New York, New York — Panerai, a legendary name in watchmaking combining Italian design with Swiss craftsmanship. Founded in Florence in 1860 when Giovanni Panerai opened his first shop and workshop which was also the city’s first watchmaking school, the house has just opened its largest boutique in the world on Madison Avenue in Lenox Hill called Casa Panerai, reflecting the house’s Italian origins. The boutique carries the house’s luxury watches but it is clearly more than a store. It houses a vast collection of historical and contemporary timepieces and the history of the house — which includes supplying watches and precision equipment to the Italian Navy including the frogmen commando — is recounted in an eye-catching exhibition. There are reproductions of original mechanisms, copies of trademarks and certifications and interactive displays. Visitors can set out on their own to explore the world of Panerai or can be accompanied by a representative of the house.

Diving and deep diving watches are the specialties of the house so myriad nuances of blue decorate the boutique. There is a space dedicated to the Luminor Due watches with their beautiful alligator bands and ofttimes dreamy mother-of-pearl dials. Upstairs there is bar to relax after shopping. The boutique was designed by the house’s Milan-based Studio Panerai explained the house’s artistic director Alvaro Maggini adding, « Casa Panerai is the ultimate expression of our DNA. Our boutiques are spaces created to welcome the client who must immediately feel at ease and surrounded by Italian style. »

A special version of Panerai’s iconic Luminor model has been brought out especially for the New York store, the Luminor Tempo New York Edition. The timepiece has a 44mm titanium case covered in DLC — Diamond-Like Carbon — giving it its total black look. It is outfitted with an in-house automatic movement, the P9010/GMT, and has a power reserve of three days. Two time zones are indicted on the dial. The piece that protects the crown of the watch has been engraved with New York and the case back show the Brooklyn Bridge. The watch has been brought out in a limited edition of 212 pieces — a reference perhaps to the emblematic and historic area code of New York City — ans is water-proof to 300 meters (985 feet). 

Front and back of the Luminor Tempo New York Edition from Panerai. Photo courtesy Panerai. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

« The opening of Casa Panerai, the beacon boutique on Madison Avenue in New York is a major step, because this neighborhood is one of the most prestigious destinations in the world. This perfectly reflects the commitment of our brand to our clients and our values for the boutique was conceived to offer excellence in terms of products as well as service, so as to complement the experience Panerai is offering today, » said the CEO of Panerai Jean-Marc Pontroué. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.panerai.com/en/home.html  Casa Panerai, 711 Madison Avenue, New York, NY