NO TIME ΤΟ DIVE

Swiss-Italian luxury watch brand Panerai debuts a new partnership with the Navy SEALs

- DUNCAN QUINN

They are perhaps the world's most elite and feared fighting force. The U.S. Navy SEALs have taken down everyone from Manuel Noriega to Osama bin Laden, and a hell of a lot of bad actors in between. And now they're engaged in a joint mission with another of the world's renowned military contractors Officine Panerai-to take down the experiential luxury watch market.

Perhaps this is exactly what Giovanni Panerai had in mind when he opened a small watch repair shop on the Ponte alle Grazie in Florence in 1860, looking dapper as he conducted the only watchmaking classes in town on his way to winning contract after contract from the Italian Royal Navy. Ultimately, he designed iconic cushion-shaped timepieces from the original Radiomir, through Luminors and Egizianos to where we are today.