The first Panerai to open in Canada is a petite boutique of 900-square-feet but boasts the largest selection of watches in the country. Officine Panerai is a luxury Swiss watchmaker and its watches are a natural blend of Italian design, Swiss technology, and maritime influence. Originally designed for the Italian Royal Navy after WWII, the company has gained following among watch enthusiasts worldwide.
Boutique Manager Alnaz Farhadi treated me to a private walk-through before guests and company VIPs arrived. Undoubtedly unique, the showpiece is the watch vault shaped like a ships wheel, which opened with a pass of a fob hidden in the palm of Farhadi’s hand. The vault contained eight watches from the five Panerai families: Radiomir, Radiomir 1940, Luminor, Luminor 1950, and Luminor Due.
The Vancouver boutique’s interiors reflect the distinctive style of celebrated Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola. Incorporating elements of the Italian Navy history and the modern day influences of the location, the boutique has been customized with a large print of the Florence Cathedral providing a backdrop. Urquiola also designed extra wide comfortable chairs and used marble, brass, glass, and wood specifically to invoke the world of ships and the sea.
The boutique is now open to the public at 1008 Alberni Street in Vancouver’s Luxury Zone.
Author Profile
- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and digital women's lifestyle magazine EcoLuxLifestyle.co. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Post-pandemic, she has worked with many small to mid-sized plant-based/vegan brands to build their digital foundations and strategize content creation and business development. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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