Mike Horn and Panerai, a relationship far beyond the muse

It is still dark in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, in this early morning of an icy August.About twenty volunteers to an extreme sports experience in the middle of nature trepigne.Among them, customers of the watchmaker Officine Panerai, molded in technical clothes and perched on latest CRI mountain bikes, religiously listen to the advice of their guide, a certain Mike Horn.The famous Swiss and South African adventurer's sum, to surpass themselves, to draw from the bottom of themselves.Of the will, these more or less seasoned athletes will need, to follow up, tens of kilometers by bike and a descent of fast canyoning.

If this morning will prove to be strong in sensations for city dwellers participating in this experience that the watchmaker Panerai regularly organizes for its customers, it will be a health walk for Horn.The one who has done the world tour to raise awareness of the environment many times, reached the poles on foot, climbed the highest peaks in the world has been, for twenty years, Ambassador of Panerai.

This complicity goes far beyond the role of muse, because the watchmaker designs for the explorer of the timeguards cut for each of his adventures.Each watch, perfectly waterproof and robust, must therefore be able to endure extreme conditions.

But, the adventurer, who is a fierce protective of the environment, also regularly blows the watchmaker of ecological initiatives.

"Before, I asked Panerai to design a watch which does not freeze by less than 70 ° C, which is not influenced by magnetic fields and is reliable because, for me, every second account.If I lose 5 minutes a day, it will change the direction in which I advance, compared to the sun, "said this tireless explorer who has spent only a total of thirty days at home in the past five years.

Today, Mike Horn is more animated by ecological concerns."After 26 laps from the world with my sailboat, the Pangaea, I had to replace my propeller tree.By dismantling this huge piece of stainless steel, I wanted to give it a second life.I brought it to the CEO of Panerai, Jean-Marc Pontroué, to see if he could make watches.Thus was born Ecopangaea.It was important to make a watch with recycled materials because, for thirty years, I have seen our planet change, "says Mike Horn.

"During a boat expedition with young people, we picked up plastic waste at sea. We could very well transform it into a watch bracelets.If we can give them a second life and keep our planet, we will change our way of working.Why not recycle something that already exists to reduce its impact on the environment, rather than making something new?"Suggests the adventurer.

Ainsi, l’écologie s’invite peu à peu dans l’horlogerie. Panerai, qui fait partie des pionniers, s’est associé à L’Unesco pour protéger les océans. La marque multiplie aussi les initiatives pour faire de ses garde-temps des modèles d’éco-responsabilité. A l’instar de la Marina e-steel, composée d’un alliage en acier recyclé. Egalement présentée lors du salon horloger Watches & Wonders, la Submersible eLab-ID a fait beaucoup parler d’elle. Ce concept de montre assume 98,6 % de son poids, constitué de matières recyclées. Du jamais vu en horlogerie.

“We would be delighted that our competitors, in Switzerland as in the rest of the world, contact these same suppliers to use the same materials.It is not by acting alone that we save the world, "said Jean-Marc Pontroué.A good hearing ...