This 100-Year-Old Panerai Boutique in Florence Is Still Standing

And it’s celebrating its centenary with an exclusive exhibition

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Published: 4 August 2026

If you’re visiting Florence, Italy, you could walk past the oldest currently operating Panerai boutique in the world without even realising. But here’s some words of guidance. Go to the Baptistery in Piazza San Giovanni and look across the street; if you find the word "OROLOGERIA" spelt out in gold letters above a wooden shop window, you’ll know that you’ve arrived.

The shop opened under the name "Orologeria Svizzera" in 1926, making 2026 the year it turns 100. Though it may be the oldest standing Panerai boutique today, it wasn’t the first. The brand was born at Ponte alle Grazie in 1860, where it functioned as a watch shop, workshop, and watchmaking school for Giovanni Panerai.

However, following the destruction of the Ponte alle Grazie by the Nazi forces during World War II, the shop underwent multiple relocations before finally settling in Piazza San Giovanni in 1926. It was here that things really took off, and it’s where Giuseppe Panerai sharpened his technical know-how by exploring the technical solutions offered by the different watch brands sold within the boutique.

Here's another fun nugget of history. When Panerai started building instruments for the Italian Navy in the 1910s—i.e. the cushioned cases with luminous dials that we know today—it was done so in secrecy. The boutique didn’t integrate these military pieces into its offerings until 1993, when they finally unveiled their creations that had been hidden for decades.

Today, the Maison’s entire catalogue, spanning the Luminor, Submersible and Radiomir contemporary collections are all available at the boutique. Their iconic historical instruments and watches from its storied past, as well as a fully operational watchmaker’s station, are all on display.

To mark the 100 years, Panerai's running an exhibition called "Immersion" at Florence's Museo Marino Marini from 10 to 19 September 2026. It aims to function as an experiential journey that helps visitors understand the very conditions and forces that have shaped Panerai from its origins to today.