Officine Panerai Brevetee “Radiomir”, Rolex SA-Genève, Suisse, 31 Victoires, Haute Precision, case No. 260804, reference No. 3646 / Type D, Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1, 47 x 47 mm, manufactured circa 1944. Steel case with original crown inscribed “Brevet” and Swiss cross. The dial is blackened brass, the hands as well as the numerals and markers on the dial are originally lacquered with “Radiomir” luminous material. The case back bears the typical engraving for the wearer “AV 1945 Marine Kampf-Schwimmer”. Movement: bridge movement, monometallic screw balance. These watches were manufactured by Panerai in collaboration with Rolex. Fully functional, only slight signs of wear, in good untouched original condition. The strap was replaced after the war.
Significant combat diver watch of the German Kriegsmarine - to date fewer than 80 watches of this type have been documented.
In the course of the last 35 business years, this is only the 3rd Panerai combat diver watch we have been able to offer.
Additional watches of reference 3646 / Type D are listed in the book “Vintage Panerai - The References” by Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann in chapter II.IV (pages 398-531), which also contains a historical photograph of a combat diver wearing a Panerai Ref. 3646 with brass dial (page 475). This section of the book includes an overview of various decorative finishes on the interior sides of the cases (Type A-Type G) (page 486).
Radiomir Panerai
Thanks to the luminous material “Radiomir” invented in 1914 - a mixture of zinc sulfate and radium bromide - Panerai dials were particularly easy to read at night and deep underwater. Panerai knew how to exploit this advantage for watches as well, and was thus commissioned to produce the first wristwatch for combat divers, called “Radiomir”. The first prototypes were still manufactured directly at Rolex, later the watches with their cases based on the Oyster principle were produced at Panerai. In 1936, the Panerai Radiomir became classified equipment of the Italian Navy.
Source: “Armbanduhren Klassik Katalog”, Königswinter 2005, page 146.
The decision to form combat diver groups in the German Kriegsmarine following the model of the Italian Navy was made in 1943. The idea came from Admiral Heye, who wanted to utilize the experience of the allied Italians. Six Germans were sent to the Italian school at Valdagno, where the Italian combat diver base in northern Italy was located under the command of Borghese and Eugenio Wolk. These German divers were sent on one hand by the Abwehr of the Reich Main Security Office and on the other hand by the Kriegsmarine (von Wursian and Ritchie Reimann). After the first course, the Kriegsmarine took over leadership in relations with the Italians and also led the intelligence service men who went to the Italian training center at Valdagno and Venice. The intelligence service men came from special units of the “Brandenburg” Division and from SS commandos of the special unit led by Otto Skorzeny. The first Kriegsmarine men formed the K-Unit (Kommando für Kleinkampfmittel) as the German naval combat diver unit.
The Abwehr wanted to maintain its autonomy as an intelligence service and founded its own combat diver school under the command of Hauptmann Helmers from Otto Skorzeny's special units. A well-known later operation by the combat divers was the destruction of the bridge at Nijmegen in Holland captured by the Allies by K-men of the Navy in September 1944.
Of the watches used by the German combat divers, several examples are preserved in various collections in Germany, France, and Japan. They are identical to the first models that came from the Italian importer Panerai, with the exception of some details of the dial or engravings on the case back. This is understandable, since the training and initial instruction of the combat divers began in 1943 in Italy with the “Decima MAS” group (“Mezzi d'Assalto Subacqueo”). These men already had ten years of experience and many successful operations at the beginning of the war. It was natural that the instructors' equipment would be used for these small units. The men knew that the Italian colleagues used the most modern and effective equipment of the time. Even if the planned deployment differed, they could still benefit from the strategy and experience.
A Rolex diving watch from the Italian navigation instrument supplier Panerai, displayed at the technical naval museum in La Spezia, was the reference model for wartime deployment. This watch was given to the museum by Admiral Ernesto Notari, who served as a young officer with the Italian combat divers. In all probability, all these watches were completed by Panerai and delivered to the German Navy during the war in accordance with secrecy requirements without any signature.
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