Officine Panerai

Perhaps this is an old news - Jupiterium was announced at SIHH 2010, but it finally came to Tokyo (June 7 - 12).  Here is the report for those who missed it when it came near you and those who are in the area + some 2013 Novelties were also presented.


The venue - In Roppongi Hills, where I live relatively close but not familiar with inside, thus naturally I got lost for 15 minutes.  Normally this is a cafe.








Up there is the office tower of Roppongi Hills.






First, speech by Mr. Daniele Bosio, Ministry Counselor of Italian Embassy in Tokyo.




Next, Panerai Japan Brand CEO, Mr. Toru Ichiji





Finally, Panerai (Swiss), R&D Director, Mr. Frank Stalder





With Mr. Hirota (watch journalist)




Mr. Ichiji and one of the guests.




I visited again the following day to take more photos with less people.  The floor has been designed like the dial of a Panerai.




For watchmaker workbench exhibition.





Center stage with video showing




There are eight panels to tell the story of Paneral and related watches exhibited.
First panel.








Not great photo of the pocket watch....




I wish I could take more close-up and better photos, but sorry!  I will try to take, someday.



The 2nd panel.




















The 3rd.









 

















The 4th.




























The 5th.




















The 6th.




















The 7th.




















The 8th and the last.





























Now the time to "tape-cut" for the Jupiterium room - by Mr. Bosio and Mr. Ichiji.

































 
How it works:

"Panerai Jupiterium" is the astronomical clock equipped with a perpetual calendar function. This device, in addition to the positions of the sun, the moon, Jupiter, as seen from the Earth, shows the positions of the Stars of the Medici family, i.e. the biggest satellites of Jupiter - Io Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, observed by the very first telescope made by Galileo in 1610.

"Panerai Jupiterium" centers the Earth and around which other celestial bodies revolve inside the blue sphere.  The mechanism is contained in the box of glass on the wooden base - 86cm height 75cm in width, and the base part contains the complex gear trains which drives the perpetual calendar clock and the planetarium above it.

Transparent sphere that is placed in a glass box represents the sky.  The two hemispheres respectively represent the northern hemispheres and the southern one.  The narrow band that joins the two represents the equator, on which 12 constellations are engraved.  Other constellations spread on both hemispheres are coated with the Super Lumi Nova ® and they glow at night.  The sky faithfully reproduces the movement of the stars seen from the Earth, and it rotates in 23 hours and 56 minutes, i.e. one sidereal day.

All the celestial bodies except for the sphere itself moves in the blue sphere on each trajectory on the REAL TIME basis, driven by a single movement which is controlled by the watch movement, i.e. the moon in 27.32 days, the sun in 356.26 days, revolve around the Earth.  Jupiter revolves around the sun in 11.87 years, and Jupiter's satellites Io in 1.8 days, Europa in 3.6 days, Callisto in 7.2 days, and Ganymede in 16.7 days revolve around Jupiter on its respective trajectory.

There is a round part on the bottom of the clock under the complex structure as described above, which has four small windows.  This is the perpetual calendar which displays day, date, month, and year.  No need to adjust until the year 2100.  The year 2100 is theoretically a leap year, but due to minor error of the Gregorian Calendar accumulated, it will NOT be a leap year (good information for those who will be still alive!). 

The base mahogany wood also has the clock dial.  Dial color is black-base and has big arabic numerals at 12h and 6h, and bar indexes at other hour markers - which is very Paneral.  Hour index and the hands are coated with the lumi.  Dial shows hour, minute, and the second, as well as am/pm and the power reserve.  The movement is hand winding and the power reserve is 40 days - how tough it will be, I don't know....

The 1,532 parts that make up this Panerai Jupiterium are almost all made from titanium, while it still weighs as much as 110 kg.


There are only THREE of this watch/clock in the world.


Here is the video of this Jupiterium:




Thank you, Panerai Japan, AND Chronos Japan, as always.

Hope you refresh your memory and enjoy.

Ken

No message body

.. as it is very similar to Ulysse Nardin's "Planet Earth" that was launched in 2010. I would not be surprised to find Ludwig Oechslin as the genius behind the Jupiterium's construction.

Regards,
Marcus

No message body

Hopefully this exhibit can make it state-side.

 

Video, the music, the animation, the surreal "Hollywoodian" atmosphere it creates almost like if Vlad would suddenly appear and goggle up or destroy all those cogs and pullies and the planets too in its rage
Well done and entertaining.
I would definitely be a purchaser of a Radiomir 40mm, I really love the design of the lugs and the case! But, I think that I must be in a very small minority and such a wrist watch won't be produced. Pity...for me
Cheers
Francois

... the idea that they don't need to be that big...   I have a small wrist and 34mm Dufour is actually really nice size for me, LOL.

Thank you!

Ken

segment of the market with their "over sized" watches only! I don't think that the design would lend itself for watches smaller than 38mm but again, perhaps it would, 40mm would I think be an ideal size for an important section of the market in my opinion.

Cheers

Francois

 

Maybe we'll see an in-house perpetual calendar watch someday using the known how from this Jupiterium? 

As a long time Panerai fan though, I've always wondered why Panerai made this Jupiterium.  This stars and astrology doesn't fit in with their connection with the sea and ocean.

In any case, it's a fascinating clock nevertheless.

Cheers,
Anthony

... Panerai wanted to remind people that it has Italian origin... and in 1610 he found the satellites of Jupiter, which happened to be 400 years before the announcement of Jupiterium in 2010 at Basel....?  Anyway, other than its name, there is very little that is Italian in Panerai watches, apparently....

Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2013-06-23 21:09:09

... I want a Jupiterium!  Maybe the coolest clock ever.

Jupiterium in my living room, but I would need to paint the walls black and then put in all the supporting constellations!

After i left Japan they finally brought it in.

Lucky you Ken!

But thanks for the amazing coverage, as always!

That must have been one stunning piece of an astronomical clock!

I have been increasing my own interest and knowledge in astronomy, so this actually tickles my bone quite abit!

Tschuss

Stephen

... my guess is that they MAY be thinking of selling ONE out of THREE.  They don't need three forever, do they?  Just my guess....

Ken

Such a great report!

Cheers


Sam

... what a brand to deal with, though

I am glad you like the report!

Thank you!

Ken