With a historical exhibition in a space of 1,000 square meters —10,764 sq. ft.— in the city of Florence, Italy, Officine Panerai unveils 12 new watches including a Radiomir with a fully engraved case, a new Luminor Due Case and the new Luminor Marina Collection equipped with a brand new automatic movement calibre P.9010. This exhibition is an invitation to dive into time, to discover the past, the present and the future of Officine Panerai. The exhibition 'Panerai Dive Into Time', will be open from May 18th through May 21st, 2016 in the fascinating crypt of the former church of San Pancrazio, home of the Marino Marini Museum in the center of Florence.
The exhibition will include a previously unseen collection of creations from the various periods of the fascinating history of the Florentine brand: the brilliant insights in the field of optics and mechanics and the first instruments made by the Panerai family at the start of the last century; the iconic watches created for the Royal Italian Navy from the 1930s to the 1950s; a panorama of the models created during the period of almost 20 years in which the Richemont Group has owned it.
The most interesting aspect for all Panerai enthusiasts is the rich selection of new models presented on the occasion of the Florentine event: 12 new watches which demonstrate how the brand interprets the relationship with its own history in ways which are always new, continually renewing itself from the point of view of technical content and function but always maintaining its own very strong distinctive identity. The most revolutionary new feature is the presentation of the new Luminor Due case with a thickness of 10 mm inspired by the lines of the classic Luminor of the 1950s but subtly redesigned to accentuate the versatility of a watch which is a perfect synthesis of sporting character with elegance. Almost like a hybrid between the Radiomir 1940 and the Luminor Marina cases. The new four Officine Panerai Luminor Due watches are fitted with a 45 mm case for the automatic models and 42 mm for the manual wound. They will be available in stainless steel or 18K red gold and the models are as follows: PAM 674 Automatic 3-Days Calibre P.4000, PAM 675 Automatic 3-Days Calibre P.4000/10, PAM 676 3-Days manual wound Calibre P.1000 and the PAM 677 3-Days manual wound calibre P.1000.
New Officine Panerai Luminor Due 3-Days Automatic PAM 674. Sticker Price $10,700 USD.
New Officine Panerai Luminor Due 3-Days Automatic PAM 675. Sticker Price $25,600 USD.
New Officine Panerai Luminor Due 3-Days PAM 676. Sticker Price $8,100 USD.
New Officine Panerai Luminor Due 3-Days PAM 677. Sticker Price $22,100 USD.
A considerable reduction in the thickness and weight of the case is a feature of the new Luminor Marina collection, a design always highly esteemed by Panerai collectors. In Florence no fewer than six new models are presented, all powered by the new automatic P.9010 calibre with a power reserve of three days and all fitted with highly contrasting blue seconds hand and date function. The new Luminor Marina watches are all in stainless steel —with the exception of the Carbotech— and in 44 mm in diameter —with the exception of the PAM 1392 and PAM 1523 which are 42 mm in diameter. The references are the following: Luminor Marina 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic PAM 661, Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1312, Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1359, Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1392, Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1499 and the Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1523.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 Carbotech 3-Days Automatic PAM 661. Sticker Price $11,800 USD.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1312. Sticker Price $7,500 USD.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1359. Sticker Price $7,500 USD.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1392. Sticker Price $7,400 USD.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1499. Sticker Price $7,500 USD.
Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days PAM 1523. Sticker Price $7,400 USD.
As part of this special exhibition, a new Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM 672 in 47 mm is being presented. The last experience for visitors to the 'Panerai – Dive into Time' exhibition, is to watch a master engraver demonstrating the ancient technique of engraving the case with a “sparsello” engraving tool. The engraver is working on the case of the new Radiomir Firenze 3 Days PAM 672, the watch sold exclusively in the historic Panerai boutique in the Piazza San Giovanni, decorating it with motifs inspired by Florentine iconography. In this exhibition this valuable model is presented as a preview with the 3-day manual wound movement calibre P.3000 finely engraved as well.
Sticker Price $25,000 USD. Available in a limited edition of only 99 pieces.
The exhibition is presented highlighting different stages in the history of Panerai as follows:
Early history (1936-1997): Here are the first watches and instruments —including compasses, torches and depth gauges— created by Panerai for the Italian Navy, followed by the first commercial launches before the brand became part of the Richemont Group. The story is illustrated by some 20 examples, from the Radiomir of 1936, the first military diver’s watch in history, through the Luminor of the 1940s and 1950s, followed by the Slytech models created at the request of the American actor Sylvester Stallone in 1995.
Recent history (1998-2016): This area displays a remarkable selection of 60 creations of the Panerai Manufacture, from the year of the brand’s international relaunch as a high quality sports watchmaker up to the present day. In this period of almost 20 years, Panerai has presented new versions of its historic models, developing their most distinctive themes: the luminosity of the dial, the diver’s watches and links with the sea, the long power reserve and the search for excellence in materials.
Luminor Marina: Six new models of the brand’s most famous watch are here presented in various versions using the P.9010 automatic calibre, with a power reserve of three days. The new movement has made it possible to create very light, slim cases without affecting the highly distinctive identity of the Luminor Marina.
Luminor Due: The past and the future of Panerai are perfectly synthesized in the new Luminor Due Case presented in Florence in a world preview of four new watches in steel and red gold. This is a subtle revolution for Panerai which for the first time is offering a Luminor case perfectly faithful to its own DNA but little more than 10 mm thick.
The Manufacture: A master watchmaker from the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel gives a practical demonstration of the remarkable skills which are needed to work on the sophisticated movements created by Panerai. The Manufacture area also displays a remarkable collection of Panerai movements, a technical heritage which places the Florentine brand in the Olympus of high quality sports watchmaking.
The Excellences: The technically most complicated examples created by Panerai, such as the sophisticated tourbillons and the creations made as a tribute to Galileo Galilei, are exhibited in an area which culminates with the Jupiterium, the remarkable planetary timepiece which reproduces in real time, from the viewpoint of the Earth, the exact position of the stars, the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter, with the four satellites discovered by Galileo orbiting around it.
Minute Repeater: The new Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon PAM 600 we brought you here, is presented in another stunning world preview at the Dive Into Time exhibition. The most complicated watch ever made by Panerai is displayed in a fascinating old room where the properties of the watch and in particular its ability to chime the hour, ten-minute intervals and single minutes through a sophisticated systems of gongs and hammers can be appreciated.
Lastly, the Radiomir Firenze: The last experience for visitors to the 'Panerai – Dive into Time' exhibition, is to watch a master engraver demonstrating the ancient technique of engraving the case with a “sparsello” engraving tool and where the new PAM 672 is being presented.
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