For those who’re visiting Florence, Italy, you may stroll previous the oldest presently working Panerai boutique on the earth with out even realising. However right here’s some phrases of steerage. Go to the Baptistery in Piazza San Giovanni and look throughout the road; in case you discover the phrase “OROLOGERIA” spelt out in gold letters above a wood store window, you’ll know that you just’ve arrived.
The store opened underneath the identify “Orologeria Svizzera” in 1926, making 2026 the yr it turns 100. Although it could be the oldest standing Panerai boutique in the present day, it wasn’t the primary. The model was born at Ponte alle Grazie in 1860, the place it functioned as a watch store, workshop, and watchmaking college for Giovanni Panerai.
Nonetheless, following the destruction of the Ponte alle Grazie by the Nazi forces throughout World Conflict II, the store underwent a number of relocations earlier than lastly settling in Piazza San Giovanni in 1926. It was right here that issues actually took off, and it’s the place Giuseppe Panerai sharpened his technical know-how by exploring the technical options supplied by the totally different watch manufacturers offered inside the boutique.
Right here’s one other enjoyable nugget of historical past. When Panerai began constructing devices for the Italian Navy within the 1910s—i.e. the cushioned circumstances with luminous dials that we all know in the present day—it was carried out so in secrecy. The boutique didn’t combine these army items into its choices till 1993, after they lastly unveiled their creations that had been hidden for many years.
Immediately, the Maison’s total catalogue, spanning the Luminor, Submersible and Radiomir modern collections are all accessible on the boutique. Their iconic historic devices and watches from its storied previous, in addition to a totally operational watchmaker’s station, are all on show.
To mark the 100 years, Panerai’s operating an exhibition referred to as “Immersion” at Florence’s Museo Marino Marini from 10 to 19 September 2026. It goals to operate as an experiential journey that helps guests perceive the very situations and forces which have formed Panerai from its origins to in the present day.
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This text was first seen on Esquire SG
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