Produced in an edition of only 130 pieces – the same as the street number of the boutique – the watch incorporates details inspired by the Eternal City: the engraving on the back of the Spanish Steps leading to the church of Trinità dei Monti, and the red and yellow sewing on the strap inspired by the colours of the city’s crest.

With an area of 50 square metres, the new Panerai boutique has four display windows facing onto one of the city’s most exclusive streets.

The materials used in the boutique include polished Calacatta marble from Tuscany, burnished brass, bronze, durmast oak and the special reeded glass, undulating and transparent. These are all clear references to the world of the sea and the glorious past of the brand whose roots are embedded in the history of the Italian Navy. Many of the decorative elements within the boutique evoke the survival instruments made by Panerai for the heroic Italian frogmen who operated from the 1930s to the 1950s.

“We are very proud to be opening a new boutique in Rome” said Jean-Marc Pontroué, Panerai’s CEO. “As well as being the brand’s country of origin, Italy is Panerai’s prime European market. To celebrate the opening we have launched a special edition of the iconic Luminor Marina, dedicated to collectors in Rome.”