Panerai marks the centenary of its historic Florence boutique with two new Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni models, combining a 1960s military reference with details linked to the Maison’s Florentine origins.
The PAM01734 and PAM01794 share a 44 mm case, the hand-wound P.5000 manufacture calibre and an eight-day power reserve, while differing in materials, water resistance and dial configuration.
The watches will also take centre stage at Immersion, Panerai’s exhibition at the Museo Marino Marini in Florence from September 10 to 19.
Panerai’s connection with Florence dates back to 1860, when Giovanni Panerai established a watch shop, workshop and watchmaking school at Ponte alle Grazie. The business moved several times before settling in Piazza San Giovanni in 1926, within the Archbishop’s Palace and overlooking Florence Cathedral.
Known as “Orologeria Svizzera”, the shop served not only as a retail space but also as a working watchmaking workshop, where watches were assembled and repaired. The experience gained through contacts with the Swiss Maisons represented there contributed to the Panerai family’s technical knowledge, while its developing relationship with the Italian Navy would eventually establish the foundations of the brand’s identity in water resistance, luminescence and professional instruments.
The partnership with the Italian Navy remained subject to military secrecy until September 10, 1993, when Panerai presented its watches to the civilian market. Four years later, following the acquisition of the company by Richemont, the Florence boutique underwent renovation and reopened in 2001 as Panerai’s first owned boutique. Its historical character has since been preserved, with contemporary collections displayed alongside historical instruments and watches and a working watchmaker’s station.
The centenary of the Piazza San Giovanni boutique provides the context for the new Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni models.
Their design is based on the reference 6152/1 from the 1960s, specifically a rare prototype authenticated by Panerai and held in a private collection. The watch was selected for its connection to Florence, most notably through the “Panerai Firenze” inscription on its dial.
That inscription is reproduced at 12 o’clock on both new models.
Another detail from the prototype is also carried over: a crown-protecting bridge with parallel grooves cut into its inner sides facing the crown.
The feature appears on the PAM01734, reflecting an experimental modification developed to make winding easier in operational conditions, including when the watches were handled while wearing gloves or in low-visibility environments.
The 6152/1 prototype measured 47 mm, while the new watches adopt a more compact 44 mm case.
Both retain the cushion-shaped middle case, flat crown-protecting bridge and combination of polished and brushed surfaces associated with Panerai’s historical construction.
The two references differ most clearly in their case materials and water-resistance specifications.
The Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 uses Panerai’s Platinumtech alloy, a platinum material treated to increase its hardness compared with standard platinum.
Its 44 mm case is paired with an open sapphire case back and is water-resistant to 10 bar, approximately 100 metres / 330 feet.
The Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794 uses polished stainless steel, with a brushed closed case back engraved with the Florence boutique, and increases water resistance to 30 bar, or approximately 300 metres / 1,000 feet.
Both watches use a slightly curved domed sapphire crystal, recalling the visual effect of the PERSPEX crystals used on Luminor watches in the 1960s.
On the PAM01734, the crystal sits above a circular-brushed green sandwich dial with green Super-LumiNova on the cut-out numerals, markers and vintage-inspired double pencil hands, which have a gold-effect finish.
The PAM01794 pairs its steel case with a circular-brushed black sandwich dial and green Super-LumiNova, with blue-finished hands providing a contrasting detail. Panerai reproduces the blue tone through a controlled oxidation process.
The dials are deliberately free of a date display or other auxiliary functions, keeping the focus on hours and minutes and on the characteristic sandwich construction.
The hand-wound P.5000 manufacture calibre provides the two watches with eight days of autonomy. The 113-part movement is 4.5 mm thick and uses two barrels to achieve its extended power reserve.
Its balance oscillates at 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour, and is fitted with an Incabloc Parechoc anti-shock device.
A variable-inertia balance with timing screws is supported by a full traversing bridge, while the movement’s predominantly enclosed architecture recalls the construction of historic Panerai calibres.
Horizontal brushing on the plates, blue inscriptions and red jewels provide the contemporary finishing details visible through the open case back of the PAM01734.
The eight-day reserve itself has a historical basis in Panerai’s professional watches. In the 1950s, the Maison adopted the Angelus SF 240 movement, whose eight-day autonomy reduced the need for frequent winding in watches used by underwater commandos.
Limiting the number of winding operations also helped reduce stress on the crown assembly, an important consideration for watches intended for use in demanding environments. The P.5000 continues this combination of manual winding and extended autonomy in a contemporary manufacture calibre.
The closed steel caseback of the PAM01794 carries the “Officine Panerai Firenze” inscription and an engraving of the historic boutique façade.
The Florentine theme continues with the straps. The PAM01734 is fitted with a black Tuscan calf leather strap bearing a hot-stamped Florentine lily and is supplied with a second green rubber strap.
The PAM01794 comes on a dark brown Tuscan calf leather strap with the same lily motif and an additional black rubber strap.
The watches are delivered in mahogany boxes with dovetail corner joints, with the lacquered box of the platinum model contrasting with the matte finish used for the steel version.
Both boxes feature a metal plaque depicting the historic entrance of the Florence boutique and include the tools required to change the straps.
The Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 is limited to 100 pieces and priced at €55,000, while the Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794 is limited to 1,000 pieces and priced at €10,700. Both will be available in Panerai boutiques from September 2026. panerai.com
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