Officine Panerai

JULY 2010 - Ten years have gone by since the launch of the website www.paneristi.com and in that time, the Panerai watch enthusiasts who exchange information, comments and stories on the site forum have grown from just a few dozen to several thousand from all over the world. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of this story of extraordinary passion, Officine Panerai presents a new Special Edition watch dedicated to the "Paneristi" and made at their request - the Luminor for Paneristi's Anniversary .

LUMINOR FOR PANERISTI'S ANNIVERSARY

The new Luminor for Paneristi's Anniversary , designed by Officine Panerai and bearing in mind the guidelines and preferences expressed by the community of "Paneristi", comes with a 44 mm Luminor case, distinguished by the classic crown-protecting bridge device, making the watch water resistant up to 30 atmospheres (approximately 300 m in depth).

The case, bezel, bridge and crown are coated in DLC, as is the buckle that closes the strap in antiqued leather. The watch is personalised by the steel caseback, which bears the engraved inscription Paneristi.com , and Tenth Anniversary .

Standing out on the black dial are the classic numerals and large index markers so typical of Panerai, made in a special ecru SuperLumiNova^® - which also coats the hands – adding to the watch's vintage look. "Luminor Panerai" and the OP logo are engraved in white. The movement of the Luminor Logo DLC - 44mm is the hand-wound OP I calibre.

The Luminor for Paneristi's Anniversary was launched on the Paneristi forum. On 1st July 2010 the same medium was used to provide instructions for ordering the watch and the 300 pieces produced sold out in the few minutes following the publication of the relative post.  

Officine Panerai

Officine Panerai was founded in Florence in 1860 as a watch-making establishment, shop and school; for years it supplied the Italian Navy with precision timepieces, particularly to cover the needs of the special underwater diving corps. The projects it worked on at the time, including the Luminor and Radiomir watches, were covered by the military secrets act for years and Panerai watches were launched on the international market after the Richemont group purchased the brand in 1997.

Today, Officine Panerai is the only Italian haute horlogerie manufacturer. It develops and manufactures its watches and movements in Neuchâtel, combining Italian design and history with Swiss watch-making know-how. Panerai watches are sold all over the world through an exclusive network of distributors in addition to its boutiques in Florence, Portofino, Geneva, Madrid, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Riyadh, Beijing, Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai and Tokyo.

* Officine Panerai is not the owner of the trademark Super LumiNova®

THE "PANERISTI"

No other luxury watch brand can boast an independent community of fans to rival that devoted to Officine Panerai in terms of sheer size, enthusiasm and organisation. Every month, the website www.paneristi.com, receives 2,250,000 visits on average from so-called "Paneristi", namely Panerai watch enthusiasts who meet each other virtually on the forum of the site created in September 2000 by the English aficionado Guy Verbist.

The community of "Paneristi" – which is by no means the only one devoted to Panerai watches but is certainly the largest – was founded three years after the acquisition of the Officine Panerai brand by the Richemont group, to offer fans a platform for sharing and swapping information, comments and opinions on Panerai. Since its debut, the "Paneristi" have distinguished themselves from many other similar communities for the strong bond of common values that sets them apart and consolidates the site's identity and success. Forum members not only share a love for Panerai watches and their unique history, but also a sense of belonging to a family, which has often given rise to exemplary instances of solidarity and mutual support.

The "Paneristi" logs in to the forum to gather information and advice before purchasing a new Panerai watch, or to relate - often with images - the thrill of a recent purchase. There are those who log in on a daily basis to answer the classic question "What watch are you wearing today? ", yet the Paneristi often see the forum as a place where they can relate happy or painful experiences, which are not just shared with other users of the site but elicit a show of solidarity where the passion for Panerai acts as a backdrop to more personal stories and experiences.

Today, the site www.paneristi.com belongs to three enthusiasts – Padraig Conway, Paul Sleeduck and Jay Pulli – assisted in the coordination of the forum by 14 other moderators from all over the world, who guarantee constant monitoring of forum activities. Officine Panerai has no role in the management and promotion of the site, which was founded and developed independently.

Paneristi can be found in every part of the world, however, the United States is very heavily represented within the community, closely followed by Europe, where the countries with the highest number of users are the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Many Paneristi also come from the area of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, particularly Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

While there's no one typical "Paneristi" profile, but there are some characteristics – in keeping with the Panerai market of reference – that are statistically more widespread among site users: adult, male and high social standing. Owning a Panerai watch is not a pre-requisite to participation in the community, but obviously many of those fans who do take part are the proud owners of several.

Press Release