Panerai North America New York Boutique Gets a Facelift by Patricia Urquiola

Officine Panerai took on a challenge this year by relocating their flagship store in North America located in New York City. The new boutique which will be located at 703 Madison Avenue has taken on a completely new concept from the boutiques that we have grown accustomed to in the previous years.

To bring this vision to life they enlisted the vision and expertise of world renowned Architect and Designer Patricial Urquiola of Spain. With an expanded area of 700 square feet on a single floor, Patricia had the task of creating a new concept that would celebrate the luxury watchmaker while preserving the Panerai roots.

Patricia has taken the traditional watch house and recreated it, bringing a new sense of modern, yet timeless design. She was able to blend a look that ties the past and the future into a gorgeous finished product. This new concept along with the materials used to bring this vision together, perfectly respect the philosophy and history of Officine Panerai.

Within the Manhattan boutique there are very distinct references to the brands Florentine origins and the direct connection to the sea. This very direct connection is a result of the Officine Panerai brand supplying precision instruments to the special forces of the Italian Navy between the 1930’s and the 1950’s.

The first impression the customer sees when walking into the doors of the New York Boutique is a large printed image of the Florence’s iconic cathedral, reemphasizing the origins of the brand. The elements used by Urquiola in the new boutique are “calcite luccicoso” marble, brass, wood, and a specialized reeded glass that is undulating and transparent.

These brass lights and the sales counters with wood accents recall the world of the sea and ships. One of the display windows inside the boutique has a very unique elongated shape, drawing it’s inspiration from the underwater world. The floors are finished with a fine marble to tie everything nicely together.

This is not the first boutique that Patricia Urquiola has been responsible in remodeling for the historic brand. She has had a hand in the newly reopened boutique in Florence, Paris, and Hong Kong. Her design firm also has a hand in the new boutique that will be opening up in the Miami Design District which will be the flagship store of North America.

All in, Officine Panerai now has 64 boutique locations world wide and 10 in the United States.