On the 25th of September, the Italian luxury watchmaker Panerai has successfully carried out the second of the three exclusive experiences conceived for VIP clients and revealed during the last SIHH in Geneva. This time the experience backdrop was one of the most exclusive destinations: the heaven of French Polynesia where 15 Panerai heroes had the chance to live a unique personalized experience with the brand ambassador and free-diving champion Guillaume Néry and their new Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition PAM00983.
A perfect match between nature and adventure that has reconfirmed once again the strong commitment of the Laboratorio di Idee to offer its clients a once-in-a-lifetime experience in celebration of the deep connection to the marine world that has been part of the Florentine brand’s history since its earliest days.
The experience was devised in partnership with free-diving champion Guillaume Néry well recognized to be one of the most influential testimonial of the marine world, an exceptional guide for the 15 lucky owners of the new Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition since they dived alongside him.
The adventure began on September 26th last. As the sun rose, the heroes underwent a training yoga session with Guillaume Néry who prepared them for their dive. The session not only taught the participants how to breathe more efficiently to make diving to such depths a safer experience but also gave Guillaume Néry a special opportunity to talk about his impressive philosophy which goes beyond sport to encompass reflection, time control, knowing one’s own limits and a powerful connection with nature.
“The sea has always been a part of my life. Since childhood I was attracted by the unfamiliar, the unknown. There is no need to go to the moon or into space to go to another world. The sea represents the origins of life itself. A place that is still new and yet to be discovered”. Néry declared.
In the days that followed, clients admired Guillaume Néry’s astonishing technical skill and diving expertise and under his guidance they enjoyed magnificent dives and unforgettable snorkels.
Yet that was far from the end of the experience.
The 15 heroes were also catapulted into the fascinating undersea world. The group was lucky enough to watch whales swimming in the crystalline Polynesian waters from small boats which crowned their experience to perfection. They also enjoyed the very special privilege of interacting with elegant manta rays and the most intriguing creatures the likes of lemon sharks which added a frisson of excitement to the overall experience.
At the core of the experience the idea to re-establish a reasonable and more sustainable contact with the surrounded natural world and all the creatures that inhabit it emphasizing one of the brand and its ambassadors’ greatest priorities: the importance of respecting planet earth and its spectacular creatures.
Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition PAM00982
The new Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition is a combination of performance, strength and reliability worthy of the remarkable champion who has inspired this amazing new creation of mechanical engineering. Guillaume Néry was twice a world champion and he broke four constant weight free-diving world records. This former professional athlete is now an ambassador of the sea, turning his astonishing underwater experiences into images and videos which amaze everyone who sees them. 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 above all a professional diving watch, water-resistant to a depth of about 300 metres (30 bar) and fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel, which accurately displays 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. Engraved on the screw back are the champion’s signature and the depths of his final awe-inspiring record: 126 metres, achieved with a single breath.
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.
Panerai Submersible Chrono Guillaume Néry Edition PAM00982 Technical Specification
MOVEMENT:
Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9100 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾ lignes, 8.15 mm thick, 37 jewels, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device, two barrels.
FUNCTIONS:
Hours, minutes, small seconds, calculation of immersion time, flyback chronograph, seconds reset.
CASE:
Diameter 47 mm, titanium. Buttons for the chronograph functions at 8 and 10 o’clock. Unidirectional rotating bezel in titanium with applied blue ceramic disc.
Back in titanium with special engraving. Device protecting the crown (protected as trademark) in titanium.
DIAL:
Shark grey with applied luminous dots and indexes. Seconds at 9 o’clock, hour counter at 3 o’clock, central chronograph seconds and minutes hands.
POWER RESERVE:
72 hours.
WATER-RESISTANCE:
30 bar (~ 300 metres).
STRAP:
Panerai personalized blue rubber strap and trapezoidal titanium buckle.
