Officine Panerai

MARCH 2012 - Ten years after opening its manufacture in Neuchâtel, Officine Panerai announces that they will be breaking ground on a new factory. All the activities of development, production and assembly of the brand’s watches and movements will be transferred to the new production facility, set to open by the end of 2013. Located at Pierre-à-Bot, on the hills above Neuchâtel, the opening of this new facility will establish the Florentine brand as one of the most important producers of haute horlogerie sports watches in the world. 

OFFICINE PANERAI BREAKS GROUND ON NEW MANUFACTURE IN NEUCHÂTEL, SWITZERLAND 

Updated factory introduces 130 new jobs in almost all the metiers of the art of watchmaking 

Expanded research and development activities include the Workshop of Ideas and zero carbon dioxide emissions 

The new factory aims to optimize Panerai’s current production process in terms of both quantity and quality. Currently, all stages of development, including manufacturing the various components, assembly and quality control are all carried out by Officine Panerai internally, but all take place at different production sites. The unification of the various stages in a single, significantly larger location will yield higher production capacity, greater independence at all stages of production and better quality control. 

The new Panerai manufacture will have an area of 10,000 square meters and house 290 master watchmakers and their highly skilled colleagues, 130 more than are presently employed at the current manufacture building in the center of Neuchâtel. In addition to the production lines being equipped with the very latest technology, the new manufacture will encompass all activities related to the prototyping, production, assembly and rigorous quality control of the components, movements and cases of Panerai watches. 

The new manufacture will also house the Workshop of Ideas , an area dedicated to research and development activities. Materials research, the study and design of new movements, and the continuous refinement of quality and creativity are fundamental requirements for Officine Panerai, a brand that is driven by innovation. The brand’s historical and military origins create an intrinsic need to surpass its own standards so as to meet the requirements of its demanding customers. 

As has always been the case, the new manufacture at Neuchâtel will be charged with executing the creative ideas of Panerai’s esteemed designers. These designers contribute to the preservation of the most distinctive elements of the brand – the combination of Italian history, design and passion with Swiss precision, craftsmanship and technical watchmaking knowledge that makes Panerai watches unique and immediately recognizable all over the world.

In the words of Angelo Bonati, CEO of Officine Panerai, “In 1997 a great adventure was begun which has been creating the foundations for the future development of the Panerai brand and for its perpetuity ”.

The new Officine Panerai manufacture will have zero negative environmental impact in terms of carbon dioxide through careful integration of technologies for the recovery and recycling of resources, as well as devices for reducing emissions and eco-sustainable mobility policies for employees.

About Officine Panerai

Founded in Florence in 1860 as a watchmaker’s shop, workshop and school, Officine Panerai was for many years the official supplier of precision instruments for the Italian Navy, mostly for the underwater special corps. The projects developed by the company at the time including the Luminor and Radiomir watch - were covered by military secret until 1997, when the brand was purchased by the Richemont Group and launched on the international market. Officine Panerai is today the only Italian fine watch making company, developing and producing its own calibres and watches - a blend of Italian history and design with Swiss craftsmanship - in its own manufacture in Neuchatel, in Switzerland. Panerai watches are distributed worldwide through an exclusive network and in the Panerai boutiques in Bal Harbour, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Beverly Hills, Boca Raton, Buenos Aires, Doha, Dubai, Florence, Geneva, Hong Kong, Macau, Madrid, Manila, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York City, Palm Beach, Paris, Portofino, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. www.panerai.com .

Press Release