Up Among the Stars: An Unexpected Panerai in Space
When one hears the word Panerai, it evokes imagery of plunging into the ocean’s depths, or circumnavigating the frozen Artic on ambitious expeditions. Recently, however, one Panerai watch found itself in a vastly different environment. On January 19, 2022, Anton Shkaplerov, while engaged on International Space Station Expedition 66, subtly strapped a Panerai watch to his wrist. It wasn’t long before Panerai fans around the world began to notice it.
Jan. 19, 2022 – Roscosmos cosmonauts (from bottom left) Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov work outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk that lasted seven hours and 11 minutes. Attached to Nauka at right, is the Prichal docking module that was configured and activated during the spacewalk. Credit by NASA Johnson
Who is Anton Shkaplerov?
Anton Shkaplerov is a 49-year old cosmonaut. As well being a veteran of four spaceflights, he is also none other than the Commander of the International Space Station. A ‘cosmonaut’, by the way, is the word for those trained by the Russian Space Agency to work in space. By contrast, those trained by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), or JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), are ‘astronauts’. Those trained in China, meanwhile, are even known as ‘ taikonauts’.
Soyuz MS-19 Commander Anton Shkaplerov Credit by NASA Johnson
Which Panerai did he wear in space?
Returning to the unexpected spotting of a Panerai watch up in space; the company had no idea that one of their watches was heading up towards the stars. Rather, eagle-eyed fans of the brand happened to spot the watch on Shkaplerov’s wrist. The model at hand is the steel Radiomir PAM210, first introduced way back in 2005. With a case diameter of 45 mm x 14 mm, it’s obviously highly legible – not least thanks to the addition of luminescence inside the sandwich dial’s numerals. Powering the model is the manual-winding calibre OP X from 2002, which uses the ETA 6497 as its base. Finally, while not relevant to Shkaplerov’s mission, of course, the watch is nevertheless water-resistant to 100 m.
Panerai Radiomir – PAM 210
However, the cosmonaut didn’t quite keep the watch, which is already verging on being vintage, in its original state. The typical PAM210 comes with a smart leather strap – this was not an option for Shkaplerov. “Like the Italian military in the past, the cosmonaut wore the watch over his gear,” explains Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. “It needed a new strap that would fit around his spacesuit. An extra, extra, extra-large strap was added.” This mention of the Italian military harks back to 1938, when the watchmaker’s Radiomir watches entered permanent, effective service into the Royal Italian Navy.
What this watch’s space appearance demonstrates is the incredible quality of Panerai’s Radiomir. After all, Shkaplerov wore the watch during an EVA, which stands for extravehicular activity – in other words, an excursion outside of the spacecraft. During an EVA, external temperatures encountered during an EVA vary from +121 degrees when exposed to sunlight to -157 degrees when an astronaut is in shadow. Evidently, the watch can more than effectively weather tough conditions.
How do Panerai feel?
Of course, it’s a historic moment for Panerai. As mentioned, the horology house had no idea that the watch was destined for space. “When I first learned about the sighting from several journalists, I thought they were joking,” said Pontroué. “It took four or five days to realize and check the story was true. We’re lucky that we are a highly recognizable brand. Because of the cushion shape and the iconic dial of the watch, people could identify it as being from Panerai. It’s like an occasion when we unexpectedly discover a Panerai watch on a celebrity in a film. We learn about it at the same time as the rest of the public.”
Jan. 19, 2022 – Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov (left) and Pyotr Dubrov (right) work to outfit the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a seven-hour and 11-minute spacewalk. Credit by NASA Johnson
“We’re honored that Mr. Shkaplerov took our watch with him on his mission. As far as we know, there’s never been a Panerai watch in space before, and we never had a strategy to develop products for space. We’re used to operating at negative depths rather than positive altitudes, but we produce some of the most robust watches in the world.”
