Mario Paci profile
Mario Paci was born in Florence on January 28th, 1955 and since he was a kid, he knew his passions; in fact his preferred playing was the ‘Maccano’ and construction.
After the obligatory school, he chooses the scientific studies, first the liceum and then the University in Florence, where he enters for Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation he entered the obligatory 1 year service in the military.
In early 1983 Mario received an invitation to interview at Officine Panerai of Florence: where he meets for the first time Ing. Dino Zei, who, after a brief conversation, says to Mario: “I want you to remain here until the old-age, up to your retirement….” This was February 4th 1983, and from this day the Mario Paci starts working at Officine Panerai, not knowing himself where he was, not knowing the history and the tradition of the historical Florentine Company.
But he will have the occasion to discover the history and in fact, as well as all people who work with and for this factory, he falls in love with it and he will never leave it: He loves all the products; military products of high technology and very high quality; he loves his colleagues who worked tirelessly with passion and seriousness; he loves the company’s history and that mysterious atmosphere that every day flits in the workshop and in all technical departments, where technicians conceive and test more and more new products, at very high level of secrecy also.
Mario Paci starts to work at the beginning as test-engineer and then he becomes later the Quality Assurance manager. Since 1992 Mario Paci had added to his duties the Q A of Panerai Watches. This was a dream come true which he worked with great enthusiasm and passion, until 1997, when, unfortunately, Officine Panerai sold the watches brand to Cartier (Vendome group).
This was a very sad moment for Mario Paci to whom they took away this very great passion from his hands. The Officine Panerai changed its name in Panerai Sistemi and in 1999 was sold to Calzoni of Bologna that hired Panerai Sistemi personnel and merged the know-how.
The Florentine factory remained open in until 2003, the year in which Calzoni decided to close it and transfer all the production activities to Bologna. Mario Paci remained in the Florentine factory up to the last day and he was the one that, with extreme and great sorrow, closed, at last, the door of this historic factory. He was transferred to Bologna where he is now working in in the same capacity in Quality Control of the products from the Panerai Sistemi.
After 1997, Mario Paci, having now fallen in love with the world of watches, decided to remain again into this world, even if as a collector only pre-V Panerai watches expert.
His personal e-mail is mp55@libero.it .
CUOIERIE MECCANICHE BRELLI HISTORY
Taken from Family’s document, from Castelfiorentino Town Archives, Florence Town Archives and from Enzo Bartalucci’s diary.
Bruno Bartalucci, stage-name Brelli, was born on May 2nd, 1901 in a little place of Central Tuscany.
When he was 12 years old, learns craft by an artisan shoemaker; at 20 years old sets up shop in Castelnuovo d’Elsa, when soon is well appreciated by his fellow townsmen.
Brelli is well known in the whole Val d’Elsa, by all the valley nobility and aristocracy so that his fame reaches Florence, where, his brother in law, Ippolito Sabatini, has the good idea to open a shoemaker’s shop with accessories in Via Palazzuolo n. 34.
We are at the beginning of 1930, the Brelli’s shop becomes a little factory that, with the help of machinery and expert artisans, produces little hide masterpieces: this is the birth of “Cuoierie Meccaniche Brelli”.
Giuseppe Panerai becomes customer of “Calzoleria Sabatini” and remains astonished at the exceptional strength of shoes and accessories produced by Brelli.
Panerai asks to Ippolito Sabatini to meet his brother in law: he wants to order an important sampling for the “Regia Marina Militare”; Giuseppe Panerai goes in Castelnuovo d’Elsa where meets Brelli in his laboratory; Panerai shows to Brelli a watch: it’s the prototype of Radiomir and Panerai wants a special strap that can resist to the ruining action of sea water as that particular watch will be the kit of the Division “Incursori” of the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina).
Brelli can obtain a greased hide that satisfies the needs of Panerai: he will call it “sea hide”.
Brelli will supply the most part of straps used by Panerai and due to both the co-operation and friendship, Giuseppe Panerai hires, from Officine Galileo, Enzo Bartalucci, first-born child of Brelli.
Due to this adventurous and demanding job, Enzo is often far from home and his Tuscany; he goes in all military harbour of Italy, he sails the whole Mediterranean sea on different units of Regia M.M.; this direct getting in touch with Marina Militare increases a strong passion for the military professional watches.
Enzo is charmed by the already legendary Radiomir, for which his father produces straps.
Many times he went in P.zza Ferraris to deliver to Panerai the monthly production of straps in sea hide and many times he stayed on talking with Giuseppe Panerai and admiring the produced watches: Enzo starts to draw watches.
He designs, plans and realizes Aliseo, a watch studied for Army officers appointed to the fire of torpedoes on torpedo-boats destroyers; it’s a Radiomir modified on which it has been applied a big button at h. 9.00 and with “crono” movement (one button).
On the dial there is a sliding rule that was used for the immediate calculation of the speed of the enemy ship to be sank; with these data on the aiming system patented by Panerai it was possible to hit the mark with the max facility and rapidity.
In the spring of 1940, Enzo is engaged in an important and risky underataking: he has to install and test transmission systems on units of Japanese Navy. Enzo leaves as a technician, he sails on submarine Mambelli to reach the meeting point in the Atlantic Ocean. The main difficulty of the mission will be to run the blockade made by the English; notwithstanding Italy is not entered the war yet, it is under the control of the Anglo-american Allied Forces.
The submarine Mambelli sails across Gibilterra under an Allied transport ship getting confused with it; now the Mambelli can reach the fixed point: on May 20th, at h. 11.12 p.m., at 60 miles South of the Cape of good hope there is the meeting with Guro la Kiso , speedy unit of Japanese Army.
Enzo, in Japan, receives the news of the Italy entry in war and he will come back to Italy on September 27th, 1940.
During his stay in Japan, Enzo designs the “Submarine”, a watch of about 64/65 mm destined to big depth, planned for the submarine forces and for divers.
In the first months of 1941, Enzo Bartalucci becomes part of the testing group for Regia M.M., we are in the middle of the war, Enzo, together with other two colleagues, sails on torpedo-boat destroyer Ardito in order to make important transmission tests ship to ship in the Mediterranean sea on behalf of Officine Galileo.
The end of the Brelli’s first-born child will be tragic; called to perform the Military service in M.M., he will take part in important actions in the Sicily channel and in Aegean sea as NCO on a torpedo-boat destroyer; survived to the bombing raid on Naples, he will die for typhus epidemic in the military hospital of Castellammare di Stabia on August 13th, 1943.
In the first ‘1950 Brelli transfers his factory in Castelfiorentino where, with the precious work of 25 artisans, can put all his products on the Italian market; many working prosperous years will follow, full of satisfaction for Brelli who will leave his position to his nephew, Fabrizio Ciampi, the only continuator of his skilful art.
Fabrizio Ciampi or Fabrizio del Brelli continues with dedication the work started by his grandfather and destiny wants that, 60 years later, in 1995, Brelli’s heir and Officine Panerai S.p.A. gather their destinies.
Fabrizio Ciampi supplies straps for the historical re-edition of the legendary Luminor Panerai and for this watch, under direct request of Ing. Dino Zei, realizes the “Kodiak”, a particular treatment that allows to leather to remain into sea water for 24 consecutive hours. Later Fabrizio Ciampi patented this treatment.
