Description
In twenty’s Bruno Bartalucci, nicknamed “Brelli”, owner of a shoe factory in Castelnuovo D’Elsa, became famous due to his special leather, that he regreased, thus making his boots particularly water-resistant.
In 1938, Brelli met Giuseppe Panerai; a working relationship and friendship was born and it would last for nearly twenty years; Bruno will provide to Royal Navy, in particular to Navy divers and raiders of the Decima Flottiglia Mas, and to the G. Panerai & Sons watch straps made of his special leather, able to resist to erosive action of salt water for long periods, for the watch that will become the legendary Luminor Panerai.
Since 1939, Euro, the eldest son of Bruno, graduated in mechanical in Florence, could enter the office projects of the Officine Galileo industry in Florence as assistant project designer, because of its strong skills for mechanical and technical drawing. Euro was soon appreciated for his work that he was also employed in assembly and maintenance operations of telemetric towers on Royal Navy warships. On asking of an Officer of The Royal Navy, Euro will build a big chronograph watch, with tachometer scale, able to well calculate the speed of the enemy ships.
Euro died in 1943, as a result of war wounds; his dream to open a precision mechanic workshop at the end of the war to build diving watches, depth gauges, and compasses, is buried with him. The name chosen for this company should have been Novecento Meccanografiche.
Fabrizio Ciampi, the sole heir of his uncle’s work, will recast the Cuoierie Meccaniche Brelli in 1982 and, after more than seventy years, resumed the project of Euro Bartolucci, founding the Novecento Meccanografiche brand name and realizing watches, intended for high-quality and technological operational departments, designed for underwater and surface units operating in the sea and not only, but especially totally made in Italy.
