Officine Panerai’s new range of Submersibles has broken the waves and is ready for duty.
The best watches in the world naturally earn their places on the wrists of the best people. Unsurprisingly, some of these folks are proper heroes. Now, wouldn’t you like to wear the watch of a proper hero? the above passage reflects a concept in marketing timepieces that goes back decades, perhaps even centuries. In fact, the idea that objects can have an intrinsic value – independent of its origins, its makers or its purveyors – that one might add to oneself by simply possessing them is positively ancient.
Returning to watches, many brands are keen to position their offerings in a way that directly associates their brand with some notion of heroism. Very few can say that their watches were made for real men of action, and that these watches made a real difference to those who wore them. as far as we know, only one name in watchmaking can claim its origins in this way – a story cloaked for years in secrecy, with watches that were never made for the general public. Of course, if you are reading this article, then you already know that our subject is Officine Panerai.
So, why do we bother going about this preamble, especially given that we reliably cover Panerai, well, all the time. It is certainly not because we – or you, for that matter – need a reintroduction. to be honest and fair, the Panerai story is simply incredible, and to hear it again reminds us how powerful a good origin story can be. Well, there is also a lot of pure marketing noise about the very values Panerai embodies, quite naturally, spread all across every level of watchmaking that one has to leaf through the real story again.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2017-utgaven av World of Watches.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BRAND ELEVATION
On the sidelines of Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari CEO JeanChristophe Babin talks about the challenges of having one brand identity across all categories, and tells us what he really thinks of watch fairs.
EVEN MORE HANDS
For the third year in a row, the collective WOW team shares the watches we ponied up for. As always, we include a couple of fantasy pieces and more than a few fails.
CONCEPTS AND CONSEQUENCES
What is the legacy of concept watches? What happens when the show is over and it is time to actually manufacture them? How do these ticking research labs translate into actual, wearable timepieces...if they ever do?
THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSION
In the watchmaking industry, a company’s longevity is oftentimes measured not in decades but in centuries. What then happens to a brand beyond its founders? We speak to three CEOs to answer this question.
LEAPS AND BOUNDS
The quest to add one day to a month every four years may seem like a mundane task in the digital age, but achieving this mechanically is anything but.
FLIP SIDE
Omega celebrates the first human flight orbit the moon with a new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.
SNAPPING BACK
A powerful showcase for a one-of-a-kind constant force mechanism, the Girard Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement is now available for everyone.
GO FOR GOLD
Forty-five years after Piaget released its allgold Polo 79 luxury sports watch to critical acclaim, the maison revisits this iconic collection with a new ultra-thin movement.
CLEAR WINNER
Hublot's fourth collaboration with Takashi Murakami puts the artist's joyful flower motif at the centre of a bold new case design.
HISTORICAL TRIBUTE
Parmigiani Fleurier launches a new version of their Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar with a vivid green dial.