Officine Panerai has now opened the doors to its new London Boutique on 30 New Bond Street, the brand’s first standalone store in the UK, and the second largest in Europe after Panerai’s flagship in Florence.

Designed by celebrated architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, the new space will allow customers to explore the world of Panerai over two floors (150 sq m) and have direct access to the in-house watchmaker permanently based at the Boutique.

“I am very pleased to announce the opening of our first UK boutique in London. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time and it is a way for us to show our confidence in the future of a market which is really important to us” said Angelo Bonati, Officine Panerai CEO.

To celebrate the opening, Officine Panerai teamed up with Sotheby’s to auction off a unique bronze watch, the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo - 47 mm, which generated an incredible total of £75,000 ($104,107). All proceeds will be donated to OnBoard, a charity programme by the Royal Yachting Association.

“We are delighted to support the RYA’s OnBoard programme, which provides equal access for young people from all social and economic backgrounds around Britain and more importantly, encourages their personal development through the sport. I’m also excited to say that this is just the beginning of a bigger initiative we are planning with the Royal Yachting Association, starting in 2018 – we will tell you more about it soon,” Angelo Bonati continues.