Officine Panerai is an Official Partner of the 35th America’s Cup, the most celebrated and prestigious sailing race in the world, first held off the south coast of England in 1851. The America’s Cup has borne witness to some of the most thrilling challenges in the history of sailing, including one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport in the last edition, when ORACLE TEAM USA won eight consecutive races to win the Cup for the second time.
The 2017 America’s Cup, to be hosted in Bermuda, is sure to be an exceptional contest involving extreme athleticism, courage, passion and skills, as well as the most advanced technology in the sport. The new America’s Cup Class foiling catamarans are expected to reach speeds over 90 km/h, raising the bar on extreme performance.
It is no surprise that the oldest international sports competition in the modern world is also one of the most innovative from the point of view of technology: history shows that planning for the future demands deep roots and solid foundations. The partnership between Panerai and the America’s Cup is an example of this shared awareness, of this perfect balance between the past and the future.
A history rooted in tradition, the infinite passion for the sea, the ceaseless search for avant-garde technical solutions to reach ever more ambitious objectives, but always keeping man and his requirements at the centre of everything. All these values find expression in the watches created by Panerai for the 35th America’s Cup, for American fans of ORACLE TEAM USA and for SOFTBANK TEAM JAPAN, the first challenger from Asia in 15 years. These are five Special Edition watches produced in limited numbers, notable for their Swiss mechanics, Italian design and avant-garde technology, true to the unmistakable Panerai identity but enhanced by fascinating elements created for the occasion of the legendary America’s Cup.
Avant-garde technology using materials of exceptional performance, with advanced functionality yet intuitive and simple to operate, and with a legendary past: the three new Special Editions created by Panerai for ORACLE TEAM USA have much in common with the team which is the Defender in the 35th America’s Cup.
With sailing legend James Spithill as Skipper and with another legendary personality, Russell Coutts, as CEO, ORACLE TEAM USA won the 2010 and 2013 editions of the America’s Cup. As the Defender, it will take part in the 2017 final America’s Cup Match which is to be hosted in the island of Bermuda. It is a team of professionals – of sailing, of design, of engineering and of much else – who represent the best of the world’s talents in their fields.
To celebrate this excellence, Panerai has created three watches with remarkable characteristics and performance, perfect to be worn by enthusiasts of the America’s Cup. Panerai has also created a special edition timepiece for SOFTBANK TEAM JAPAN.
