Panerai’s New New York Digs

Officine Panerai, the leading Italian luxury watchmaker, is just opened its first New York boutique, much to the pleasure of the city’s many watch enthusiasts. Located at 545 Madison Avenue, ill offer a selection of limited edition watches, with a particular focus on the models fitted with movements of the exclusive Panerai manufacture such as the Radiomir Tourbillon GMT, Luminor 1950 Tourbillon and Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante.

The interior of the New York boutique is inspired by the sea, the element which has always accompanied Panerai’s history. The furnishings were designed by an Italian architecture studio to create a distinctively Panerai ambience.  Teak and steel are the predominant materials used–much like the materials used on a boat–against wire mesh panels, back-painted walls recreating the surface of water, and graphic inventions stylizing the shape of the watches themselves. Shop windows take on the shape of ocean waves. Furnishing details that echo diving suits and divers’ equipment and porthole-shaped display panels recalling yacht fittings all come together in harmony to create a look with a clean, linear nautical style.

Other boutiques are expected to open worldwide during 2008 and 2009.