Panerai watches, for many decades used exclusively by the commandos of the Italian Navy in their courageous underwater operations, have a glorious history of heroism in their DNA.
Today this heroic history lives on in a contemporary form thanks to a special version of the Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition, limited to fifteen examples.
The fortunate few who acquire this new Panerai creation will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive experience: they will be invited to Moorea, in French Polynesia, and they will plunge into the depths of the ocean and experience the extraordinary emotions of diving while whale watching with the many-times world champion free-diver Giullaume Néry, who today is one of the greatest international ambassadors of the world of the sea.
In his honour, Panerai has created a new watch combining technical performance and a remarkably powerful, sporty appearance.
The Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition is evidently a professional diving watch, water-resistant to a depth of about 300 metres (30 bar) and fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel, with an applied black ceramic disc, for reliably calculating the duration of the dive.
The dial is clearly legible under all lighting conditions and in complete darkness, thanks to the luminous white markers which stand out strongly against the shark grey, textured background.
The strap is rubber while the screw back is engraved with the signature of the champion, the island of Moorea and an image which recalls his final breath-taking constant weight free-diving record: a depth of 126 metres, reached with a single breath.
Thanks to the 47 mm titanium case, coated with a layer of DLC (Diamond-Like-Carbon) to make it more resistant to knocks and scratches, the watch has a masculine, sporty black appearance, emphatic and contemporary, with elements which immediately bring to mind the seas of Polynesia: parts of the hour markers and of the hands are an unusual turquoise blue.
The new Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition is a combination of performance, strength and reliability, and it is also a precision chronograph, with flyback function and the device for zeroing the seconds hand to achieve perfect synchronisation with a reference signal.
The watch is sexy and light, with its titanium case which integrates perfectly with the blue of the ceramic disc applied to the bezel, the blue hands and the blue rubber strap. It is also a precision chronograph, with fly-back function and the device for zeroing the seconds hand to enable perfect synchronisation with a reference signal. The Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition is fitted with a P.9100 automatic calibre with a power reserve of three days. This movement was entirely developed in Panerai’s high quality watchmaking Manufacture in Neuchâtel, in the Laboratorio di Idee where the originality and precision of Panerai watches transform every design into a creation of indomitable character and excellent technical performance.
Virgil Hilts