PANERAI MARE NOSTRUM

The Panerai people have reissued the MARE Nostrum watch.  The Mare Nostrum, meaning “our sea” in Italian was created as standard issue for deck officers in the Italian navy in 1943.  Only three prototypes were produced during World War II and until recently, all traces of this luxe watch were lost after a flood in Florence in 1966. 

In 1993 when the Panerai brand was relaunched from Florence the line included the Luminor, the Luminor Marina, and a slightly modified version of the Mare Nostrum. Still basically the same design, a tachmeter scale was introduced on the bezel, with the inscription “Km/h” at 2 o’ clock. The Mare Nostrum was always the odd man out in the range, lacking the patented crown locking device, and not being as heavy-duty as its siblings in the line since it was never intended for diving. The crystal is 1.5mm thick instead of the more usual 3.5mm (or 5mm on the modern 1000m Submersible).

The Mare Nostrum survived well past the acquisition of Officine Panerai by the Vendome group, and when it was released with blue, black and white dials for the first post-Vendome Panerai collection the only change was that the “Km/h” on the bezel was replaced by the word “Tachymeter”.

Now, Panerai has come up with the idea of recreating the Mare Nostrum watch, and the new version is based on the original with utmost attention to the smallest detail. It has been issued as limited series of just 99 items.

The reproduced Panerai Mare Nostrum watch is offered with a 52 mm case, rendered in AISI 316L brushed steel. It is fitted with a winding crown, which bears the engraving – Mare Nostrum. The case is also equipped with brushed steel push-buttons for the chronograph functions. The push-buttons are located at 2 and 4 o’clock. The watch case features a brushed steel bezel and a back, manufactured from the same material.

Inside the new Panerai watch is an exceptional manually-wound Panerai OP XXV calibre movement, set with 22 gemstones. It features a monometallic Glucydur balance wheel, beating at the rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour. The movement is equipped with Incabloc anti-shock system. Outfitted with a swan’s neck regulator, it also features bridges, graced with Cotes de Geneve finish. The watch functionality includes hours, minutes, small seconds, as well as chronograph with two counters.