Once the mission concludes on March 28, the CEO will eagerly await the watch’s performance details. “When the mission is over, we’d love to invite Mr. Shkaplerov to bring us his watch so we may see it, repair it, restore it, but we have to figure out who to call!” – let’s see what the future reveals.
Full disclosure – prior to being invited to the World Surf League’s Tow Surfing Competition in Nazaré, central Portugal, I knew nothing about surfing. Coming from the orange brick suburbs of North London, I’d never really watched surfing out at sea, let alone done it. I certainly hadn’t even heard of tow surfing, which I…
Following the AP House in Munich and the AP Boutique in Frankfurt, the new AP House in Hamburg is now open to customers just in time for the festive season. The Swiss haute horlogerie manufacture now operates 18 AP Houses worldwide, including cities such as Los Angeles, Bangkok, Barcelona, London, Tokyo and even St Barths.…
OMEGA has introduced a Certificate of Authenticity for its watches that are over 30 years old. With the introduction, the Swiss watchmaker hopes to achieve more transparency for customers looking to buy a vintage OMEGA timepiece. The cost of the verification is 880€. In order to gain the certificate, any original OMEGA watch can be…
Contemporary and independent watchmaker Ressence has sold its unique timepiece, created in collaboration with Sotheby's, of the #WatchesAgainstCovid19 competition. The winning watch, Raymond Ramsden's Type 1 Slim “Artyon & Finlay”, sold for 45,500 Swiss francs, and was purchased by an online bidder. The auction took place on 11 July, 2020, at Sotheby's Hong Kong ‘Important Watches’.…
The Rugby World Cup 2019 will take place in Japan from 20th of September to 2nd of November and for the first time in its 9th edition in Asia. It is the world’s third largest sporting event, held every four years. TUDOR is not only partner of the ‘World Rugby’ association, but also official timekeeper of the upcoming…
Swiss Jura-based manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre is settling into its new Bavarian home as it opens a boutique at Munich's most prestigious address, on the glamorous Maximilianstrasse 24. The world-renowned shopping street in Germany, which comprises one of Munich's four royal avenues, counts the likes of Chanel, Hermès, Omega and Ralph Lauren amongst its affluent residents, while…
Last Saturday, the Only Watch 2021 auction took place. At Christie's in Geneva, 53 unique pieces designed especially for the event were put up for auction. The proceeds will go towards research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In the following, we present the TOP 10 highest proceeds of the auction. 10. Zenith x Felipe Pantone Defy…
This year's ‘Only Watch’ charity-auction has become a double record breaker. Not only that it has in its 8th edition collected almost as much proceeds as in the past 13 years together: Also, the most expensive watch was sold, that ever went on auction. A unique piece from Patek Philippe in steel. Sold for 31…
The business of pre-owned watches is booming, and many in the watch industry are looking for ways to enter the sector themselves. Genevan luxurious goods group Richemont has long been on board. IWC Schaffhausen has come up with a special service for its customers and all those who would like to become one. From now…
After “Time To Move” and “Watches & Wonders Geneva” have already cancelled their fairs, today, also the board of direction at MCH has announced the cancelation of “Baselworld” fair 2020 due to concerns related to Coronavirus. The start of construction in the halls and of the stands was scheduled to commence next week (start of…
The Swiss watch brand Universal Genève is taking its first step towards its planned revival by introducing a new website and its own social media channels. These are intended to give a first taste of where the journey will take the brand in the future in terms of identity and new watch models. For the…
Jaeger-LeCoultre's manufacture is tucked away in the lush green Vallée du Joux. Yet this November, the horology house went mobile with a new pop-up, starting its journey in the alpine city of Munich, Germany. Lasting almost two weeks from November 3 to 15, the Reverso Timeless Stories exhibition opened to the public, educating visitors about…
With its new watch Subscription Service #BreitlingSelect, the brand wants to offer their customers the opportunity to test-wear their watches before purchasing their desired model. Therefore, all subscribers have the chance to wear up to three Breitling watches consecutively within a 12-month period. How does it work? After registering on www.breitling.com, subscribers will sign a…