Sea-Dweller 126663 replica

In the realm of bezels, there is a saying that “Rolex and Panerai are one family.” Many players also know that Rolex has supplied cases and movements to Panerai in the past. Today, Rolex and Panerai have completely different styles and paths; historically, Rolex and Panerai have been more closely related than players might think. Today, I will clarify the relationship between Rolex and Panerai.

At the beginning of the last century (1900s), Panerai was a company specializing in the production of technical equipment such as compasses, depth gauges, beacons, and measuring instruments, and was a long-term supplier to the Italian Navy, providing nautical equipment. In 1935, the Italian Navy wanted to acquire a professional diver’s watch, but after examining the watches on the market, they found that none of them met their requirements. The Italian Navy asked Panerai to develop a professional diver’s watch (based on the technical indicators of the time, not the modern standard of diver’s watches).

After Panerai received the request from the Navy, they had never produced a watch before and had no experience in this area. In 1926, Rolex invented the Oyster case technology, which was leading in the industry in terms of waterproofing. Panerai approached Rolex for cooperation, and thus, Panerai and Rolex collaborated. Since the Italian Navy had requirements for large watches, and in the early part of the last century, watches were typically small, Rolex‘s Oyster, introduced in 1926, measured only 32 mm. Rolex also had a pocket watch with an Oyster case, measuring 47 mm, which met Panerai‘s requirements.

Rolex needed to adapt a pocket watch into a wristwatch. They did this by adding two metal rings above and below the pocket watch, bent from metal strips that could be threaded into the strap to serve as lugs. At the same time, Rolex supplied Panerai with a screw-down crown and a hand-wound movement.

This collaboration led to the production of the first Panerai watch, Ref. 2533. The first Panerai Watch 2533 was a 47 mm watch with a steel case and two hands, featuring the words “RADIOMIR PANERAI” on the dial. Its exterior is exactly the same as that of the modern Panerai RADIOMIR. That’s why many collectors today consider the 47 mm, steel case, and two hands to be the most authentic representation of Panerai.