Before Sylvester Stallone made Panerai a civilian must-have when he wore one on his jumbo-sized wrist in the action flick Daylight, the company’s bread and butter lay in producing timepieces for both the Italian and Egyptian navies. The high-quality fake Radiomir went into production in 1938 for Italian frogmen and current models have changed very little in design.
What’s new, of course, is the modern technology that now equips these tougher-than-nails timepieces. The GMT function sported on this model wasn’t invented until the mid-50s, and its Swiss-made P.4001 calibre automatic mechanical movement is equipped with all the bells and whistles of a 21st-century timekeeper, including a 3-day power reserve, a frequency of 28,800 vph and an anti-shock device.
Fortunately, its design codes remain as relevant today as they did over 80 years ago. And you can bet they’ll last for decades to come.