Panerai’ s fastest-ever battle for the America’ s Cup.
Nautical
By Jan Tegler
AT SEA
Panerai’ s fastest-ever battle for the America’ s Cup.
STANDING ON A PEDESTAL in front of a shipping container at Oracle Team USA’ s base in mid-February, I watched as team members wheeled a 75-foot tall carbon-fiber wingsail and 49-foot catamaran out of boathouses at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda.
Hoisted by crane, the wingsail was mounted atop the exotic“ foiling” catamaran. Rudders were affixed to each hull, screwed together in mere minutes. Team USA’ s brand new America’ s Cup Class( ACC) yacht was then lowered into the water for the first time and christened 17.
Just twenty-eight days earlier, Officine Panerai surprised the watch and sailing worlds with the announcement that Panerai was now the“ official watch of the 35th America’ s Cup”, displacing Bremont.
And yet, less than a month after the agreement was made public, there I stood with my gaze shifting from the defending boat to be used by the two-time winner of the Cup to the 47 mm Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio wrapped around my wrist and back again. It was surreal.
The speed with which Panerai created five new limited edition timepieces to honor the America’ s Cup- and its further investment as a sponsor of Oracle Team USA and Team Softbank Japan- echoed the rapid assembly of Team USA’ s new race boat.
But then, everything’ s moving fast around the America’ s Cup these days.( Note: at press time, Emirates Team New Zealand( with sponsor Omega) won the battle for the 35th America’ s Cup).
SPEED“ We’ re essentially trying to fly a boat with no engine and we’ re not in a cockpit,” Jimmy Spithill explains.
Oracle Team USA’ s skipper talks with his hands as he describes how dynamic and how fast racing in the America’ s Cup has become, the Luminor Marina Oracle Team USA 8 Days Acciaio around his wrist glinting in the Bermuda sun.
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