Created in the early 1940s to meet the Italian Navy’s need for a watch that was reliable, resistant and easy to read underwater, still today the Luminor watch keeps the original distinctive features. It has the essential time-measuring functions, hours and minutes, and is equipped with a hand-wound mechanical movement transformed by Panerai according to the criteria of the Swiss watchmaking tradition and the quality standards of the brand. The Luminor Base is water-resistant to 300 metres but tested to 400 metres. It is equipped with a handcrafted large size leather strap and fitted with a steel or titanium tongue buckle.
It is also available in a left-handed version, characterized by the winding crown and the device protecting the crown on the left-hand side of the case and the small seconds dial at 3 o'clock. It recalls the technical-functional ingenuity of some models supplied by Panerai to the Royal Italian Navy in the early 1940s: the lever device blocking the crown was fitted to the left-hand side of the case, meeting the needs of the Naval frogmen who wanted to wear the watch on their right wrist, since they already wore a compass or a depth gauge on the left wrist.