Panerai collaborates once again with Swiss-South African explorer Mike Horn for yet another extreme expedition. This one is a two year project cirumnavigating the globe through land and sea, passing through two poles. Pole2Pole. Mike started his journey from Cape Town, South Africa for the South Pole on November 8, 2016. As we publish this article on December 2, he has reached Antartica.
The partnership between Mike Horn and Officine Panerai is not a new one. Previous projects together have yielded interesting adventures and also collectible Panerai watches: the Arktos (2002-2004), the North Pole Winter Expedition (2006) and the Pangaea (2008-2012).
The Pangea is the yatch which has already taken Mike around the globe during the expedition of the same name, and he will be sailing it on all the sea journeys. The land based parts of the journey will be made with the Mercedes Benz G-Class SUV.
Panerai Pole2Pole Luminor PAM00719 on Mike Horn’s wrist.
The partnership between Mike Horn and Officine Panerai is based on the sharing of common values and passion for the sea and on the awareness of how important it is to defend our planet. The expedition affirms the shared fundamentals of adventure, environment and sharing.
Mike’s mission is to to inspire people to enjoy their own personal adventures without fear of leaving their own comfort zone, to understand the laws which rule the planet in which we live, and to publicise the need to protect this extraordinary environment at a time when the dangers threatening nature are extremely serious and alarmingly current.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”
Mike Horn, explorer and adventure extraordinaire.
To celebrate this partnership, Panerai has created the watch to accompany him on the most difficult challenges : the new Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Titanio – 47mm, a Special Edition of only 500 examples, tested to survive any possible environmental situation in which Mike may find himself in the course of the expedition.
https://youtu.be/3YYt0JCq19c
The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Titanio – 47mm, a Special Edition for Pole2Pole
The new watch is a fairly regular Submersible GMT. Case in 47mm and titanium and eminently suitable for a long expedition like the Pole2Pole that Mike Horn is attempting. But also for any traveller or nature lover. The usual handsome looks of the Submersible with a blue dial and luminous markers.
The PAM00719. Dual timezone for the traveller, and also highly legible and visible markers and hands.
The case has the regular water resistance depth rating of 300m with a rotating bezel for dive timings. The Special Edition is a limited Edition of 500 pieces. We have not seen the watch first hand yet, but initial reactions from us and many commentators in the blogosphere seem to indicate that the Pole2Pole is quite obvious, and may preferred if it was only engraved on the case back (which it is!).
PAM00719 dial is clear and legible. The midnight blue dial is quite handsome.
The hands indicate the hours, minutes, small seconds and date, and a second timezone is indicated by a yellow central hand (either for home time or UTC). All settings are done through the crown, hence the absence of a corrector leaves the clean curves of the Luminor case intact. A smart second reset device resets the second hands, enabling the watch to be synchronized perfectly with a reference time signal.
PAM00719 caseback with Mike Horn’s signature and the expedition logo (a polar bear and a penguin symbolizing the two poles).
The watch is supplied with a a black rubber strap, fastened by a large trapezoid-shaped buckle in brushed titanium.
The Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Titanio (PAM719) is priced at S$ 14,600 inclusive of GST.
PAM00719.
Panerai PAM00719 Specifications
Movement: Automatic mechanical, P.9001 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai.
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, second time zone, calculation of immersion time.
Case: 47 mm, brushed titanium.
Dial: Blue with luminous hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock.
Power Reserve: 72 H.
Water Resistance: 30 bar (~300 metres).
1 Comment
This from a brand that recently released a series of watches in partnership with a gunmake to celebrate the “big 5” favourite rare animals that impotent old men like to shoot. Hypocrisy on steroids.