$19,550
Officine Panerai Firenze, "Radiomir Panerai", "8 Giorni Brevettato". Produced in 1956.Very rare and very large, water-resistant, 8-day power-reserve, stainless steel, military diving wristwatch with original water-repellent leather band and Panerai buckle. three-body, polished and brushed, revolving and graduated bezel, concave lugs, case back with 6 screws, black with radium-coated Arabic numerals and indexes, auxiliary seconds dial on the 9. "Bâton" radium-coated hands. Notes A limited series of 50 examples was produced in February of 1956 for the Egyptian Navy Commandos. All of the Officine Panerai watches were equipped with 16''' Rolex or Angelus Cal. 240 movements (recognizable by the auxiliary seconds dial at 9) and were guaranteed water-resistant down to 20 atmospheres. The security lever on the crown not only offered increased water-protection, but also allowed winding the watch under water. This lot is remarkable not only for its security lever but also forts 8-day movement which allowed divers to operate under water longer than with any other diving watch. Of the 50 pieces delivered to the Egyptian Navy Commandos, some were still in use by Egyptian military forces up until the 1980's.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-05-21