Casa Panerai Opens in New York City
In early June, Panerai inaugurated its latest brick-and-mortar boutique on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Spanning two floors, and complete with a bar and displays cases full of vintage watches and memorabilia, Casa Panerai NYC is the largest Panerai boutique on the planet. Situated among the world’s top luxury names on one of the city’s most desirable blocks, Casa Panerai is a major step forward for the brand and an essential destination for fans of the Italian-born luxury watchmaker.
“The opening of Panerai’s flagship boutique on Madison Avenue in New York City is a significant milestone,” says Jean-Marc Pontroué, the Maison’s CEO. “It is a vision in line with our brand’s commitment to our clients and our values, with the store designed to provide excellence both in our products and service to complete the Panerai experience.”
Casa Panerai represents the coalescence of two major trends of recent years: an explosion of interest in luxury watches and the ongoing evolution of traditional watch retail. Following the lockdowns and social distancing protocols of the pandemic years, and an unprecedented boom in watch sales that accompanied them, watch brands of all kinds are now re-imagining the retail experience, and going to great lengths to make their brick-and-mortar boutiques much more than simply places to buy a watch.
As such, Casa Panerai is home to the brand’s full range of watches for men and women, but also a wide array of other enticements to stay and be immersed in la vita Panerai. Among these is a large bar area serving Italian cocktails, espresso drinks, and aperitivi, as well as numerous exhibits devoted to Panerai’s history, culture, and first-in-class creations over the decades. These include garments worn by explorer and Panerai ambassador Mike Horn on his expeditions, a scale model of the brand’s beautifully-restored sailing yacht, Eilean, and a large timeline of the brand’s history stretching back to the late 19th century.
“Our boutiques are places to live, created to welcome the customer, who feels immediately at ease and surrounded by Italian style,” says Panerai’s Creative Director Alvaro Maggini, who conceived and designed the space at the Panerai Studio, the Maison’s in-house creative agency in Milan. “We are constantly working to ensure the brand’s aesthetics is in line with our brand values, and this new Flagship store is the ultimate expression of our DNA.”
Maggini went to great lengths to do this, filling the space with carefully selected Italian marble and Italian-designed furniture, as well as aesthetic nods to the brand’s roots as a tool of the Italian navy. Other details, like wooden surfaces created to match Eilean’s teak decks, are less obvious but contribute to an immersive experience.
Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284
Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284
Panerai Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284
Along with Pontroué’s arrival, riding shotgun in a vintage Alfa Romeo driven by friend-of-the-brand Chris Pratt, the opening also featured the reveal of the brand’s latest watch, the Radiomir Tourbillon Bronzo PAM01284. Panerai’s first-ever 45mm tourbillon movement is set in a bronze case that will acquire a unique patina over time, and paired with a supple brown calf leather strap. Featuring a cutaway dial set with Panerai’s trademark oversized Arabic numerals, its design combines vintage and modern elements in a way that is sure to entice Panerai fans new and old — much like Casa Panerai itself.
Learn more about Casa Panerai here.
