"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 26th installment, we will be focusing on Panerai, the brand that appears most frequently in movies after Rolex and Omega.
*Source: https://timeandtidewatches.com/
The term "Panelisti" comes from the Panerai enthusiast community "paneristi.com" and refers to Panerai fans and enthusiasts. There are quite a few Panerai-loving actors in Hollywood who are worthy of the name " Panelisti", and it is no exaggeration to say that it is thanks to these Paneristi actors that Panerai appears in many movies.
Now, let's take a look at some of the Panerai watches loved by star actors .
daylight
DAYLIGHT (1996)
Panerai watches were not allowed for general sale until 1992 as they were considered military supplies. Although they began to be sold to the general public around 1993, Panerai was still a rare brand only known to a select few. It was the 1996 film "Daylight" starring Sylvester Stallone that made Panerai famous overnight.
*Source: https://perezcope.com/erai/
The emergency medical technician played by Stallone is wearing an equally bulky watch on his muscular arms, which sparked a worldwide buzz, with people asking, "What is that ridiculously huge watch?" The watch in question is the Panerai Luminor (Ref. PAM5218-201/A), commonly known as "Pre-Vendôme."
*Source: https://www.panerai.com/
It is said that Stallone fell in love with this "Pre-Vendome" watch at first sight when he saw it in Italy, and ordered several to use in the film and as gifts for people involved in the film. There is no doubt that this film made Panerai known to watch enthusiasts, and it was this film that led to the brand's popularity that continues to this day.
Panerai's "Slytech" and "Daylight" models are named after Stallone's nickname "Sly" and the title of the movie "Daylight," respectively. This clearly shows the mutual love between Stallone and Panerai.
Eraser
ERASER (1996)
Another of Hollywood's most muscular action stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger , wore a Panerai Luminor Marina (Ref. PAM5218/203A) in the 1996 film "Eraser ." This is a PVD-coated Pre-Vendôme model.
*Source: https://timeandtidewatches.com/
In this film, Schwarzenegger plays a federal marshal who protects a witness in a major case, and in the opening scene this watch is shown up close, making its presence very clear. This scene is also said to be the first in movie history to feature a close-up of a Panerai watch .
*Source: https://timeandtidewatches.com/
The fact that two of Hollywood's most iconic action stars wore Panerai watches for the first time in two separate films in the same year could be seen as a fateful coincidence in the relationship between "film and Panerai."
Death Wish
Death Wish (2018)
After Stallone and Schwarzenegger, the next person to be introduced is Bruce Willis . In the 2018 film "Death Wish," a surgeon whose wife was killed by a robber and whose daughter was seriously injured becomes an executioner after getting hold of a gun. Bruce Willis, who plays the surgeon, is portrayed as a Panerai user.
*Source: https://www.digitalspy.com/
The watch worn in the film is believed to be a Panerai Radiomir 1940 (Ref. PAM00736) . Unlike Stallone and Schwarzenegger's "blue collar" characters, the thinner Radiomir was chosen to suit his white collar role as a surgeon.
*Source: https://productplacementblog.com/dtidewatches.com/
Another Radiomir (presumably Ref. PAM00577) also appears in the film, but since its appearance is relevant to the story, we'll have to wait and see the movie to find out more.
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
When you think of Panerai, you tend to think of it as a watch worn by muscular action stars, but Hugh Grant, who starred in the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary, showed that this is not necessarily the case.
*Source: https://people.com/
Renee Zellweger won the Academy Award for Best Actress in this romantic comedy about a woman in her 30s who is bad at love. In this film, Hugh Grant, who plays the boss at work whom the heroine has a crush on, wears a Panerai Luminor Marina bracelet. The Panerai, which may seem a little off, adds credibility to the character of the playboy boss, who always wears his shirt open wide.
*Source: https://timeandtidewatches.com/
Watching this film, we can see that five years have passed since the release of "Daylight" in 1996, and Panerai's image has changed from a massive "blue collar military watch" to one of "a sporty dress watch that adds a playful touch to a suit or shirt look."
In addition, when Hugh Grant played the role of a real estate company CEO in the 2002 film ``Two Weeks Notice,'' he coordinated a Panerai with his suit, indicating his strong love for Panerai.
*Source: https://www.spotern.com/
Hugh Grant could be said to be the person who created the image of Panerai as a "dressy sports watch" in the film industry.
summary
Although it is a historic brand founded in 1860, Panerai only started selling its watches to the general public around 1993. In the film industry, this was a time when flashy action movies using CG, which were impossible to film in real life, such as "Terminator 2" (1991) and "Jurassic Park" (1993), began to be made.
*Source: http://www.themoviewaffler.com/
Panerai, a "historic and emerging brand" that looks more solid than ever before, has a good texture, and looks good. It seems natural that it was chosen as a prop to bring great persuasiveness to intense action scenes among action stars and filmmakers who appeared in new era movies.
In this way, it can be said that it is a strange stroke of history that a turning point for Panerai and a turning point for action movies happened at the same time, enhancing the value of each other.
*Source: https://productplacementblog.com/
Well, there are still many actors who wear Panerai and movies in which Panerai appears, but I'm running out of space for this article! I'll introduce the "Mule" and "Former Pro Wrestler" in Part 2, which I'm sure you've all been waiting for. Please look forward to it.
see you!