Panerai Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni Models Mark A Century In Florence
In 2026, Panerai celebrates a remarkable milestone. One hundred years ago, the Panerai family established its Florence presence in Piazza San Giovanni, at the very heart of the Renaissance city.
To mark the centenary, the Maison has created two new limited editions, the Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 and PAM01794, watches that bring together Panerai’s Florentine origins and its enduring military heritage.
The story begins considerably earlier. In 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened his first watch shop and workshop at Ponte alle Grazie, establishing what would become Florence’s first watchmaking school. The family’s business subsequently moved several times before finding its permanent home in Piazza San Giovanni in 1926, within the Archbishop’s Palace and directly opposite the magnificent Florence Cathedral.
Known as Orologeria Svizzera, the premises were much more than a retail establishment. They were a working horological workshop where watches were assembled and repaired, while the family developed an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the technical solutions employed by the leading watchmakers of the day. It was this practical experience that would ultimately provide the foundations for Panerai’s transformation from Florentine workshop to internationally recognised watchmaking Maison.
Florence, however, was only one part of the story. Alongside its commercial activities, the Panerai family was developing an increasingly important relationship with the Italian Navy. The requirements of military divers demanded exceptional water resistance, reliable construction and highly legible luminous displays. These requirements would define Panerai’s identity for decades, although much of the work remained a closely guarded military secret until 1993, when the Maison finally presented its watches to the civilian world.
The historic Florence boutique became Panerai’s first owned boutique following its acquisition by Richemont in 1997. Renovated and reopened in 2001, its historic character was carefully preserved. Today, the original early twentieth-century wooden shop window remains beneath the distinctive OROLOGERIA sign, while the boutique continues to combine Panerai’s contemporary collections with historic instruments, watches and a working watchmaker’s station. It is this remarkable history that provides the inspiration for the new Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni.
Inspired by an exceptional prototype
The PAM01734 and PAM01794 take their inspiration from the Panerai reference 6152/1 of the 1960s. Yet their origins can be traced to an unusually rare variation of that historic model, a prototype authenticated by Panerai and preserved within a private collection.
The significance of this particular watch lies in its connection with Florence. Its dial carries the inscription ‘Panerai Firenze’, while its crown protecting bridge incorporates parallel grooves cut into the inner surfaces facing the crown. Both details have been brought back for the new watches, with the distinctive grooved bridge retained on the PAM01734 (below).
The unusual crown bridge was not simply an aesthetic experiment. It emerged from Panerai’s relentless search for practical solutions for military divers. The grooves were tested to make the crown easier to manipulate when winding the hand-wound movement, particularly when wearing gloves or operating in difficult conditions.
The original 47mm proportions have now been interpreted in a more wearable 44mm case, while retaining the characteristic cushion-shaped middle case, flat crown protecting bridge and combination of polished and brushed surfaces. The result is unmistakably Panerai, but with a particularly strong connection to one of the Maison’s most important historic references.
Eight days of autonomy
At the heart of both watches is Panerai’s hand-wound P.5000 manufacture calibre. Measuring 15½ lignes in diameter and just 4.5mm thick, the movement contains 113 components and 21 jewels, operating at 3Hz or 21,600 vibrations per hour. Its defining characteristic is, of course, its eight-day power reserve.
The relationship between extended autonomy and military reliability is deeply embedded in Panerai’s history. In the 1950s, the Maison adopted the Angelus SF 240 movement, providing eight days of autonomy for watches supplied to underwater commandos. Reducing the frequency with which a watch needed to be wound also reduced handling of the crown, an important consideration for maintaining reliability and water resistance.
The P.5000 carries that philosophy into the present. Its two barrels provide 192 hours of running time, meaning that a watch fully wound at the beginning of the week can continue running until the following week.
The movement itself deliberately reflects the robust architecture of historic Panerai calibres. Much of the mechanism is contained between two broad plates, with the balance cock and intermediate wheel among the principal visible components. A variable-inertia balance and full traversing bridge contribute to stability and shock resistance.
Two interpretations of Florence
The PAM01734 and PAM01794 share their fundamental architecture but express it through two distinctly different materials and colour combinations.
The PAM01734 is the more exclusive of the pair, combining its 44mm case with Panerai’s Platinumtech™ alloy. Comprising 95 per cent pure platinum, the patented material undergoes a special treatment that increases its hardness by 85 per cent compared with standard platinum. The result is a precious metal with an emphasis on durability and scratch resistance, while its considerable weight gives the watch an unmistakable physical presence.
Its green circular-brushed sandwich dial provides a rich contrast to the Platinumtech™ case, while gold-effect hands add a subtle touch of warmth. The PAM01794 takes a more utilitarian direction, pairing a polished steel case with a black circular-brushed sandwich dial and blue-finished hands.
The blue hands are themselves a reference to historical Panerai practice. Bluing was once employed for its protective properties and to enhance legibility. Here, the effect is recreated through controlled oxidation at approximately 300°C.
Both watches feature a gently curved domed sapphire crystal. Its form recalls the visual character of the PERSPEX® crystals used on Luminor watches during the 1960s, adding another discreet link between the contemporary watches and their predecessors.
