Panerai will be opening a brand new boutique at 30 New Bond Street in London, which will be their very first stand-alone boutique in all of the UK. The new boutique will be their second largest in Europe, second only to the Panerai flagship store in Florence. The London location will be over 150 square meters in area, and will contain two floors dedicated to showing the brand’s collections. The New Bond Street store will also be one of the few that will house a specialist watchmaker, who will be permanently based there. Two floors of nothing but Panerai watchmakers, and an in-house expert living on-site to answer all your questions. It’s going to be a Paneristi’s dream.
To help celebrate this, the famed auction house of Sotheby’s will be auctioning off a unique Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo – 47mm, a special timepiece to honor the opening of Panerai’s first stand-alone boutique in the UK. The singular watch will be displayed at Sotheby’s until December 15th, at which time an online auction will be held for bidders to compete for this particular Bronzo. The Bronzo, of course, is one of Panerai’s most distinctive creations, with the bronze case being a reminder of the Panerai association with aquatic activity and the sea.
The winner of the auction will also be invited to visit the new Panerai boutique at 30 New Bond Street, where the London Head Watchmaker will be present to show them the ins and outs of their new acquisition.
As for the Sotheby’s auction, it is all in service of a good cause. All the proceeds from the auction will go towards the Royal Yachting Association, who have a charitable program called OnBoard. OnBoard is a means of promoting equal access to sailing for young people from all sorts of different backgrounds. The program builds character and enhances sailing capabilities at the same time. Sailing is an activity that can be difficult to gain a basic introduction to, as it is a sport that often only well-off families are able to engage in. For those young people who have an interest in this activity, OnBoard is there to help.
