We no longer present Panerai, a brand founded in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai on Ponte alle Grazie in Florence, known at the time for the manufacture of precision instruments that met the demand and requirements of the Italian Navy. The watchmaker's first model was moreover designed on special order from the transalpine army for its combat swimmers. It was for the latter that Panerai used radiomir, a compound patented in 1916 based on radium and developed to make dials and sighting mechanisms luminescent. The Panerai Radiomir would become the official watch of Italian divers during the 1930s before being marketed for all enthusiasts and collectors at the end of the 1990s.
In the wake of this military DNA, and after paying tribute in particular to the Italian special forces or the American Navy Seals, the most Italian of Swiss brands celebrates the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN). This elite unit had, in the past, already received the honors of many watchmakers who had made professional instruments in the service of these soldiers like T.O.T., Breitling, Navitec, Ebel, Bell
The Florentine watchmaker is now unveiling a new Sumersible GIGN Experience reference. An imposing piece 47 mm in diameter, waterproof to 300 meters deep and whose case has been fashioned in BMG-Tech. This innovative material was developed by Panerai and consists of metallic glass obtained through a high pressure and high temperature injection process. A very strong high-tech alloy, which offers improved protection against shock, magnetism and corrosion. The whole is completed with a bezel in Carbotech, an exclusive carbon fiber-based material that Panerai has been using since 2015, and a blue dial adorned with a "Mil-Dot" reticle small seconds at 9 o'clock as well as the logo. from the GIGN at 6 a.m. On the back of the case, which houses the hand-wound P9010 caliber with a 3-day power reserve, is the insignia of the National Gendarmerie's elite intervention unit.
Only fifteen world pieces of this Sumersible GIGN Experience will be available for the luckiest "Paneristi". Future purchasers of the watch will also be able to enjoy an exclusive and immersive experience in extreme conditions with members of the GIGN. This concept of experience watch was invented by Panerai in 2019 and had already offered fans privileged moments in the company of the famous freediver Guillaume Néry, the commandos of the Italian military navy or the explorer Mike Horn, for an epic in the great North.
