Oliver Smith has been a Panerai watch dealer for nearly two decades, but, recently, he’s cast his eye toward assembling a collection of rare historic and vintage Panerai timepieces at his Oliver Smith Jeweler Scottsdale location. With a vast offering of collectible watches available at any given time, the jeweler is plenty unique. “Nobody else has done this in a retail location,” Smith says. “This is a statement of our commitment to the brand.” the brand—founded in Florence, Italy, in 1860 as manufacturer of technical and precision instruments made its mark as supplier of diving watches to the Italian Navy. By the 1990s, the company transitioned to fine watchmaking for public consumption, creating watches coveted worldwide. At Oliver Smith Jeweler, the collectible watches were gathered from a network of private owners, collectors and auction houses, each carefully vetted for provenance. Among the pieces in the collection is a 1943 Panerai 3646 Anonymous Dial dive watch with a brown leather strap—its dial lacking markings to prevent revealing a diver’s nationality during World War II—and a 1994 Panerai 201A with a brown alligator strap, one of the first models designed for the civilian retail market. “We’ve established ourselves as experts on historic Panerai watches,” says Smith. “With these watches, you’re buying the history and the craftsmanship. It takes a certain buyer to appreciate this. You either get it or you don’t.” Prices upon request, 8787 N. Scottsdale Road, oliversmithjeweler.com