The essence of humanity is to go beyond what is expected, to cross the threshold, to achieve the seemingly unachievable. Panerai does this on a regular basis, and now, they have chosen a worldwide ambassador who does the same, only underwater.

Panerai announces their two-year partnership with Guillaume Néry as their Worldwide Brand Ambassador. He began his freediving career at age 20, and since then, the Frenchman has broken several world records and won two Constant Weight World Free-Diving Championships.

Freediving is an international competitive sport, and it goes beyond merely holding your breath for a few seconds. Professional freedivers train long and hard to master their bodies’ capabilities, enabling them to reach depths such as 200meters on a single breath. Their bodies are made to conserve oxygen and direct the blood flow to only the organs vital for survival.

There is discipline of freediving that goes a step, or a stroke, further. The Constant Weight Freedive means the freediver descends and ascend following a dive-line, only touching the line once to turn, and without altering their weight. Freedivers may use monofins or bifins, and that is usually a personal preference. People typically think they need masks when diving deep, but for the freediver, the additional equipment may ruin their smooth flow through the water, so some just use a noseclip. Less is better, in this case.

Panerai Traits is the digital exploration of the Panerai world and those who embody the same spirit: LUCE (light), DESIGN, MARE (sea), and INNOVAZIONE (innovation). Guillaume Néry is the perfect partner for MARE, as his passion from childhood is beneath the waves. Diving in the waters of  Villefranche-sur-Mer, the bay near Nice, Guillaume mastered his sport. The perfect companion for his freedives is the Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio PAM1389, from Panerai’s Divers Professional collection. It features the hours, minutes, small seconds, date, and allows for the calculation of immersion time. Forged in titanium and 47mm in diameter, the watch is, of course, water resistant, to 30 bar or 300 meters. Both the freediver and the watch can withstand great pressure and take you deeper than you thought imaginable.