Function before decoration
The dials remain resolutely simple. There is no date display and no additional complication, leaving the hours and minutes to occupy the stage. Cut-out numerals and indices, together with pencil hands, are treated with Super-LumiNova®, ensuring the exceptional legibility for which Panerai has long been known. The ‘Panerai Firenze’ inscription is engraved tone-on-tone, allowing the Florentine connection to remain understated rather than becoming a decorative statement.
The circular-brushed finish is particularly effective. Created on a brass base through a series of concentric micro-circles, the surface changes subtly as each dial is rotated beneath the brushing tool. No two surfaces are therefore entirely identical, with the finish responding differently as light moves across it.
On the reverse, the inscription ‘Officine Panerai Firenze’ reinforces the watches’ connection with the city in which the story began.
The Florentine lily
The connection with Florence continues onto the straps. Both watches are supplied with Tuscan calf leather carrying a hot-stamped interpretation of the city’s emblematic Florentine lily.
The PAM01734 is presented with a black leather strap and a second green rubber strap, while the PAM01794 combines dark brown leather with a black rubber alternative. Each is designed to provide a different expression of the watch, from the historical character of the leather to the more contemporary and practical rubber option.
Even the presentation boxes have been considered as part of the story. The PAM01734 arrives in a lacquered mahogany box, while the PAM01794 is supplied in a matte mahogany version. Both employ traditional dovetail corner joints and feature a metal plaque depicting the historic entrance to Panerai’s Florence boutique. Beneath the removable watch tray is a compartment containing the additional strap and tools.
A meeting of past and present
There is an especially appropriate setting for the debut of these watches. The PAM01734 and PAM01794 will take centre stage at ‘Immersion’, Panerai’s contemporary exhibition at Florence’s Museo Marino Marini from 10 to 19 September 2026.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the very prototype that inspired the watches, the unusual reference 6152/1 whose ‘Panerai Firenze’ inscription and distinctive crown bridge have now been translated into these two modern interpretations.
It is a fitting dialogue between object and inspiration. The original watch represents the period when Panerai’s instruments were developed for a demanding military purpose, while the new watches reinterpret those same ideas for a contemporary audience.
The PAM01734, limited to just 100 pieces, offers the most luxurious interpretation, with its Platinumtech™ case, green dial and open sapphire caseback. Water resistance is rated to 10 bar, approximately 100 metres.
The PAM01794, limited to 1,000 pieces, adopts polished steel, a black dial and closed caseback, while increasing water resistance to 30 bar, approximately 300 metres.
A century after the Panerai family established itself in Piazza San Giovanni, the connection between Florence and the Maison remains remarkably tangible. The original boutique still stands at the centre of the story, while the technical principles born from Panerai’s relationship with the Italian Navy continue to shape its watches.
The Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 and PAM01794 therefore do more than commemorate an anniversary. They demonstrate how heritage can remain relevant when it is treated not simply as something to reproduce, but as something to understand.
From a Florentine workshop established in 1860 to a global watchmaking Maison, Panerai’s history has always been one of technical ingenuity shaped by circumstance. These two watches bring that story back to Florence, where the journey began.
Technical Specifications:
Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni
PAM01734
Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, P.5000 calibre, 15 ½ lignes, 4.5 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/ hour. Incabloc Parechoc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 8 days, two barrels. 113 components.
Functions: Hours, minutes.
Power Reserve: 8 days (192 hours).
Case: 44mm, Platinumtech™ case and crown protecting bridge featuring parallel grooves cut into the inner sides facing the crown.
Platinumtech™ open case-back. Domed sapphire crystal.
Dial: Circular brushed green dial with sandwich construction. Green Super-LumiNova® on hours, markers and vintage inspired double pencil hands with gold-effect.
Strap: Black calf Tuscan leather strap featuring a hot-stamped pattern of the Florentine lily, white gold trapezoidal buckle. Additional green rubber strap.
Packaging: lacquered mahogany box with dovetail corner joints, comprising a screwdriver to change the buckle and a second rubber strap in green. The lid features a custom metal plaque depicting the Florence boutique entrance.
Water resistance: 10 bar (~100 meters).
Limited edition of 100 pieces.
Price: RRP £47,200.00
PAM01794
Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, P.5000 calibre, 15 ½ lignes, 4.5 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/ hour. Incabloc Parechoc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 8 days, two barrels. 113 components.
Functions: Hours, minutes.
Power Reserve: 8 days (192 hours).
Case: 44mm, polished steel case, polished bezel and brushed crown protecting bridge. Brushed steel closed case-back with the Florence boutique engraving. Domed sapphire crystal.
Dial: Circular brushed black dial with sandwich construction. Green Super-LumiNova® on hours, markers and vintage inspired double pencil hands.
Strap: Dark brown calf Tuscan leather strap featuring a hot-stamped pattern of the Florentine lily, trapezoidal brushed steel buckle. Additional black rubber strap.
Packaging: Matte mahogany box with dovetail corner joints, comprising a screwdriver to change the buckle and a second rubber strap in black. The lid features a custom metal plaque depicting the Florence boutique entrance.
Water resistance: 30 bar (~300 meters).
Limited edition of 1000 pieces.
Price: RRP £9,200.00
For more information please visit Panerai