The Panerai Radiomir carries a long and interesting history that can be traced to its naval military roots. In 1938, Panerai created the Radiomir for the Royal Italian Navy and it became the preferred watch of their Special Forces. The watches were used in several naval missions, which included raids and attacks on enemy ships by naval divers. One of the most famous was the Raid of Alexandria, where British Naval ships were attacked and disabled by a unit of Italian frogmen commandos know as The Decima Flottiglia MAS in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. Radiomir models where created with three important variables in mind: water-resistance, robustness and excellent legibility in extreme conditions. The initial Radiomir design was based upon Radium, which was used for the luminous markings – that is, until it was later proven to be a highly radioactive and toxic material. New additions to the Radiomir line include the Black Seal and GMT models.