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2014 marks the milestone 10th anniversary in the partnership between Officine Panerai and the world of classic sailing. Ten years of passion: for the sea, for beauty, for the history of every single one of the boats that has helped turn the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge into the leading international circuit for classic and vintage yachts.

This 10-year anniversary is a testament to Officine Panerai’s long-term commitment to the promotion and preservation of the extraordinary cultural tradition and heritage embodied by the Grandes Dames of the Sea which, in some cases, have been casting their spell over anyone fortunate enough to witness them in spectacular action, for over a century.

In line with its celebratory spirit, the 10th edition of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge will be the richest and most varied in the circuit’s history. For the first time, the calendar spans 11 international regattas, most on the Mediterranean Circuit, encompassing Italian, French and Spanish rounds, and the North American Circuit, held entirely in New England. As per tradition, the season opens in April with the big Caribbean season-closing Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta which has now reached its 27th edition. In July, the fleet makes its way to Cowes on the Isle of Wight for the Panerai British Classic Week, before wrapping up the racing year in Cannes at the end of September.

Thousands of enthusiasts and hundreds of vintage and classic yachts are expected at the PCYC regattas where they will attempt to lay claim to the trophies currently held by the 2013 winners: Cambria (Big Boats), Leonore (Vintage) and Il Moro di Venezia (Classic) on the Mediterranean Circuit, and Black Watch on the North American one. One of the real stars of the 2014 season will be Eilean, the 1936 Bermudan ketch acquired and restored by Officine Panerai. She will be participating in the Mediterranean regattas as the ambassador for the haute horlogerie sports watch

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2014 CALENDAR

Six rounds on the Mediterranean Circuit, three on the North American Circuit and two ports unique in the world of classic sailing: Antigua and Cowes, birthplace of the America’s Cup.

ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA

17 – 22 April 2014

LES VOILES D’ANTIBES

4 – 8 June 2014

ARGENTARIO SAILING WEEK

19 – 22 June 2014

VELE D’EPOCA A NAPOLI, NAPLES

2 – 6 July 2014

PANERAI BRITISH CLASSIC WEEK, COWES

12 – 19 July 2014

CORINTHIAN CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA, MARBLEHEAD

8 – 10 August 2014

OPERA HOUSE CUP, NANTUCKET

13 – 17 August 2014

COPA DEL REY DE BARCOS DE EPOCA, MAHON

26 – 30 August 2014

MUSEUM OF YACHTING CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA, NEWPORT

29 – 31 August 2014

VELE D’EPOCA DI IMPERIA

10 – 14 September 2014

RÉGATES ROYALES, CANNES

23 – 27 September 2014

10 YEARS OF PASSION IN NUMBERS

10 The number of years Les Régates Royales de Cannes has been a part of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Mediterranean Circuit: it is the only regatta that has been part of the Officine Panerai-sponsored event since its very first edition. In second place, having participated on nine occasions, is Les Voiles d’Antibes, confirming the essential role played by the Côte d’Azur in the classic sailing world.

58 The average number of boats that has taken part in every single Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge event between 2005 and 2013.

69 The 69-metre Atlantic, the largest of the yachts to have taken part in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, is a steel-built replica of the three-masted gaff schooner that won the Kaiser’s Cup in 1905 skippered by the legendary Charlie Barr, covering the 3,006 nautical miles between America and Britain in 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 19 seconds. A record that was unbeaten until 1998.

89 The total number of regattas competed under the aegis of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge between 2005 and the end of the 2014 season. Of these, 48 were held in the Mediterranean, 27 in the United States, 9 in the Caribbean and 5 at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where the America’s Cup was first raced in 1851.

124 The largest number of boats to take part in an individual round of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. This happened at the 2006 Vele d’Epoca di Imperia, which is always hugely popular with these Grandes Dames of the Sea because of its extraordinary maritime tradition.

615 The total number of boats entered in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge regattas in 2012 which remains the busiest season in the Circuit’s entire history.

1884 The year of the launch of Victory, the oldest of the vintage yachts to have taken part in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge over the last 10 years. A gaff cutter built in Cornwall, she is based in Falmouth in England but has competed in several regattas in the Mediterranean in recent years.

1936 The year of the launch of Eilean, the Bermudan ketch acquired and restored by Officine Panerai. 1936 was also the year in which the Florentine haute horlogerie sports watch company created its first prototype watch, the Radiomir, for the Italian Navy’s Special Forces.

LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE 1950 3 DAYS

AUTOMATIC TITANIO – 47mm

PCYC 10 YEARS OF PASSION

An exclusive Special Edition of just 50 to celebrate 10 Years of Passion

To pay fitting homage to its historic links to the sea, Officine Panerai has, over the years, created a truly extraordinary collection of special edition Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge watches. This important 10-year anniversary too is being marked with an exclusive new model, the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Titanio, of which just 50 examples will be made with the 10 Years of Passion logo on the caseback.