отсюда такая версия
http://timetransformed.com/2014/11/0...nerai-stories/
Origin of the California dial. The watch shown here, the Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Oro Rosso PAM 519, has an unusual layout with Roman numerals at the top and Arabic numerals below, an arrangement now known as the California dial (apparently because some companies in California, such as Kirk Rich, specializing in restoring dials, provided this arrangement in the 1970s). In actual fact the pattern is vintage Panerai, and runs back to 1936 when the brand were negotiating a commission from the Italian Navy, and decided to present them two alternative dial designs, one with Roman numerals, one with Arabic. For some reason, for the presentation they incorporated both designs into a single dial, perhaps to save time and money, perhaps to make comparison easier. What actually happened during the meeting is unclear, but at the end, the officer concerned didn’t make a choice, but simply approved the dial that had been presented, and so Panerai obediently made their first delivery of watches, the 1936 Radiomir, following this unusual, illogical, irresistible design.
т е на одном циферблате для презентации были представлены два варианта дизайна для выбора , а принимающий дизайн офицер одобрил просто то, что увидел