GC 4,534 Posted April 8, 2011 It was a rocky relationship is there ever was one. Several years ago Panerai was given the contract to make Ferrari branded timepieces - luxury ones that is. Panerai was searingly hot in the mid 2000's, with popularity and demand at incredibly high levels. It seemed to make executive sense to have them design and produce watches with the famous Italian stallion super car moniker on them. Sources indicate that the agreement wasn't really something Panerai even wanted to deal with in the first place, but was pressured to engage in by parent company the Richemont Group. Nevertheless, in 2005 the famous Italian watch brand took on the Italian car brand under its horological wing (under a 5 year agreement). Almost from the beginning the watches could not sell. Consumers disapproved of them, and stores couldn't move them. The watches that probably averaged in the $10,000 range were notorious for losing value - it was almost a joke if someone bought one. The sad thing was that nothing was inherently wrong with the watches. It was just not enough for the money - not nearly enough. For those who really did like the watches, it was a blessing, as you could get one at an incredible discount even brand new from a retailer. In 2005, the two companies began their five year relationship. With the contract due to expire now, neither side has any desire to renew. It is possible that the relationship was botched from the beginning. Ferrari itself seemed to have absolutely no influence on the watches, and Panerai fans just saw the pieces are more expensive, less attractive, and chintzy looking Panerai timepieces. For those in the industry this is no surprise. The question now is who will Ferrari partner up with next? While Panerai is likely happy to be rid of the deal, others are likely drooling to get the Ferrari name license. Will it be another popular high-end brand? Will Ferrari go down market with cheaper watches that are affordable but don't do the nameplate justice? Perhaps Ferrari will go with another route altogether and find a smaller independent brands that can make high-end watches more akin to the Ferrari look and lifestyle. I will wait and see. Until then, this breakup seems to have no unhappy parties expect for those very few people that actually bought the watches. Here it is . . . Scuderia Ferrari One by Cabestan Ferrari's ever-expanding branding initiatives took a hit recently when the Italian automaker and racing team split with its watchmaking partner, Panerai. Apparently the collaboration wasn't doing much for either brand, so they called it quits. But it appears Maranello may be learning from its mistakes with this new collaboration. What you're looking at here is a pre-production rendering of the next Ferrari timepiece. It's the brainchild of renowned watch designer Jean-Francois Ruchonnet, and will be produced by exclusive Swiss watchmaking atelier Cabestan. Based on some of Ruchonnet's previous designs for Cabestan, the Scuderia One incorporates an incredibly intricate vertical tourbillon movement, chain-driven via individually handcrafted links, with carbon fiber and other exotic materials employed in its construction. Not enough to separate it from the Panerais and Girard-Perregaux watches that came before? Then the pricing and sheer exclusivity ought to do the trick. The watch will reportedly be limited to just 60 examples, available only to existing Ferrari owners at a price point of – wait for it – $300,000. Now if that doesn't say "Ferrari" to you, we don't know what will. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edwelly 0 Posted April 8, 2011 Interesting read, thank you. I do think the $300k watch pictured above is fugly... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luthier 1 Posted April 8, 2011 Cabes... who??? What's the fugly ... watch??? Nightmare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WebWind 1 Posted April 8, 2011 Interesting idea an design. Looking forward to pics of real watch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
