The german watch magazine “Chronos” featured the Vintage Panerai Ref. 6152/1 – “The Arillo Luminor”– with an overview (page 64-69) about the details of the watch and the history behind its first owner, italian commander of the submarine “Ambra”, Mario Arillo (M.O.V.M.). The february-april issue “Chronos Spezial” is entirely about Panerai’s roots and history with a review from the past until today, including tests, movements and milestone models.

“The Arillo Luminor” is fully described in our book “History1″ in Chapter IV on 165 pages with 106 photos and 7 technical illustrations. The book “History1″ is in stock. It can be ordered directly in our bookstore.

Get your copy of the “Chronos Spezial” 1/2014 now at the newspaper stores across europe. Find more info at www.watchtime.net [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

Opened Ref. 6152/1 with solid caseback and dust lid – the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4 movement bears the typical markings for this type of Vintage Panerai watches. You can see an overview of the three different inner caseback markings of the “615ers” here.

This Vintage Panerai watch is featured in our book “History1″. You can read more about its first owner Mario Arillo in chapter IV, page 227-391.

Opened Ref. 6152/1 with solid caseback – bearing the typical markings for this type of Vintage Panerai watches.

You can see an overview of the three different inner caseback markings of the “615ers” here.

Christie’s has a Ref. 6152/1 “Marina Militare” in their next auction (LOT 290) in Geneva, november 11th. With ist case number 124516 it is one of the low case numbers in our records of todays existing 89 watches of this reference, reaching from 124495 to 124986.

The watch comes with 8 mm Rolex crown / without crown protecting device and typical “double pencil” shaped hands with “dull pins”. Inside the watch is working a Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 3 movement (15 Rubis + Incabloc shock protection). The inner caseback of the watch bears the typical Rolex marking of the refence 6152/1, on the outside of the caseback is the letter “D” engraved / stamped in the center.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 6152/1
Dial: “Marina Militare”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 124516
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 3

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 nicely captured Vintage Panerai Ref. 6152/1 “Luminor Panerai” in the focus, showing an orange coated plexi. The side area of the plexi shows markings from a rotating bezel, which was once attached but did not “survived” until today. Aside this watch, other today existing watches with similar plexi glasses to carry a rotating bezel are filed in our database. The watch is equipped with “double pencil” hands (“sharp pin” version). Under the non-engraved caseback and dust lid, the engine of the watch is a typical Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4 movement with 17 Rubis and Incablock shock protection.

Today, the reason for the transparent orange coating on the plexi isn’t known. Either it has been applied for a practical reason (anti-reflecting or camouflage) or the color of the coating has been aged and so changed its color over the years, adding up this orange patina.

A side-by-side view onto two Ref. 6152/1 Vintage Panerai watches. While both watches with the legendary crown protecting device using a “Luminor Panerai” dial, their movements are different: The left Ref. 6152/1 is powered with an Angelus Cal. 240 SF (8 days) movement (15 Rubis and Incabloc shock protection, signed “JUIN .61″) and the right Ref. 6152/1 is powered with a Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 4 (17 Rubis and Incabloc shock protection) movement.

Noteable is also, that the opened casebacks are different too: on the caseback of the watch with Angelus movement, the Rolex stamp has been milled off, while the watch with Rolex movement is bearing the typical 6152/1 stamp in the middle of its inner caseback.

Close look at the “Luminor Panerai” dial of a Ref. 6152/1 watch. The surface of the sandwich dial with the milled letters is showing pure Panerai DNA behind the double pencil hands.

This Vintage Panerai watch is featured in our book “History1″. You can read more about its first owner Mario Arillo in chapter IV, page 227-391.

It was early 2007 when I was contacted by my friend Fabio Castellani from Italy. He was looking to find a new home for the 6152/1 watch, which he got years ago from Mario Arillo, high decorated veteran of the Xa MAS and commander of the submarine “Ambra”. It was one of these moments in life, which rarely happen and which will remain as something very special and unforgettable. The agreement was found in a few e-mails and soon later I became the third owner of this incredible watch.

