While Sylvester Stallone has a lot to answer for, there's one major mark on the credit side of his ledger—without him, we'd probably never have heard of Officine Panerai. In 1995, the exclusive watchmaker, former supplier to the Royal Italian Navy, was languishing following the loss of its military contracts when Stallone spotted an extra-large Luminor at a jewelry store in Rome. He brought some home for famous friends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the brand was soon reborn. The rich history of the firm, which was founded in Florence in 1860 and perfected the world's first underwater watches in the thirties, is related in a new book conveniently titled Panerai. As you'd expect from a brand of this stature, it's a massive, slipcased affair that conveys all the outsized luxuriousness of the timepieces themselves. Better yet: It's a lot cheaper than the watch.