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Jacqueline Tsang

The sky's the limit for Panerai this year as the brand pays tribute to Galileo Galilei,  with highly complex timepieces dedicated to his work in astronomy. 
An astute observer of the heavens, Galileo found evidence that supported heliocentrism at a time when most philosophers and astronomers still believed  the Earth was at the centre of the universe. 
In memory of the famous astronomer, mathematician and physicist, Panerai created the Jupiterium, a planetarium-clock that shows a geocentric view of the universe. 
'We wanted to create a model that showed Galileo's observational standpoint - what he must have seen from Earth as he looked through his telescope, which resulted in his famous conclusion,' says Angelo Bonati, chief executive officer of Officine Panerai.  
'Producing this geocentric model was a great challenge but something we wanted to undertake.'
The Jupiterium positions the Earth in the middle of the model with the sun, moon, Jupiter and its four satellites moving around it in real time. 
Doubling as a perpetual calendar, the Jupiterium displays the day, date, month and year at the base of the model, which will not require correction until the year 2100. In addition to the calendar, there is also a clock dial on the base that shows hours, minutes, seconds, am/pm indication and a power reserve display. 
Also released in commemoration of the astronomer are two watches - L'Astronomo  and Lo Scienziato.  
Bonati  says that he  is particularly proud of L'Astronomo, the most complicated watch ever developed by Panerai. 
For a watch with 10 functions, the dial is remarkably uncluttered. Hour and minute hands show the time, a small seconds dial is located at nine o'clock, while at three o'clock a small month dial is displayed next to the date window. Sunrise and sunset times are shown on the flange, an equation of time indication is positioned over six o'clock and a sky map is included on the caseback. 
The equation of time function was spotted on a number of watches at the SIHH fair this year. 'They all copied Panerai,' Bonati jokes. Last year was declared to be the Year of Astronomy by the United Nations. 
An equation of time function displays the difference between the time shown on the watch and solar time, which varies daily due to the Earth's orbit and the inclination of its axis. The difference in time ranges from -15 minutes to +15minutes, and the watch time only coincides with solar time four days out of  the year. 
In addition to the equation of time function, the sky map, sunrise and sunset indication are also noteworthy for their complexity, and the fact  they each have to be custom-set for each wearer according to their city of residence.
The sunrise and sunset function takes into account the latitude of this city and the season, and the sunrise and sunset times are indicated by two cursors on numbered circular sectors that arch across the lower half of the flange. 
The sky map on the caseback is displayed on a disc that rotates either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the hemisphere  in which the city is located, showing the city's view of the night sky. 
Lo Scienziato, the other novelty launched in tribute to Galileo, is Panerai's first skeleton model. 
In addition to the hour and minute hands, a third hand shows the time for a second time zone, while a small dial at three o'clock displays the am/pm indication. 
Also mounted on the fine mesh of the skeleton dial is a small seconds counter at nine o'clock. The tourbillon is clearly visible between 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock. 
These models, along with the brand's other novelties this year, made for a strong showing at the SIHH fair, and Bonati says the response from Asia in particular was 'exceptional'. 
'The purpose of Panerai is to satisfy our customers' demands, and we will continue our strategy of offering products that feature excellent movements and complex technology,' he says. 'Being current is the key to our success.'



Galileo's work inspires designs