Panerai auctions a once off timepiece to celebrate the opening of their new Bond Street Boutique

There’s one way to make sure shoppers come and see your new store: That’s to create a once off luxury time piece, and display it in the store for a limited period before auctioning it at Sotheby’s.

That’s what Officine Panerai has opted to do, in celebration of the upcoming opening of its first stand-alone boutique in the UK.

Created by the celebrated architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, the new Panerai boutique at 30 New Bond Street will be the second largest in Europe after Panerai’s flagship store in Florence, extending over an area of 150 square meters and displaying the collections of the Florentine company to enthusiasts and collectors across two floors. The boutique will be one of the few to house a specialist watchmaker who will be permanently based on site.

The winning bidder in the auction will be invited to the new Panerai Boutique where they will be welcomed by the head watchmaker to discover the intricacies of their new timepiece.

The unique 47mm Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo is inspired by Panerai’s historic creations for the Royal Italian Navy, featuring the iconic Luminor Submersible case in bronze.

The timepiece is a celebration of Panerai’s reputation for creating renowned underwater watches with unique characteristics, excellent technical features and strong historical inspiration.

The bronze used to make the case and the classic bridge device protecting the winding crown is an alloy of copper and pure tin, which is highly resistant to the corrosive action of seawater and atmospheric agents.

As well as being structurally very strong, the material preserves its warm tones while acquiring a modern ‘worn’ look from the development of patina. This patina is the result of the reaction of bronze to its environment and it has no effect on the intrinsic properties of the material, but it is a visual sign of the natural ageing process. The rich hues of the case are complemented by a deep brown dial and completed by a brown leather strap.

All proceeds from the auction of the time piece will be donated to the Royal Yachting Association to support their charitable sailing programme OnBoard - an initiative to promote equal access to sailing for young people from all social and economic backgrounds whilst encouraging their character development.

Panerai, 30 New Bond Street, London, UK.