Giovanni Panerai opens his first shop in 1860 at “Ponte alle Grazie” in Florence, serving not only as a watch shop and workshop, but also as the city's first watchmaking school: the history of Panerai begins here. After having used various Florentine locations since 1876, the shop moved to its current location in the 1920's for the reconstruction of the “Ponte alle Grazie”, located in the Archbishop's Palace in front of the Florence Cathedral under the name "OROLOGERIA SVIZZERA", a name that has meant high-quality watches in Florence for over a century.

Mike Horn is not only the greatest living explorer, but he is also undoubtedly a contemporary hero. His strength goes far beyond his physical abilities. To travel towards the North Pole in the most complete darkness of winter or to climb peaks of 8,000 metres without oxygen assistance are challenges to his physical and mental endurance. Strong, courageous and determined, Mike Horn is the perfect incarnation of a sportsman, one who shares the values of Panerai, whose Ambassador he has been for more than 15 years. With him, Panerai has shared in the excitement of his last four expeditions – Arktos, the North Pole Winter Expedition, Pangaea and Pole2Pole – supporting his incredible challenges and creating for him a series of watches in limited editions which have immediately become cult objects.