Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1546381
for a family business that began nearly 70 years earlier in 1860 at Ponte alle Grazie, when Giovanni Panerai launched Florence's first watchmaking school alongside his shop. The familia Panerai delivered a one-stop shop back in those days, with horologists assembling and repairing watches on site; they became known for their reliability and their aesthetic in tandem. Yet Panerai would then find itself in a unique position among prestige watchmakers: It became the primary timepiece supplier of the Italian Navy, which needed highly legible, waterproof, and reliable instruments, especially on submarines. The relationship lasted through much of the 1900s, but it was kept in secret until 1993. In 1997, the company Richemont bought Panerai, investing across its portfolio and restoring the San Giovanni boutique. The main toast to Florence, however, arrives on the wrist: the twin novelties Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 and PAM01794. To create these limited-edition pieces, Panerai's archivists tracked down a genuine, authenticated prototype of the 1960s ref. 6152/1: a one-off variant that was privately held, and which had a dial inscribed with the words Panerai Firenze. That inscription now sits at 12 o'clock on both new watches, and the piece's most unique detail gets resurrected on the platinum version: parallel grooves cut into the crown-protecting bridge, an actual field modification once tested so Navy divers could wind their watches while gloved, under pressure, or in low- visibility conditions. It's a design flourish born of function (and not fashion), which is precisely the Panerai way, and what makes its designs so interesting. The two references split the difference between precious and practical. PAM01734 comes in 44mm Platinumtech, which is a patented 95 percent-pure platinum alloy hardened to an 85-percent firmer finish than the standard metal. This alloy is also denser than 18-karat gold, scratch-resistant, and water- resistant to 100 meters (over 300 feet; deeper than you'll ever need to go). PAM01794, in polished steel, pushes that depth to 300 meters. Both run on the P.5000, a 113-part, eight-day caliber with an enduring stamina that's a heritage callback in and of itself: Panerai adopted long power reserves in the 1950s specifically so commandos wouldn't have to keep fiddling with a crown that needed to stay sealed. Basically: Wind it on a Monday, and it's still ticking the following Monday. Both cases also wear a gently domed sapphire crystal, a wink at the PERSPEX of the 1960s original, doing double duty for legibility and nostalgia at once. The dials are where the artisanship gets both subtle yet obsessive: a circular-brushed finish worked into a brass base through concentric micro-circles, rotated by hand so no two dials catch the light quite the same way. PAM01734 goes green with gilt hands; PAM01794 goes black with hands blued the old way, through controlled 300°C oxidation. Straps are made of Tuscan calf, hot-stamped with a Florentine lily, and each is paired with a rubber alternate for whenever the sea (or adventure in general) calls. It's a flourish born of function, not fashion, which is the Panerai way. At left, Panerai's Florence boutique. Above, the new PAM01734, in progress, is limited to 100 pieces, while PAM01794 (below) is an edition of 1,000. Both are available now at Bal Harbour Shops. 74 74 BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M ; B UYI N G I N D E X , PAG E 2 2 2