Panerai

In Florence, Italy, in 1860 as a watch shop and school, becoming the Royal Italian Navy's official supplier of precision instruments by the early 20th century, developing luminous Radiomir and then Luminor watches for military divers with Rolex's help. After the family sold the company, it was acquired by the Richemont Group in 1997, leading to international expansion, in-house movements, and mainstream success, partly fueled by celebrity endorsements like Sylvester Stallone's in the 1990s.