Luminor is a word which already suggests luminosity and it identifies the largest family of Officine Panerai watches. The Luminor 1950 models follow the tradition of the Italian brand in the field of underwater watches designed to meet the demanding requirements of the Italian Navy. The radium-based substance initiallyused to make the dials perfectly visible in conditions of absolute darkness was progressively replaced by a new self-luminous substance based on tritium (an isotope of hydrogen) also invented by Officine Panerai: this was ‘Luminor’, a substance protected by a trademark registered on 11th January 1949 for ‘products luminous in any form, fluorescent, phosphorescent and similar’ intended particularly for military use. The great innovation that distinguishes these watches, known today by the name Luminor 1950, is the crown-protecting device with leverwhich ensures an excellent water-resistance of the watch, protecting it from shocks and unintentional manipulations even under the most extreme conditions. Then as now, another principal characteristic of the Luminor 1950 is the cushionshaped case and its wide, flat bezel. Today the crown-protecting device has clearly become the unmistakable, distinctive symbol of Officine Panerai.Reference PAM01321
