Big things are happening over at Panerai. The brand has just opened their largest store in the world on Madison Avenue in New York City, while also launching two new novelties to celebrate, including their first tourbillon on a 45mm case. This boutique reinforces their dedication to the United States market which makes sense given that it’s been a growing market for the watch industry over the last two years.
While the building is all very impressive it’s the watches we’re most keen about here.
To commemorate the occasion, Panerai released the Luminor BiTempo New York Edition for a limited run of 212 pieces. The 44mm titanium DLC case cradles the Luminor’s iconic sandwich dial. Powering it is the P9010/GMT calibre that comes equipped with a three-day power reserve. It also comes equipped with a grey strap made from recycled PET.. On the caseback you can find an engraving of the Brooklyn Bridge.
It has the ability to display two time zones with a small seconds dial at 9 o’clock and a date window at 3 o’clock.
The second watch is the Radiomir Tourbillon GMT Bronzo which offers a far more retro concept. The 45mm case, as you may have guessed, is crafted in bronze that will develop a delightful patina over time, especially when paired with the sage green open-worked bridges on the dial.
Through the sapphire crystal caseback you can see the in-house hand-wound mechanical P.2015/T calibre with a four day power reserve. The hand-wound nature of the watch really lends itself to the retro theme of the watch, though the complications are anything but retro. The Bronzo comes equipped with a power reserve indicator, world time function, and a tourbillon. As mentioned before, this is the first time Panerai has introduced a tourbillon on a 45mm model. This watch comes equipped with a brown calf leather strap and has a 100m water resistance rating.
The tourbillon rotates in its cage every 30 seconds rather than the traditional one minute along an axis perpendicular to the balance wheel.
The Luminor New York doesn’t have a listing on Panerai’s website, suggesting that it is a boutique exclusive and as such, pricing hasn’t been listed. The Bronzo is listed online for $253,600 AUD.
