The History of the Officine Panerai Logo

We see it all the time, the iconic “OP” Officine Panerai logo, but most of us don’t know the simple history and reasoning behind it. From the outside looking in it’s simple enough right? It’s an “O” and a “P” how much more could there be?

Well according to Mario Paci who was the Former Chief Engineer of Panerai from 1983-1997, otherwise known as the Pre-Vendome era, there is an interesting meaning behind the up and down arrows in the logo.

From the beginning of their existence Officine Panerai has been much more than a watch company. There were two clear divisions of the scope of products that Panerai had brought to market.

The first set was considered to be tools that were used under the sea such as the watches, compasses, tank level probes, depth gauges, and more.

The second set which was used for planes and other aircrafts included deck landing systems, helipad lighting systems, and portable landing systems to name a few.

You might have already guessed that the two arrows attached to the “O” and “P” in the logo represent this under water and air groups. The down arrow representing the under sea tools and the up arrow representing the tools used in the air.

 So there you have it! Much like the gorgeous simplicity of their watches, the Officine Panerai has taken the same road when it comes to their logo.  Clean , functional and carries the story of a historic brand.