Most significant watches of the first decade of the 21st century: Officine Panerai Luminor

The brand of the decade, the watch of the decade. This is perhaps the easiest choice and the hardest choice in this series of most significant watches of this decade. The Office Panerai Luminor. A product of a small Italian maker of precision instruments for the Italian Navy, the first Panerai watch was built in 1936. For the next sixty (60) years small order of watches, for the Italian Navy and the Egyptian Navy, were filled by Officine Panerai. This little known brand became a international sensation overnight. 

In 1993 Panerai stopped providing watches to the Italian Navy, as they were no longer cost-effective. Panerai instead offered its product to the civilian market. In 1995 Sylvester Stallone saw a Panerai Luminor in a Italian jewelry store in Romes and bought it. Sylvester Stallone ordered several more of these watches with his signature engraved in the back to give to friends, one of who was Arnold Schwarzenegger. The watch rapidly popularity, and Officine Panerai was eventually taken over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.

The Panerai, changed the way we look at watches. These big odd clunky looking watches spawned created the "big watch" fad, which fad has shown no signs of ending. This brand also gave rise to a whole series of big watches with clamp like mechanisms. The watch that saw it rise to popularity on the wrists of two of Hollywoods action stars, was popularized by more Hollywood actors than any watch we know.

Hugh Grant wore a Panerai in Bridget Jones Diary (2001) and Two Weeks Notice (2002). Jason Statham wore a Panerai in The Transporter (2002), The Italian Job (2003) and Transporter 2 (2005). Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wore a Panerai in Rundown (2003) and Gridiron Gang (2007). Other actors who have worn Panerai's in Hollywood movies are Josh Hartnett (Hollywood Homicide, 2003), Pierce Brosnan (After the Sunset, 2004), Orlando Bloom (Elizabethtown, 2005), Clive Owen (Inside Man, 2006), Cole Houser (The Break Up, 2006), Keir O' Donell (The Break Up, 2006), Christoper Guest (For Your Consideration, 2007), Tim Allen (Wild Hogs, 2007) and Martin Lawrence (Wild Hogs, 2007). Panerai has also made it on the small screen being seen on the wrist of Isaiah Washington in Greys Anatomy and David Caruso in CSI: Miami.

Officine Panerai is the most significant watch brand of the 21st century, that is a given. But which watch do we credit with its popularity. The answer is, almost all. The Luminor and Luminor 1950 cases revolutionized how watches were designed. Even by looking at the movements, we cannot figure out which watch to give the award too. Do we give honor the most recognizable Panerai (the PAM00111, in our opinion) one with the first in-house movement (the PAM00200), or their first mass production in-house manufacture watch (PAM00233) or to the watch that bring Panerai to the mass market (PAM00312). From complication watches to watches with nearly unique feature like eight-day and ten-day movements, to watches that can withstand 1000 meters of pressure, Officine Panerai has done it all, and done it in distinctively it's own way.

About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.