Panerai is a successful brand, making interesting and unique watches that have a die-hard following, but it hasn't always been this way. There was a point when it wasn't even possible to get hold of a Panerai unless you were member of the Italian Navy, which is where this story began, over 150 years ago. The Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) Was formed on the 17th Of March 1861 after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, and it Was at the end of the 19th Century that they approached a small Florentine diving instruments manufacturer to supply them with equipment. Giovanni Panerai had started his business in 1860 in a small workshop on the Ponte alle Grazie. a bridge spanning the Arno River. He was succeeded by his grandson. Guido, Whose business sense and engineering mind brought the company's precision instruments to the attention Of the Italian Royal Navy. By the turn of the century, Guido THE WATCH PANERA' had moved the workshop to ...