Interview: Panerai’s CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué Previews The Future Of Watchmaking

On a Zoom call with Watchonista, Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué talked about how collaboration is key when building a better tomorrow. 

The eSteel collection and the eLAB-ID concept watch are big news. But we were curious to know more about how these watches came to be.

“Every year, we ask ourselves, ‘Can you create a new concept?’ ” said Pontroué. “In the last 30 years, we’ve also given much more thought about the consequences of production to the environment.”
 

Panerai has always teamed up with celebrities with a connection to the natural world. Ambassadors include photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, free diver Guillaume Néry, and explorer Mike Horn. “They have educated us about the issues,” Pontroué told Watchonista. “You live in a place with huge spaces to keep protected. It’s one of the biggest challenges. And now collaboration is exactly the concept.”

Case in point: the eSteel collection and eLAB-ID timepieces look like a traditional Panerai. Unsurprising, given the brand has been using upcycled materials in its straps for years.
 

What is new is Panerai’s willingness to listen to and work with people outside of the watch industry to advocate for change within. “There are only 30 pieces available,” commented Pontroué. “It’s not going to change the world. The real concept is what more can we do in the future.”

The idea of working with Eco-Titanium initially developed three years ago after a conversation with Mike Horn. Panerai first used recycled metal from the hull of Horn’s ship (itself made of recycled aluminum) to create the 50mm Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT Mike Horn Edition (PAM01108) in 2020. But as environmentally sensitive as that watch was, the brand recognized it could do better.
 

That is how Panerai turned to outside manufacturers to help the brand develop ways to incorporate everything from recycled Super-LumiNova on its dials to recycled silicon components in its movement’s escapement. And then, in the spirit of full transparency, Panerai made the list of these suppliers available to everybody.

It hardly needs saying but connecting with clients was a challenge for all brands at the height of the pandemic. It was especially problematic for Panerai, however, because buying one of this brand’s watches is more than a mere transaction – it is an experience.

In 2019, beginning with the revamped Submersible collection, the brand began offering experiential packages alongside select limited editions. “It allowed the creation of a community,” said Pontroué. And when the pandemic put planned adventures for 2021 on pause, Pontroué came up with PAMCAST – a digital storytelling platform that brought these immersive journeys straight to the Paneristi.
 

“PAMCAST allowed us to travel the world when we were all under lockdown,” Pontroué told Watchonista. And these virtual adventures were a success. PAMCAST connected the brand not just with owners but also a younger audience of would-be buyers. “We thought the biggest issue was not getting people to come but getting them to stay on the site,” he added. That turned out not to be a problem at all.

Moreover, PAMCAST allows viewers to go behind-the-scenes of Panerai partnerships like the one between its Laboratorio di Idee and the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team.
 

The brand has just also signed a long-term commitment to the UNESCO Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development project. The goal of the UNESCO-Panerai partnership is to promote environmental education and literacy, thus enabling people to embrace a more responsible mindset and behavior towards the ocean and its preservation.
 

“We want to make upcycling common-place in luxury. That’s why we’re making a long-standing commitment to not only donate but also share resources and educate,” said Pontroué. “The watch, PAMCAST, is not just a novelty. Our perspective is that they will start a movement.”