The prestigious Officine Panerai boasts of a rich historical past with the beautiful city of Florence and thus, it came as no surprise that the premier manufacturer of haute horlogerie sports watches was granted the honor of restoring the grand Duomo clock – a notable feature within the internal façade of the awe-inspiring Santa Maria del Flore Cathedral.
The iconic 15th-century clock is a significant part of the city’s abundant history and culture and lies in the Archbishop’s Palace on the Piazza San Giovanni ironically, right in front of the Bottega di Orologeria – one of the most important of all the luxury watchmaker’s boutiques. The remarkable clock is also one of the oldest mechanical clocks in the world and one of the only few in existence to be able to tell Italic time – a system where a single hand moves around the dial in an anti clockwise motion. The dial too is of great historic and artistic value as it was painted on by the great Paolo Uccello – a legendry artist and prominent pioneer of the Italian Renaissance.
Panerai along with Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore entrusted the daunting task of renovation to two of the most capable hands in the field – Professor Andrea Palmieri and Professor Ugo Pancani who did an outstanding job of putting the masterpiece back into working condition. With this, the world renowned brand will now be forever entwined with the city of its birth.