Panerai. An extremely rare and oversized stainless steel water-resistant diver's wristwatch with 8-day movement, revolving bezel and brown-coloured dial, made for the Egyptian Navy

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The "Egiziano" reference GPF 2/56 Following a request of Commander Fawzi of the Egyptian Navy who attended the Commando School of the Italian Navy, Panerai developed the legendary reference GPF 2/56, its internal code derived from the month and year of its projection, February 1956. Nicknamed the "Egiziano" (Italian for "Egyptian") this model is the largest of all Panerai wristwatches ever made with an impressive diameter of 60 mm. It furthermore featured a revolving bezel graduated for 5 minutes. Most notably it was fitted with the well-known Angelus 8-day movement which already found use in a small number of reference 6152 (see lot 324). Earlier examples of GPF 2/56 were equipped with the "Radiomir" dial, later models had the "Luminor" version. Regrettably, no documentation survived in regards to the precise number of "Egiziani" produced. Scholarship however stipulates that no more than 50 watches were supplied to the Egyptian Forces and that few other examples were made as prototypes.

Panerai. An extremely rare and oversized stainless steel water-resistant diver's wristwatch with 8-day movement, revolving bezel and brown-coloured dial, made for the Egyptian Navy

SIGNED RADIOMIR PANERAI, 8 GIORNI BREVETTATO, REF. GPF 2/56, EGIZIANO MODEL, CASE NUMBERED N.E. 032, MOVEMENT SIGNED ANGELUS, MANUFACTURED IN 1956

Details

Panerai. An extremely rare and oversized stainless steel water-resistant diver's wristwatch with 8-day movement, revolving bezel and brown-coloured dial, made for the Egyptian Navy
Signed Radiomir Panerai, 8 Giorni Brevettato, ref. GPF 2/56, Egiziano model, case numbered N.E. 032, movement signed Angelus, manufactured in 1956
Angelus cal. 16''' 8-day nickel-finished lever movement, 15 jewels, the dial consisting of two discs, the lower one coated with "Luminor" luminous substance visible through the cut out Arabic and baton numerals in the black matte upper disc, luminous subsidiary seconds and luminous hands, in large tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case with revolving bezel calibrated for five minutes, crown protecting bridge, the back secured by six screws, large stainless steel buckle, case signed Mod. GPF 2/56, Brevettato, Mattr. N.E. 032, dial signed Panerai, movement signed Angelus
58 mm. diam.

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Lot Essay

The present watch is a very well preserved example of the celebrated "Egiziano" reference GPF 2/56. It is an important witness of the development of professional divers' watches, reflected by its charismatically aged dial which turned from black to tones of warm hazelnut-brown. Such dials with nearly perfect patina are also referred to as "tropical" dials.

The "Egiziano" reference GPF 2/56 is described and illustrated in The Panerai in Florence by Dino Zei, p. 66.

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