Brand
Panerai Mare Nostrum PAM 716 Limited Edition
Panerai made its first Panerai Mare Nostrum chronographs in the early 1940s for the Italian Navy. The story is similar to that of many Panerai models, as the entire modern brand is rooted in the military watch operation under the Rolex umbrella of the 1940s and 1950s. Panerai first revived the Mare Nostrum from its vintage archive in 1993, during the "pre-Vendôme" era, with the ref. 5218-301/A. This first re-edition Mare Nostrum is considered a favorite of Sylvester Stallone, and is further notable for being the first Panerai produced without a black dial.
Although re-issued in 1993, the vintage iteration was only known in photos before a 52mm Mare Nostrum dating to 1943 surfaced at Christie's in 2005, selling as a prototype, hammering well above the high estimate of CHF 90k, and going home to the new owner at an all-in price of CHF 132,000.
If the pre-Vendôme Mare Nostrum is based on the vintage examples in photographs and, now, in the metal, Panerai's 2017 PAM 716 Mare Nostrum LE is a re-edition of a re-issue that was based on the vintage watch. At 42mm and with a nearly identical dial, the PAM 716 is extremely close to being the same watch as the Ref. 5218-301/A.
And there's nothing wrong with that. It's actually really nice to see Panerai sticking to the playbook with the Mare Nostrum, as the brand's watches were growing around this time almost always clocking in at over 47mm. The brand could have very easily increased the case size of the Mare Nostrum with the PAM 716, but it didn't, and that's worth highlighting. The PAM 716 Mare Nostrum was limited to 1,000 pieces in 2017 and features a deep dark blue dial as well as a dark blue alligator leather strap.
This particular watch is in excellent pre-owned condition, meaning there are very light signs of wear and some small scratches on the case and bracelet that come with being lived with. The case has been lightly polished in the past. The case is marked with the reference number "OP 7109," the serial number "BB 0030XXX," and the limited edition number "T07XX/1000 on the caseback. During our quality control check, any necessary adjustments are made to ensure the watch is functioning as intended.
The case, crown, movement, strap, and buckle are all signed by Panerai. The watch is fitted with a Panerai blue alligator leather strap and stainless steel tang buckle, a correct strap for this limited edition. The papers are dated December 17, 2017, and match the serial number on the watch.
*NOTE: Please be aware that this watch comes with an alligator leather strap as an accessory. If the watch is shipped to any international destination, we will not be able to include the alligator strap due to laws regarding the sale and shipment of exotic leather goods. In this case, we will include a fashiontourbillon.com strap.
Giovanni Panerai founded his namesake brand in 1860 as both a watchmaking shop and watchmaking school in Florence, Italy. By 1936, Panerai had established a partnership with the Royal Italian Navy that would continue for years to come and go on to inform the design of the brand's watches, which have built a reputation for their military styling and diving prowess. In 1997, the Richemont Group (then Vendome Group) acquired Officine Panerai, ultimately launching the brand into the 21st century. By 2002, the brand had its first manufacturing facility in Switzerland, and by 2005, Panerai had debuted its first in-house movement.
