When in 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened the first watch store in Florence, he could hardly have thought that his watch was waiting for world fame. However, by the end of the XIX century, his grandson and heir Guido expands production and receives an order from the defense Department. It was not easy to get an order from the state structure: the young watchmaker had to master the production of precise optical and mechanical tools, as well as get closely acquainted with chemistry and physics, because the devices, for the military, must be suitable for use even in pitch darkness. Guido obtained the first luminous material by mixing zinc sulphide with radium bromide, later patented it under the name Radiomir, but this material was radioactive. When the war ended, collectors around the world began hunting for Panerai watches with radioactive illumination. Even when the harmfulness of the composition available in the watch was officially announced, collectors did not stop. In order to protect the health of passionate connoisseurs, most of the first Panerai Radiomir watches were buried in a concrete container in the waters of the Mediterranean sea. By the end of the 40s, the company began producing harmless Panerai Luminor watches. Time world a long time did not know about the birth of a new star, all the work was classified, but it is not upset by Panerai, because his watch was issued for divers secret unit of the Italian Navy, the fighters of the "Gamma" and some military other Mediterranean countries. By the way, Panerai is still the official supplier of the Italian army. After the end of the war, Panerai was actively promoted in the market as a "civilian" brand. Panerai watches found their passionate fan in the person of Sylvester Stallone, who became a free advertising agent, starring with them in various films. However, in the movie with Panerai on hand, not only Stallone was seen, but also Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Grant, Jason Statham, pierce Brosnan and Orlando bloom. The next stage in the development of the company began when the Vendome group purchased all the shares of the company and began to turn in Panerai watches for collectors, creating a bright and unusual short-run model: Luminor GMT - indicator second time-zone Luminor Power Reserve with power - reserve indication, the Luminor Submersible is a special diving watch, the Radiomir GMT/Alarm - clock, Luminor Arktos GMT watches for polar explorers, as well as hours of rare metals with a rare caliber and rare features. The brand remained true to the military style. Panerai is an exclusively male brand, so today Panerai presents a line of men's watches only. Many modern Panerai models are an interpretation of the famous illuminated watches that were once hunted by collectors. In our watch center, you can buy original Swiss Panerai watches in excellent condition at a bargain price, or sell your Panerai watches to us.