Panerai is very familiar to everyone. Panerai’s recognition is super high, it is big, has personality, and many people buy it. Anyone who touches a little watch knows that Panerai has two main appearances, one is a bridge guard, called Luminor, and the other is a bridge guard, called Radiomir. But those who are familiar with Panerai know that Panerai is divided into five major series under Luminor with and without Radiomir.
Panerai’s 5 major series, from left to right, are Radiomir, Radiomir 1940, Luminor 1950, Luminor, Luminor Due.
Panerai’s current five major series are Radiomir, Radiomir 1940, Luminor 1950, Luminor, Luminor Due. The 5 series of Panerai have similar overall appearances, but there are slight differences between them. So today I will sort out the evolution and differences of Panerai’s 5 major series, so that new players can identify each series at a glance.
First, the Radiomir series
What we usually say about Panerai without a bridge is Radiomir. Radiomir is the earliest watch in the history of Panerai. In the 1930s, Panerai just started making watches, just like Radiomir. In the 1930s (1938), when Panerai first started producing watches, it did not have the ability to make watches on its own, so Rolex provided them to Panerai and used Rolex movements, so some people often said, LP doesn’t separate. The shell shape of Radiomir was also influenced by the shape of early Rolex watches.
Panerai 424
The characteristics of Radiomir are very obvious. The cushion-shaped case has no crown guard and the crown is in the shape of an onion crown. Radiomir’s lugs are linear lugs. The lugs are made of two metal bars (the two metal bars are indirectly connected together). In addition to these two obvious features, Radiomir also has an important feature on the case, that is, the side of the case is curved, a bit like a willow leaf. The shape of the side of the Radiomir case has an important influence on the Panerai shell shape after differentiation. Based on the above characteristics, Radiomir is a relatively “stylish” and “classical” model in all Panerai watches. Even the size of 47, because there is no bridge, is not so big after getting started.
Panerai 425
Second, the Radiomir 1940 series
After Radiomir, Panerai evolved Radiomir 1940. Everyone who knows Pei knows that Panerai has been used by the Italian Navy as a military product for a long, long time. So many designs in Panerai history are designed to meet the needs of divers. The standard Radiomir’s lugs are made of metal strips. From our point of view, there is nothing wrong. If from a diver’s military perspective, the metal lugs will not be strong.
Panerai 577
In order to solve the problem of weak lugs, Panerai began to improve on the basis of Radiomir. The metal lugs were replaced with conventional lugs, which were much thicker. At the same time, the standard version of Radiomir’s onion-shaped crown has also been changed to a flatter conventional crown. And this improved watch model with conventional lugs and conventional crowns is now the Radiomir 1940. The Radiomir 1940 is a mid-range version of the standard Radiomir’s transition to Luminor. At the same time, please note that the side of the Radiomir 1940 case is also curved, similar to the shape of a willow leaf.
Panerai 572
Third, Luminor 1950 series
We all know that Panerai with a bridge is called Luminor, but in fact, Panerai with a bridge is divided into Luminor 1950 and Luminor. Many people at Luminor 1950 and Luminor don’t know what is the difference between them. Let me focus on that, first of all, Luminor 1950. The evolution from Panerai watches is from Radiomir → Radiomir 1940 → Luminor 1950 → Luminor. Luminor 1950 said it was Radiomir 1940 and the bridge. Bridge protection is a patented and iconic feature of Panerai, in order to further strengthen the watch’s waterproof and crown protection.
Panerai 372
Please note that Luminor 1950 has two obvious features. The first is that the side shape of the case is the same as the Radiomir / Radiomir 1940, which has some curved willow leaves. The second is that the Luminor 1950’s bridge It is written with the words REG and TM (TM, I think is the meaning of trademark, the meaning of trademark, in the process of patent application, the trademark can be marked TM). It is because of these two characteristics that we can see that Luminor 1950 is a watch directly evolved from Radiomir. We can recognize Luminor 1950 from the bridge at a glance, there are words on the bridge of Luminor 1950.
In addition, Panerai’s professional diving watch SUBMERSIBLE is also under the Luminor 1950 series. You can pay attention to observation. SUBMERSIBLE also meets the various characteristics of Luminor 1950.
Panerai 1359
Fourth, Luminor series
After Luminor 1950, it was Luminor. Panerai Luminor can be understood as another change on the Luminor 1950. Luminor and Luminor 1950 look the same on the surface, many people may have bought Panerai and did not care that Luminor is divided into two. Please note that there are two changes to Luminor. The first is more intuitive. There is no lettering on Luminor’s bridge; the second is that the shape of the side of the case of Luminor has changed. Please note that the side of the case of Luminor is rectangular in shape, which is different from the curved shape of Luminor 1950. Similarly, we can identify Luminor from the bridge at a glance. There is no word on the Luminor bridge.
Panerai 590
Panerai 777
Luminor and Luminor 1950 have another difference from the specific watch. Panerai’s most classic size is 47mm. Luminor 1950 has a 47mm watch, Luminor does not have a 47mm watch. I think it is the shape of the rectangular side of the Luminor shell. If it is 47, the watch will look very thick, so I did not make 47 on Luminor, only 44.
The picture above shows the Panerai Luminor 1950, and the picture below shows the Panerai Luminor. You can notice the difference between the side of the bridge and the case.
Fifth, Luminor Due series
Luminor Due is well understood, that is, Panerai’s slim series, which is also a new series in the past two years. Because Panerai watches have always been very large, very thick and aggressive, not everyone can accept. Panerai has released a thinning series Luminor Due. Luminor Due is based on Luminor 1950 and is thinned. Its appearance is similar to Luminor 1950. Because of the use of Panerai’s new P4000 pearl movement and P1000 manual movement, these two relatively thin movements make the thickness of Luminor Due greatly reduced. At the same time, Luminor Due mainly includes the size of 42 and 38 mm, and the size has also been reduced (45 models are also available), so those who are not willing to wear a large watch and girls with fine wrists can wear it with a formal dress.
Panerai 676
Panerai 755
The above mentioned are actually mainly used as popular science. When you buy a watch, you don’t have to think about it so much. You can buy whatever you like. For me personally, I buy Panerai, only 47.