Ref. 3646 / Type B “Radiomir Panerai” watch was introduced to us by the grandson of the frogman. Complete with the original strap and nickel-plated brass buckle, the watch with the small Oyster Watch Co hallmark on its inner caseback appears after 72 years with the original domed plexiglas, onion shaped “Brevet +” crown (Type 11) and Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement.

The caseback of the watch bears the initials “HE” of the first owner. The frogman belonged to the “Einsatzgruppe Heyden” which is engraved around the word “Kampfschwimmer” and the year of service, 1945. Lieutenant-Commander Günter Heyden was a founding member of the newly formed German commando frogmen (Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine) in the 1950’s.

The watch is accompanied with historic photos of the veteran as well as a very rare pay book (silmiar to only two others known which are made of the same material, see page 138 in our book “History1”) and which was issued to the members of the “Lehrkommando 700″ in the last months of the Second World War. Not enough rarity, there is a swordfish probation insignia (see page 802-804 in our book “History2”) and a nose clip which was used by the frogmen during the use of a small breathing apparatus (without face mask, see page 671 of our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s and page 718 of our book “History2”).

Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type B are featured in our book “The References” (first volume / 1930’s-1940’s) in chapter II.II on page 170-247.

When we started to search for the veteran at the beginning of 2017, we could not know wether the search would be successful or not (like many times before). We knew the frogman only by his name, featured in battlefield reports since the mid 1950’s several times, and we knew the city in Germany where he lived after the end of the Second World War.

When we virtually knocked at his door, nobody was there to open anymore. With a big portion of luck and the cooperation of his family, we connected a few months later to finally ask his family some questions, which the veteran himself was sadly not able to answer anymore. We provided some photos of the German “Kampfschwimmer” from 1944 and 1945 to the family, which they had never seen before, but which were part of our records since several years.

Recently we got photos of the Vintage Panerai watch, which the frogman stored in a safe place before the war was over and before he became a POW of the British. Before we saw the first photos, our “wild guess” was, that it could be a Ref. 3646 / Type D. But the soon later arrived photos of the dial let us think it might be an earlier version: a 3646 with riveted plastic dial. Maybe it would be a Ref. 3646 / Type B like most of the watches with such dials are recorded? The final proof to which number group it belongs to, was the look onto the inner caseback of the watch: a Ref. 3646 / Type C with Rolex SA hallmark in the center and a seven digit number underneath the reference number 3646. So, one more piece of the Vintage Panerai puzzle added in shape of a Ref. 3646 / Type C with riveted plastic dial.

The remarkable “untouched” condition, since it was keepsake for the veteran and has remained in the possession of the frogman’s family during all these years (72 years, to be exactly), can be pointed out by the fact that the watch has still the original leather strap sewn onto the soldered lugs of the cushion shaped case and the nickel-plated brass buckle (in the typical “bottle opener” shape with sharp edges) as well as a Rolex 618 / Type 1 movement with details known in more than 90% of all recorded watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type C in our database. The still complete luminous material on the blued steel hands can be rarely found on watches of this age, as well as the original domed plexi and the onion shaped crown (“Brevet +” / Type 11). More about watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type C can be found in our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s on page 248-397 in chapter II.III.

We hope that the watch remains as a keepsake for the family and maybe the veteran’s grandchildren enjoy wearing it in the future. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

Dr. Crott Auctioneers will have a Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” with painted brass dial and rare engraved caseback (bearing the initials of the first owner “KG”) in their upcoming 95th Auction on May, 6th 2017 (Lot 424).

The watch has been recorded into our database since 2004 when it was on display in a museum. After seeing it again for the second time in 2006, it surfaced now, eleven years later, for sale on auction to find a new home.

Noteworthy about this watch is the original leather strap (double keeper) and the coated brass buckle as well as the unpolished condition of the case with flat bezel and typical internal details (decorative polish on the inside of the caseback, Rolex SA hallmark with reference and individual case number, Rolex 618 / Type 1 movement) matching our database criteria for being a Ref. 3646 / Type D.

A tubular crown (signed “Oyster Patent” / Type 13) is screwed down on the neck of the 47 mm cushion shaped case. At this stage of our research, we are not able to link the engraved initials “KG” definitely to one of the frogmen veterans in our records.

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

Watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D are featured in our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s in chapter II.IV (page 398-531) including a historic photo of a “Kampfschwimmer” wearing a 3646 with brass dial on page 475. Brass dialed Ref. 3646 / Type D are featured on page 468-493). In this part of the book, an overview of different decorative polish on the inside of the caseback (Type A – Type G) can be found on page 486. A Ref. 3646 / Type D 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 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.uhren-muser.com]

Why do some Ref. 3646 watches come only with a six digit case number embossed on their inner caseback? Where did the Rolex hallmark and reference number go? In which of the seven different number groups of the Reference 3646 is this the case?

