Fresh from the Showcase here at SwissWatchExpo I'm
Blake and today we have a new school a diving chronograph to celebrate some old school boats
So Swiss watchmaking and Yacht racing go hand in hand I think I've probably covered at least a
dozen America's cups versions of the watch Panerai 2 is no exception to that that's a brand that is
definitely getting into the yacht racing game they've sponsored a ton of teams including an
event it's in particular that this watch is meant to celebrate this is the Panerai Classic Yachts
Challenge and as the name might imply this is not like the Americas Cup where these are racing super
modern-looking sleek composite material boats that look like they flew straight out of the
future this is a yacht race for old school Yachts I'm talking wooden noats I'm talking salty sailors
captaining them the whole nine they do this every every couple of years I think all over the globe
they've done it in New England they've done it in the Mediterranean I think off the coast of Africa
too so this takes place all over the place with all of these classic boats that are racing and I
think it's so cool I mean they look so much more beautiful than the America's Cup boats
even though they probably don't even go a frac action of the speed so this is I think Panerai's
Premier boat racing event I know they've sponsored other teams in the past but this is an actual uh
repeating event that they sponsor and they're very proud of and I can see why these boats are
beautiful if you look it up on YouTube there are some incredible videos of these things in action
but I don't that's about all I know about boats so now let's talk about this watch now this is
a super new school watch they've made a series of pieces commemorating the classic Yachts challenge
this is definitely the most modern looking of them this has the most complicated movement also
has a super modern looking sandwich dial with no fauxtina no khaki coloring on it like you
might see with some other ones for some people who are a little more familiar with this line
the one thing they all have in common though is that they're going to have a nautical tachymeter
so this is actually very practical and something that I presume somebody who was involved in one
of these races might actually want to wear while they were competing and another thing is they all
come with flyback chronographs now these are not the only flyback chronographs that Panerai makes
I think we've got two or three others in stock right now but the one thing that every there's
a PCYC Edition watch that they make will come with this complication so it's a super neat
complication that you can you know basically just reset your chronograph to zero at the push of a
button also adds a little bit to the price tag not just for this watch but for any chronograph that
comes with that complication it is very difficult for watchmakers to actually accomplish and this
is something that makes this a really special edition Panerai at least of all that it's a
chronograph which that in and of itself already puts it in a pretty unique League when it comes to
Panerai timepieces another thing that this has is a ceramic case which also makes it different from
all the other classic Yachts challenge watches they make definitely looks a lot more modern also
with the blue accents on the dial every other uh classic Yachts challenge watch is going to look
a lot more old school but if you want a really contemporary looking sports watch with this super
for sleek looking ceramic case with an all brushed finish I mean this looks very rugged but again
very contemporary nothing classic about this even though the Luminor shape is pretty iconic and has
been around for quite a while for as any pandorist you would know 44 millimeters is pretty big for
most men's watches but by Panerai standards I think it's right middle of the road didn't make
this too big you can certainly get chronographs in the Panerai luminor line to come much much bigger
than this but 44 millimeters is I think is a good size and if you want a panoramic you probably
want something with a little bit of heft too and this is definitely got it we do have the Yachts
challenge logo on the back here no exhibition case back on this model but it does come with
an automatic flyback chronograph movement that does look beautiful if you see pictures of this
caliber online but I do love the finishing here with the racing logo on it looks fantastic as well
as the case back is actually titanium so the whole front of the watch is a solid piece of ceramic but
this is a sort of coated titanium that they put the back on I'm not sure if that's to keep the
weight down on this watch or if it is just easier to sort of engrave this beautiful-looking logo on
the back of titanium that I don't know for certain but at the end of the day it does match the case
perfectly so you would not know that it was a different material unless you had researched the
specs on this watch so it's something that they do incredibly well this comes with two different
straps we got a more traditional uh sort of Panerai rubber strap here both of these are
super sporty by the way this is not one that I think would look good on leather even no matter
what kind of black leather you get and one with a little more texture right here both lined with
rubber though so this is going to be safe to race as many boats and pretty much whatever weather you
want you might not be fine but the watch will this comes with all the tools box papers the whole nine
so whether you're looking to add a new piece you your Panerai collection which is already extensive
or if you just want to really really neat looking ceramic chronograph with some neat complications
and two I promise you don't have to love boats to love this watch I don't think many of my Panerai
customers are particular boating enthusiasts or if they do they haven't shared that with me so check
this one out we've also got a lot of smaller timepieces for people who don't want something
quite so massive of course Panerai is not the only brand we carry so please give us a call
check out our new arrivals and see what new stuff we've got to give you today at SwissWatchExpo.com