Phillips Hong Kong Auction 29 November 2020 | Panerai Luminor Ref. 6152-1 Plexi bezel sold for EUR 135'885

LOT 997

Panerai Ref. 6152-1
A very rare, oversized and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with crown guard and prototype Plexi bezel
沛納海，「Luminor」型號6152-1，極度罕有，古董精鋼腕錶，備早期原型塑膠錶圈、勞力士古董機芯，約1960年代製，為存世僅知4枚的其中之一

Circa 1960s
47mm diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$380,000 - 780,000 
€41,500-85,100
$48,700-100,000

SOLD FOR HK$1,260,000

EUR 135'885

Manufacturer: Panerai
Year: Circa 1960s
Reference No: 6152-1
Case No: 124’614
Model Name: Luminor
Material: Stainless steel
Calibre: Manual, cal. Rolex 618, 17 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Leather
Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle
Dimensions: 47mm diameter
Signed: Case, dial and movement signed

Catalogue Essay

124614 is one of only four Ref. 6152/1 watches known to feature a prototype rotating bezel made of plastic. One of these watches is believed to have belonged to Admiral Gino Birindelli who as a manned torpedo pilot deployed from the famous Italian submarine “Sciré” in October 1940, participated in an attack on the British Naval Base of Gibraltar and was subsequently captured by the British. In 1944, Birindelli was repatriated in order to join the Allied forces in the south of Italy and fight against the German occupation of Italy.

The Rolex-made watches delivered to the Italian Navy were developed for diving with oxygen rebreathers at maximum depths of around 40ft/12m. Below this depth, pressurized oxygen becomes rapidly toxic which can lead to fatal accidents. Depending on the size of the oxygen cylinder, the divers could remain submerged for up to 5 hours. Decompression stops are not required. All the watches had to be was water tight and legible in murky waters.

Oxygen rebreathers are closed-circuit breathing apparatuses which do not create bubbles. They are perfect to sneak into enemy waters but useless for working at depth. To do actual work underwater, the divers relied on compressed air. The open-circuit-demand, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) for compressed air was invented in 1942-1943 by Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau.

This form of diving requires planning ahead of the dive. Maximum depths and submersion times need to be calculated. In addition, decompression stops are absolutely required before surfacing in order to expel dissolved gases in the blood and avoid the bends (decompression sickness). For this reason, modern diving watches like the Rolex Submariner were equipped with a time-recording rotating bezel.

The French Marine National and the U.S. Navy developed special diving tables to assist divers around the world in planning their dives.

Around 1964, the Italian Navy acquired a batch of Eterna Super KonTiki diving watches with automatic movements which could be used for both, diving with oxygen rebreathers and thanks to the rotating bezel also with compressed air.

Panerai watches started to look outdated. Panerai was sitting on hundreds of unsold Ref. 6152/1 watches and faced with a big loss, they had to come up with ideas to keep the watches relevant.

One of these ideas was the present plastic rotating bezel which made Ref. 6152/1 more versatile. With its five minutes calibration, the bezel helped divers on compressed air to keep track of the elapsed time and measure crucial decompression stops.

The plastic rotating bezel was a typical precision part made by G. Panerai & Figlio in the 1960s. Three tiny spring-loaded metal pins placed at an angle of 120 degrees to each other engaged with a groove milled to the side of the plexi crystal and locked the bezel into place. Twelve round recesses drilled along the groove were responsible for the five minutes calibration. Due to its construction, this type of bezel could not withstand heavy shocks and was lost easily. There are a number of Ref. 6152/1 watches with grooves and recesses on their crystals but only three of them are known to have retained the original bezel.

The present watch is an impressive example of Panerai’s ingenuity. Its plexiglas crystal has developed an amazing, spiderweb-like craze over time. It is believed the tiny cracks were caused by constant contraction and expansion after exposing the watches for prolonged periods of time to cold water and to hot mediterranean weather after surfacing. Crystals with this type of patina are extremely rare.

Both the crystal and the rotating bezel have changed colour to an almost identical hue which suggests this ensemble left Panerai in this very form. The Rolex 618 caliber with 17 jewels and Incabloc shock protection is in great shape for its age and still safeguarded by the original soft iron magnetic cover. The watch is further complemented by the original leather strap and stainless steel buckle.