If you checked our blog earlier in the week you would have read about a new and exclusive exhibition going on in the UK presenting a number of historic Panerai models on loan from a number of private collectors, and if you hadn’t here’s a link to it here. Interestingly, everyone’s favorite high end Italian watch producer is also supporting an exhibit in Shanghai that starts TODAY and runs through the 18th of this month.
The exhibit (known as the “Face of Time Exhibition”) is being housed in the atrium of the IAPM Mall in Shanghai and is dedicated to the brand’s unique and storied history and is free to the public! Awesome. If you live in Shanghai… Again, if anyone does, leave a comment and let your fellow Paneristis know how it is…
From the company’s press release it has become clear that the exhibition itself is a presentation various models, oddities and novelties from Panerai’s 2014 collection. There will also be a variety of iconic timepieces from watchmaker’s rich past AND a special display set up to showcase the creation of the creation of the Luminor’s case in an attempt to display the brand’s undeniable quality, design and craftsmanship. Whether you’re a Panerai fanatic or a budding watch enthusiast, this shouldn’t be something you should miss.
The brand’s exhibit is named in honor of the dial, just one of the trademark aspects of any Panerai watch design. “The Face of Time” evokes senses of dignity, mystique and simplicity, all things Panerai has exuded over the past decades itself as a brand. The Panerai dial has remained unchanged for almost 90 years, and still appears as it did for the first watches that the brand created for the Italian navy in the 30s and 40s.
The luminous dial so prevalent in Panerai designs is flaunted throughout the exhibition, with its Super-LumiNova effects placed at the hour indices. At the timepiece’s 3 o’clock there is a prominent panel proudly sporting the brand’s patented crown protecting device which gives Panerais their unmistakable faces that are loved by so many.
The IAPM boutique is the largest of its kind in Shanghai, with an area of 100 square meters and offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Panerai’s extensive fan base. The boutique is designed with an emphasis on minimalist furnishings which present visitors with a very clean and transparent look into the workings of such a renowned brand. Gold Calcutta marble flooring and characteristic stucco wall finishing fill the boutique with a feeling of Panerai’s Florentine roots. Teak wood walls curve about the boutique like the waves of the sea, referencing Panerai’s unbreakable ties to their Naval legacy.
Interestingly, this is also China’s only boutique with its own in-store watchmaking workshop… Therefore Panerai’s dedicated watchmakers can provide their customers with both convenient and quality customer service as well as offer lots of Panerai Straps and accessories.