Soon later, still thrilled everytime I was looking at it, the idea of writing a book about this watch was born. It came not just with it’s original box – it came with a long history. I remembered the story of it’s first owner Mario Arillo, which I read many times in books before. It was the perfect match to some vintage Panerai watches owned by my friend Ralf, who also had the idea in mind about writing down the rich history that came along with his watches. The first book project “Vintage Panerai – Watches with History” was born – let’s do it!

In june 2007 I came across a black-and-white copy of a photo showing Mario Arillo, receiving the gold medal for bravery – the “Medaglia d’Oro al Valore Militare” (M.O.V.M.) by Italian king Vittorio Emanuele III, june 10th, 1943. Fabio Castellani gave me this copy with the note that the original photo is in property of Arillo’s family… “now that would be a photo to have in the book!” was my initial thought. I emailed Fabio, telling him about my book idea and that I would need the original photo to publish it in good quality – a black-white copy would not be enough to use… Soon later he provided the address of the family. I wrote a little letter, introducing myself, my book project and that I am the owner of their father’s Panerai watch. Honestly, I expected nothing but received more than I could hope. How would you react if a strange person would tell you such a story? To my surprise and excitement, a few weeks later a padded envelope arrived in my mailbox. From Italy – from Arillo’s family! After opening carefully – still get goose skin when thinking back to this moment – I found the original photo from 1943. I was speechless!

Happy like a kid on christmas eve, I put the photo into my scanner and digitalized it to use in my growing book project. Jackpot! A few days later I returned the original photo as promised, well protected and extra safety, together with some sweets and a letter which expressed my happiness and thanks that the Arillo family trusted me – a yet unknown person from Germany – in sending me a family treasure, which this photo surely was…

I went ahead in writing the book and soon later I got again an envelope from Arillo’s family…? I was one more time surprised. The original photo came to me again, but now with a hand written dedication on the backside – from Arillo’s daughter: “to my friend Volker, in memory of my father Mario Arillo M.O.V.M.”. I was speechless again!

After the book was finished in october 2007, it was my pleasure to send her a copy of the book which holds the photo of her father. We continued to exchange letters and in summer 2008 during the VIII Club Panerai Meeting we met in person for the first time. Very exciting moments to remember, which are beyond collecting watches for me. When I got the watch more than one year before, I never thought that one day I would have the chance to meet the children and grand children of Mario Arillo.

The typical description for a collectors’ watch “comes with box and papers” has a very special meaning for me. The photo on the left shows the 6152/1 watch in it’s original cardboard box from Panerai, a letter from Rolex dating these type of watches to the year 1955 and the original photo of the first owner, Mario Arillo.

Read more about this watch and its first owner in Chapter IV of the book “History1”.  
[Volker Wiegmann]

Tried to catch the fantastic domed shape and the reflecting edges of the huge Plexiglas on a Ref. 6152/1 together with the “Luminor Panerai” engraving on the sandwich dial… pure Panerai DNA!

This Vintage Panerai watch is featured in our book “History1″. You can read more about its first owner Mario Arillo in chapter IV, page 227-391.

During the holidays I found time to change the strap of my 6152/1. I decided to give the initial strap a little break after some months since it was put on the watch for the shooting of our book “History1”. The dark brown calf strap comes in the size of 90 x 150 mm with double keeper (one floating, one fixed) and GPF-buckle.

After I pushed out the pins on the lugs I gave the case a little cleaning with a soft cloth. The strap got a careful treatment with some grease before it was stored away to keep it in good condition for a future use. Always nice to see the details of the “Luminor Panerai” dial thru the thick plexiglass…

I fitted a vintage strap in the size 100 x 160 mm which has been initially used on a Panerai instrument. The very thick and soft strap has an olive-brown color and beige stitching, also one fixed and one gliding keeper. The brushed stainless steel buckle holds a three digit matriculation number.

This is how the watch will be carried into the new year – wishing everyone a good start in 2013! [Volker Wiegmann]