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Lot Essay
Accompanied by a fitted wooden cabinet with glazed top, applied gilt Italian Navy Admiralty marks, a section to the back designed to hold the three leather bracelets.
The present set is a triptych or so-called “Trittico”, made by Panerai for the Italian Navy, and particularly rare as the instruments and the wristwatch are in extremely good original condition considering their age and designated use at the time. After his years of service at the Navy, the original owner hand-built the present show case sometime in the late 1950’s.Tthe watch, compass and depth gauge are fitted into a tailor-made cushion to the front of the case, the leather straps are neatly stored in the back part of the wooden cabinet.
One of the best preserved sets to be offered in public in recent years, this lot represents a true collector’s piece for an aficionado of these rare “Tritticos”.
Guido Panerai & Figlio
Guido Panerai & Figlio, founded in 1860 in Florence, advanced quickly to the official watchmaker of the Italian Navy and produced extremely modern and precise instruments. In 1936 the company, later renamed Officine Panerai, launched the first prototype of a diver's watch, the Radiomir (see lot 228 in this auction). During World War II, watches and other instruments made by Panerai were standard-issue tools for Italian Navy frogmen, SLC torpedo riders and commandos, later also for naval forces of other countries such as Egypt.
The “Luminor” model takes its name from the luminous substance based on tritium and used for the numerals and hands on the dial for which Panerai obtained the patent in 1949. It replaced the previous Radiomir mix developed between 1910 and 1915. The movements and cases were supplied by Rolex. The models were equipped with a crown protecting bridge, invented by Panerai in 1943 (patented in 1956). Its main functions are protecting the crown from shocks, compressing the sealing gasket with the lever to make the watch water-resistant to a depth of 200 metres and allowing the rewinding of the watch when submerged.
The instruments were fitted with brushed inox and stainless steel amagnetic cases, transparent plexiglas domes, black dials with luminous indications, leather straps and steel buckles. The compass features a luminous rubber band to the inside of the plexiglas dome. The depth gauge was available in different versions with the patented Bourdon tube pressure gauges and calibrated to 15 meters (attack missions) such as the present lot or to 30/40 meters (defence missions).
For a description and illustration of the various “Trittico” components see The Panerai in Florence by Dino Zei, pp, 62, 70 & 71.
The present set is a triptych or so-called “Trittico”, made by Panerai for the Italian Navy, and particularly rare as the instruments and the wristwatch are in extremely good original condition considering their age and designated use at the time. After his years of service at the Navy, the original owner hand-built the present show case sometime in the late 1950’s.Tthe watch, compass and depth gauge are fitted into a tailor-made cushion to the front of the case, the leather straps are neatly stored in the back part of the wooden cabinet.
One of the best preserved sets to be offered in public in recent years, this lot represents a true collector’s piece for an aficionado of these rare “Tritticos”.
Guido Panerai & Figlio
Guido Panerai & Figlio, founded in 1860 in Florence, advanced quickly to the official watchmaker of the Italian Navy and produced extremely modern and precise instruments. In 1936 the company, later renamed Officine Panerai, launched the first prototype of a diver's watch, the Radiomir (see lot 228 in this auction). During World War II, watches and other instruments made by Panerai were standard-issue tools for Italian Navy frogmen, SLC torpedo riders and commandos, later also for naval forces of other countries such as Egypt.
The “Luminor” model takes its name from the luminous substance based on tritium and used for the numerals and hands on the dial for which Panerai obtained the patent in 1949. It replaced the previous Radiomir mix developed between 1910 and 1915. The movements and cases were supplied by Rolex. The models were equipped with a crown protecting bridge, invented by Panerai in 1943 (patented in 1956). Its main functions are protecting the crown from shocks, compressing the sealing gasket with the lever to make the watch water-resistant to a depth of 200 metres and allowing the rewinding of the watch when submerged.
The instruments were fitted with brushed inox and stainless steel amagnetic cases, transparent plexiglas domes, black dials with luminous indications, leather straps and steel buckles. The compass features a luminous rubber band to the inside of the plexiglas dome. The depth gauge was available in different versions with the patented Bourdon tube pressure gauges and calibrated to 15 meters (attack missions) such as the present lot or to 30/40 meters (defence missions).
For a description and illustration of the various “Trittico” components see The Panerai in Florence by Dino Zei, pp, 62, 70 & 71.