Interesting indeed, and particularly in light of these statements...
You're the one who only believes what is written in books
However, that claim has not been corroborated by others. On the contrary, several sources confirm that Luminor existed in the 1950s, e.g.:
Millions of people also confirm there is a guy in the sky who controls our lives. It must be true since it is written in a book
Ehlers & Wiegmann (1950s-1960s book, p. 1313), document the existence of a Ref. 6152/1 (case no. 124982) with crown guard and a Luminor dial with a "12.55" (December 1955) movement.
Again, the only modified 6152/1 that has a 12.55 (case number 124982, SMZ MM 186) was part to the last batch delivered to the Marina Militare in 1968. It's obvious that the 12.55 was either a left-over from the GPF 2/56 production or that is was replaced at some point.
This is the watch:
https://perezcope.com/2016/05/18/vintage-panerai-6152-1-with-angelus-240-on-chrono24/
The aforementioned Birindelli watch with a Luminor dial from circa 1955 (Sotheby's, 2014).
Just another faulty auction listing based on old information.
Jake Ehrlich (Jake's Panerai World) makes the following comment on Birindelli's Luminor: "This watch basically marked the end of the line for Panerai's research & development of the watches in the mid 1950s. ... if you wore it today, it would look so contemporary and modern, yet is was made in 1955."
Jake is a good friend of mine and we work together on various projects. What he wrote about the Birindelli watch was based on the Sotheby's listing, so no evidence.
Negretti (Panerai Historia, 2014) documents that "In the mid-1950s Panerai made two small exclusive series of watches for the Egyptian Navy... The first series was equipped with a Radiomir sandwich dial, despite the fact that the Luminor compound was now being used... but can be explained by the request made by the military for a stronger luminescence." (p. 90).
"...but can be explained" doesn't sound very confident, does it? As already mentioned, Negretti's statements have little weight since they are based on the fairy tales told by the well-known Italian Panerai dealer.
The second series to the Egyptian Navy, the GPF 2/56, which, with the exception of the movements, were completed by 1958 (Pasetto & Cipullo, Panerai - una storia italiano, 2013, p. 301).
This is your own interpretation of what you read... The authors don't mention a second series at all. Here's what they realy wrote:
"On that presumtion, the watches would have been completed by 1958 and deliveries carried out over the course of several years. This was, because with the exception of the Angelus 240 SF movement all components were made in Florence and this extended the production times given that Guido Panerai e Figlio, unlike Rolex SA, did not have a large number of workers to dedicate exclusively to the making of watches."
The authors talk about the watches that were delivered to Egypt. I don't think the "Luminor" GPF 2/56 were meant for Egypt. Giuseppe Panerai probably tried to sell them to the Italian Marina Militare.
However, Passetto & Cipullo agree with me on the introduction period of "Luminor". The thing about research is there will always be new findings. Just look at physics for instance, new knowledge is revealed every day. Would you insist, the findings in a book that was written 50 years ago to be still correct today?
Books are stupid. Once printed they cannot be updated. This is the reason why I publish my findings online and for free. I can always write new articles or update the old ones with new information.
Two versions were made. "One had a glossy case, usually with the inscription 'Radiomir Panerai,' and the other had a matte finish with 'Luminor Panerai.'" (Negretti, p. 95).
Yes, two versions were made. Negretti doesn't say a word about the prodction dates.
Also, according to Negretti (Panerai Historia, 1999), "It was in this [postwar] period that the radium-based substance was gradually replaced by the non-radioactive Luminor paint, although it is possible that some Luminor dials were made experimentally while the war was still going on." (p. 42).
Again, Negretti's statements are based on fairy tales, not on properly conducted research. And why would Panerai have made "Luminor" dials during WW2? Nobody cared about radiation in watches back then.
In other words, the overwhelming evidence clearly suggests the existence of Luminor dials in the 1950s.
I cannot see any evidence, sorry, just people guessing or copy pasting what others said.
Btw, I just talked to Loris Pasetto on the phone and he told me the ammunition box with the replaced Radiomir dials were sunk off the coast of La Spezia in
1971 (according to Marina Militare Commander Zavattaro, who later became a manager at Officine Panerai SpA).
So while "Luminor" was introduced in 1962/63, the replacement of old Radiomir dials took place much later.
It makes no sense that Panerai introduced a tritium-based lume in the 1950s since there was no need for it. The need for a harmless lume was only recognised after several US lawsuits had been filed against Rolex. These events mark the beginning of tritium-based lume in watches and Giuseppe Panerai saw this as an opportunity to create his own version.
Cheers
Jose
