It took Panerai four years to complete what is one of its most striking projects without a direct connection to the world of watches.
In 2006, former Officine Panerai CEO Angelo Bonati first set eyes on Eilean. The yacht launched in 1936 was almost a wreck. Panerai is closely connected with the maritime world, so the company's interest in this particular vessel was only natural. Firstly, one of the most legendary wooden yacht builders worked on Eilean.
William Fife III built the 70-foot ketch at the William Fife Shipyard in Scotland for the brothers James V. and Robert W. Fulton who were steel merchants. Secondly, Panerai hasn't overlooked an important coincidence: the yacht set sail in the same year when the first prototype of the iconic Radomir was unveiled.
The yacht was ready to take to the water again four years after it was purchased by Bonati. It became the brand's traveling ambassador, sailing around the world. For example, she could be seen in Italy's Porto Santa Margherita this July.
Eilean yacht
Panerai Radiomir Eilean Special Edition
Now, eleven years later, Panerai has brought Eilean into the world of watches by releasing two versions of the Radiomir Eilean Special Edition: PAM01243 and PAM01244. The first thing that catches your eye is the dial's vertical stripes, reminiscent of the yacht's deck which took 40,000 hours of work to restore.
They managed to salvage 60% of the original planking. The Radiomir Eilean Bronzo PAM01244 has a blue dial, while the Radiomir Eilean Steel PAM01243 has a brown one. The connection between the yacht and the watch isn't only in the design. The PAM01244 model is equipped with a bronze bezel, the same material used on Eilean and preserved during the restoration work.
A bronze medallion with the yacht's logo is also incorporated on the caseback, where the name of the vessel and year it was built are engraved on the 45 mm steel watch. No bronze elements have been added to the second patina steel model, PAM01243. The case is paired with a Scamosciato leather strap with stitching that evokes Eilean's rigging.
The watch's jet drive is its hand-wound P.6000 caliber with a three-day power reserve. Eilean has been on a lot of adventures in the space of time since she was first launched up until it was bought by Angelo Bonati.
She took part in regattas, was owned by the lead British prosecutor at the Nuremburg Trials, collided with a Moroccan ferry, and even appeared in Duran Duran's music video for the song Rio. Not only will owners of the new watch feel a connection with Eilean thanks to the timepiece's design — the PAM01244 includes a trip on the yacht.