AnthonyTsai
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Panerai reopens Canton Road Boutique in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, February 2015 – Officine Panerai is reopening and enlarging its Hong Kong boutique in Canton Road, having entrusted the project to the architect-designer Patricia Urquiola.
OFFICINE PANERAI REOPENS THE CANTON ROAD BOUTIQUE IN HONG KONG
THE BRAND’S LARGEST STORE IN THE WORLD DESIGNED BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA
Situated in Tsim Sha Tsui, at the heart of the main luxury shopping district, the Officine Panerai boutique which opened in 2010 has now been expanded to an area of 367 square metres, making it the Florentine brand’s largest store in the world.
Compared to all the other Panerai boutiques, the Hong Kong boutique is unique, with a distinctive external facade consisting of panels of undulating aluminium, fitted with a large wall clock with the characteristic Panerai dial. The store extends upwards over five floors and on the ground floor it has five large windows facing Canton Road and Peking Road, at the point where these two prestigious
shopping streets cross.
Patricia Urquiola, the celebrated Spanish designer based in Italy, has reinterpreted the aesthetic and technical codes of the watchmaker, respecting the brand’s identity in a timeless design.
She has respected tradition with a look that is also modern and current, finding an appropriate link between the past and the future.
The concept and materials perfectly reflect the philosophy and history of the brand: there are clear references to the universe of the sea, an essential part of brand’s identity, given its historic role in supplying precision instruments to the special forces of the Italian Navy between the 1930s and the 1950s, and to its Florentine origins.
The characteristic, unique elements used by Patricia Urquiola for the new boutique are “calacatta luccicoso” veined marble, bronze, wood and a special “reeded” glass that is undulating and transparent.
On the upper floors of the boutique, the display cases are elongated and draw their inspiration from the underwater universe. The bronze lights and the sales counters with details in wood recall the world of the sea and ships.
The resulting boutique is sophisticated, contemporary and elegant and at the same time welcoming; as well as admiring the technical beauty of Panerai watches, visitors can relax in a comfortable, intimate atmosphere.
The boutique has a separate floor with a comfortable area for watch enthusiasts to enjoy an exclusive experience. Here there is also an area where a watchmaker is available to carry out repairs and provide assistance for clients.
With the new and reopened Urquiola boutiques, Officine Panerai now has 64 boutiques throughout the world, three of which are in Hong Kong.
Angelo Bonati, CEO of Officine Panerai says: “I am very proud to announce the expansion of our boutique in Hong Kong which is now the largest of our stores in the world. For us, Asia is a fundamental and strongly expanding market. Patricia Urquiola has perfectly respected the philosophy of the brand and she has succeeded in expressing our link with tradition while looking forward to the future, to design, to innovation and to the pursuit of excellence. In the store in Hong Kong some special editions can be found, pieces which are unique in the world.”
Patricia Urquiola says: “Hong Kong is a special project which has enabled me to express the various spirits of Panerai. We have worked on the themes of verticality and the sea, the characteristic elements of the city. In the five floors we have aimed to provide a special experience, explaining the history of the brand, its dedication to technology and design, its concern for its clients and its respect for its watches. The vertical theme is expressed both in the external facade, with its system of aluminium tubes, and inside the shop with its wood panelling and glass elements”.
Officine Panerai Canton Road Boutique
2 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2829 2711
Email: concierge.hk @ panerai .com [remove spaces]
OFFICINE PANERAI
Founded in 1860 in Florence when it consisted of a boutique, a workshop and a watchmaking school, Officine Panerai was for years the supplier of precision instruments to the Italian Navy, in particular equipping the commando frogmen. The projects which were created at that time, including the Luminor and Radiomir watches, continued to be covered by military secrecy for many years, until the purchase of the brand by the Richemont Group in 1997 and the brand’s subsequent launch on the international market. Today, Officine Panerai develops and produces its own movements and watches – combining Italian design and history with Swiss craftsmanship – in its manufacture at Neuchâtel, and these are sold worldwide through an exclusive global network of authorised dealers, and in its own-brand boutiques throughout the world. www.panerai.com
PATRICIA URQUIOLA
Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain. She studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she took her degree in 1989 under the direction of Achille Castiglioni. She has been assistant lecturer to Achille Castiglioni; she has worked with Vico Magistretti; and she became head of the Lissoni Associati design agency. In 2001, Patricia founded her own studio centred on design and architecture. Among her most recent projects are: the Jewellery Museum in Vicenza, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, the Das Stue hotel in Berlin and the Spa of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan; retail projects and fittings for Gianvito Rossi, BMW, Flos, Missoni, Moroso, Officine Panerai, H&M and Santoni, and Pitti Uomo, Florence. She carries out designs for major Italian and international companies.
Several of her works are exhibited in major art and design museums and she has won numerous international prizes and awards, including the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes (Gold Medal for the Fine Arts); the Order of Isabella the Catholic, presented by His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain; “Designer of the Decade” by the magazines H.O.M.E. and Häuser, and “Designer of the Year” by the magazines Wallpaper, AD Spain, Elle Deco International and Architektur und Wohnen.
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2015-02-26 15:48:44
