THE EXHIBITION SPACE OF 1,000 SQUARE METRES DISPLAYS THE HISTORY OF THE BRAND AND MANY WORLD PREVIEWS, INCLUDING THE NEW LUMINOR DUE CASE, THE NEW LUMINOR MARINA COLLECTION WITH THE P.9010 MOVEMENT AND THE REMARKABLE PANERAI MINUTE REPEATER.
MAY 2016 – It is an invitation to dive into time, to discover the past, the present and the future of the Officine Panerai high quality watchmaking brand: the exhibition “PANERAI
– DIVE INTO TIME” will be open from 18 to 21 May 2016 in the fascinating crypt of the former church of San Pancrazio, home of the Marino Marini Museum in the centre 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, a period when a watch known only to collectors has become one of the most admired international brands of high quality sports watchmaking. The journey through Panerai’s past ultimately leads to the discovery of the present and to the vision of the future of the brand, which on the occasion of this exhibition will present a world preview of a remarkable selection of new models.
THE NOVELTIES: LUMINOR DUE, P.9010 CALIBRE AND MINUTE REPEATER
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, 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 an elegance enabling it to be worn on every occasion, a blend of distinctive design and sophisticated watchmaking technology.
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 fitted with the new automatic P.9010 calibre with a power reserve of three days.
The Florentine exhibition is also the occasion for the presentation of the world preview of the most complicated watch ever made by the Panerai Manufacture: the Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater. With its remarkable twin repeater mechanism of hours and ten-minute intervals, which can chime both the local time and that of a second time zone, the new watch is presented in a context which enhances its absolute uniqueness.
THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition “PANERAI – DIVE INTO TIME” will be held in the ancient crypt of the former church of San Pancrazio, an impressive underground vault of almost 1,000 square metres symbolic for its ability to recount the layers of history and various periods of a Florence which is part of the identity of the Panerai brand. The crypt, normally used as an exhibition space for contemporary art, preserves fascinating traces of most ancient history of the church of San Pancrazio, whose origin dates back to the early 9th century. Above the crypt are the collections of the Marino Marini Museum, consisting of the works given to the city of Florence by the great Italian sculptor, painter and engraver (1901-1980), and the remarkable Cappella Rucellai with the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre by Leon Battista
Alberti, enabling the visitor to enjoy a journey through time expressed by art and beauty.
In the darkness of the crypt, Alessandro Colombo – Studio Cerri & Associati, designers of the exhibition, have skilfully used materials, lights and digital devices to create a display in which visitors become immersed, surrounded by an unprecedented selection of iconic models which have written the history and upheld the international success of Panerai watches. These exemplify their revolutionary strength and visibility, the brand’s association with the sea, its constant, subtle design innovations and the technical excellence of the Manufacture of Neuchâtel.
THE AREAS
The visitor to the exhibition passes through successive areas which are arranged both chronologically and thematically.
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 synthesised 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 Excellencies: 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 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.
The Radiomir Firenze: The last experience for visitors to Panerai – Dive into Time 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 Radiomir Firenze, 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 movement finely engraved as well.