Our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s answers these questions in two chapters by measurement results and illustrated cross-sections (page 537-551, 638-639 and 644-645). The coffee table shot on the left shows a Ref. 3646 / Type G with a technical illustration on page 618-619 in chapter II.VII.

Chapter II.V = Reference 3646 / Type E
(featuring four different watches on page 532-573).

Chapter II.VII = Reference 3646 / Type G
(featuring two different watches on page 608-645).

“The References” books are in stock and can be ordered in our bookstore. Enjoy reading!

With regard to the evolution of watches from Guido Panerai & Figlio, one particular weak point has been often mentioned that has been improved hugely over time: the strap loops soldered on to the pillow-shaped casing of the Reference 3646. With the Radiomir watch shown here, a Ref. 3646 / Type B with riveted plastic dial, we can take a closer look at precisely this weak point and show an example of a Reference 3646 that was not returned to its original condition after being damaged. The watch shown in the photo on left is described in detail on page 228-237 in chapter II.II of our book “The References” 1930’s-1940’s.

With the experience collected during the Second World War, the aim was primarily to increase the stability of the watches’ lugs. The soldered wire watch loops had been revealed as a weak spot and Guido Panerai & Figlio worked hard to improve them and the result was a success – in shape of the watches of the Reference 6152, 6154, 6152/1 and last but not least the huge GPF 2/56. The lugs of these watches were all created out of the casing itself and no longer soldered on (read also page 723-733 in chapter VI of our book “The References” 1950’s-1960’s) as it was the case with the watches of the Reference 3646.

Bonhams London will auction a Ref. 3646 / Type C with “Radiomir Panerai” dial in their upcoming Fine Watches and Wristwatches sale on December, 14th (Lot 88). The high bezel, as well as the Rolex 618 / Type 1 movement in combination with the half polished inner caseback, bearing the Rolex SA hallmark with reference and case number, are typical features of Ref. 3646 / Type C watches.

The watch is recorded in our database since November 2016. Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type C are featured in our book “The References” (first volume / 1930’s-1940’s) in chapter II.III (page 248-397). A watch with a similar shaped crown neck can be found on page 306-321. A chart on different decorative polish styles on the inside of casebacks on Ref. 3646 / Type A – G watches can be found on page 486 in chapter II.IV.

Additional Bonhams lot details / salesroom notices on Lot 88:
17-jewel manual wind movement, matte black sandwich dial with baton hour markers and Arabic numeral quarters, blued steel pointed baton hands with luminous inserts, polished cushion form case with screw down back, screw down crown, fixed wire lugs, fitted brown leather strap with polished buckle, together with Panerai Certificate of Authenticity, case and movement signed Rolex, dial signed Panerai 47mm. Please note this watch does not have a sandwich dial. The dial is inserted with luminous material.

We hope that this Ref. 3646 / Type C with “Radiomir Panerai” dial will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

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

Geneva based auctioneers Phillips and Christie’s will offer five Vintage Panerai watches in their upcoming auctions between 12 and 14 November 2016.

First of the five is lot 82 – a Ref. 6152/1 “Luminor Panerai” with Rolex movement and crown-protecting device in The Geneva Watch Auction: FOUR (session one: 12 November 2016, 6 pm, lots 1-100). Read more about this Ref. 6152/1 in our Watch Point. Lot 152 – a “warbird” in shape of a Ref. 3646 / Type D is the second Vintage Panerai to be auctioned at Phillips (session two: 13 November 2016, 6 pm, lots 101-196). Read more about this “Kampfschwimmer” in our Watch Point. The following lot 153, a Ref. 6154 “Small Egiziano” is the third and last Vintage Panerai watch to be auctioned at Phillips. Read more about this watch in our Watch Point.

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

One day later, 14 November 2016, Christie’s is featuring two Vintage Panerai watches in their Sale 1417. The morning session starts at 10 am (lots 1-146) in which a Ref. 3646 / Type B with “Radiomir Panerai” dial and “Xa FLOTMAS” engraving on its caseback will be auctioned (lot 99).

The afternoon session starts at 2 pm (lots 147-236), in which a Ref. 3646 / Type C with “Radiomir Panerai” dial will be up for auction (lot 209). Read more about these two Ref. 3646 watches in our Watch Point.

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

Watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type B, Type C and Type D are featured in our book “The References” (first volume / 1930’s-1940’s) in chapter II.II-IV.
Chapter VII and VIII.II of “The References” (second volume / 1950’s-1960’s are featuring watches of the Ref. 6154 and Ref. 6152/1. Visit our bookstore for more info.