Beyond A Passing Phase

In just a few months , the pandemic has changed how we work and play. Col lectors tel l T he Pe a k about how the ways they appreciate watches have been t ransformed in a t ime of tumult .

- Lynette Koh

If 2020 had been a year like any other, a large group of Panerai fans would have gathered in New York City this October for P-Day. First organised by the Paneristi – a self-coined term describing Panerai hardcore fans – in Germany and Italy in 2002, the annual event now welcomes attendees from all over the world. These include some of the members of a local Panerai enthusiast group, called GPF Appassionati. The GPF stands for Guido Panerai & Figlio – a precursor to Panerai that was established in 1864 – and appassionati means enthusiasts in Italian.

As a result of the pandemic and ensuing global movement restrictions, P-Day, along with other horological events both large and small, have been called off. So, of course, watch enthusiasts have found new ways to share their passion for all things horological. In a Zoom group session with The Peak, GPF Appassionati members told us that they have been organising regular virtual get-togethers instead of real-life meetups. With social distancing likely to be a part of the new normal even as lockdown measures ease, online meetings look set to stay for a while.

Wojciech Czapor, who works in the oil and gas industry, and is now based in Kuala Lumpur following a stint in Singapore, says: “We try to have these Zoom sessions weekly. We arrange a time when people are done with work and have already had dinner with their families, so we can talk to each other and have some fun outside of the everyday madness.”

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