Words by Simon de Burton – a journalist and author based in Dartmoor, South Devon, specialising in heritage and luxury living. He writes for the Financial Times, Country & Townhouse, Daily Telegraph, GQ, and Vanity Fair, among many others.
In March we wrote about the wonderful synergies between watchmaking and gunmaking, touching on the long-standing partnership between Purdey and Florentine brand Panerai. Now, given our penchant for a good trawl through the archives, we’re returning to the subject to dedicate a bit more time (pun intended) to the exquisite Purdey x Panerai watches that have since become collectors items, much like our guns. 
In the 20th century, Panerai was an optical instrument manufacturer, gaining popularity for its military innovations. In the 1920s, it supplied luminous Ronconi gun sights to the Italian navy, later adapting the glow-in-the-dark powder called ‘Radiomir’ to illuminate the dial of a naval dive watch in 1936. The firm continued to make military watches as a sideline until the late 1950s, after which demand dwindled and they returned solely to instrument manufacture. In 1992, however, a handful of re-editions of the war-time watches were produced and caught the eye of Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone, putting Panerai back on the horological map.
The perfect match
Five years later Panerai joined the Richemont Group, which had also added James Purdey & Sons to its portfolio in 1994 – circumstances that soon led to the alignment between horology and gunmaking being recognised in a remarkable series of watches.
The first ‘Panerai Luminor Sealand for Purdey’ pieces appeared in 2002 and took the form of one of Panerai’s most celebrated models – the ‘Luminor’, which featured a distinctive and patented crown locking mechanism to prevent water entering the case. What made the Sealand for Purdey watches extra special, however, was the fact that they had so-called ‘hunter’ cases (hinged metal covers to protect the crystals), which were exquisitely decorated with the image of a lion’s head engraved in a similar style to the engraving of a Purdey gun.
An instant classic
Just 100 examples of the 44mm watch were made, all fitted with special, two-tone black and silver dials, with the inside of the hunter cover being highly polished both for aesthetic reasons, and so it could double-up as a signalling mirror for use on safari. These originals rapidly sold out, and their popularity among collectors led to a further series featuring British birds in 2003, followed by a limited-edition engraved with flowers and acanthus leaves.
The most ambitious project of all, however, materialised in 2016. This time the Luminor Sealand for Purdey was made available in five different models, each engraved with one of Africa’s ‘Big Five’ game animals: the lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. As with the previous versions, the engraving for each watch (of which there were 80) was hand-cut with a burin (a steel cutting tool) in a week-long process. The perimeter of the covers were decorated with black enamel and gold inlay and inscribed with the words ‘Panerai for Purdey’.
Any watch from one of the four series has become highly sought-after – and enthusiasts of both guns and watches (of which there are many) are said to be hopeful that these two great brands, which share the use of ‘barrels, calibres, levers and engravings’, will get together again soon.