The Face Of Time By Panerai At Geneva
The 5th and 6th December, Officine Panerai held an exposition to show its history and creations to the swiss public. Named «The Face of Time», the event showcased many historical pieces as well as new models.
By René Giroud
A link to the past
The 5th and 6th December, Officine Panerai invested the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM) in Geneva to present to the public the exposition « The Face of Time ». With its big windows and remaining machinery, BFM was the perfect place to hold an exposition about Panerai history.
The historical building is connected to Geneva’s watchmaking past and has since often served as location for watchmaking events due to its elegance. With « The Face of Time », Panerai opened the gates of its world to the swiss public, inviting him to discover the many steps of its evolution through instructive billboards and to admire most of its historical timepieces.
The Face of Time takes its name from Panerai’s dials which became iconic thanks to its numbers glowing brightly in the dark. Using Radiomir first and then Luminor, Officine Panerai was able to use the substance to make dials that were easy to read in the dark and mostly underwater. The exposition reminds this aspect of Panerai’s past with a floor staged in order to remind the iconic dial, with numbers glowing and showcases set were the hours would have been. New materials, technical complications, limited editions, every milestone watch created by Panerai is presented in here.
A view from the future
The Face of Time was also the opportunity to discover some new pieces from Officine Panerai. Aside from the 3 models presented during the QP fair, Panerai presented a Luminor 1950 Left-handed 3 days – 47mm. Made specifically for left-handed persons, this timekeeper recalls the strong relation that united Panerai with Italian Marine since some divers needed to carry their watch on the right hand.
The vintage design is also a reminder of the essence of Panerai and should definitely seduce the so-called Paneristi. The steel case is different too since the sharp profile is close to a cushion case. Instead of a sapphire glass, Panerai decided to opt for Plexiglas, a wink to historical timepieces as well as the diving origins. Thus, this Luminor 1950 Left-Handed 3 Days is water resistant until 100 meters (10 ATM). Inside of this watch, the caliber P.3000 beats with a power reserve of 3 days like the names suggests it. The P.3000 beats with a frequency of 3Hz (21’600 alt/h) and has 160 components. It is only 5.3mm thick and can be admired through a sapphire glass on the back, even it there is not much to see there. While the movement has a mechanism that allows to change the hours immediately without interfering with the minutes, I find it sad that the display only shows the hours and the minutes.
Due to its vintage design with old Arabic numbers and a “Luminor Panerai” inscription, it is probable that collectors prefer it that way, but for this price, I expect in general to be able to count the seconds too.
