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Panerai brings The Depths of Time to Hong Kong

Archival correspondence, historical watches and diving instruments fill three floors on Canton Road, with public visits by reservation from 11 to 25 October.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 3 min read · 8 October 2026

A watch archive becomes more interesting when it includes the things that surrounded the watches: the drawings, correspondence and instruments which explain why a particular design took shape. Panerai is bringing that broader account to Hong Kong with The Depths of Time, a historical exhibition opening on 8 October at 2 Canton Road. Announced on 24 September, it occupies three floors, with public visits available by reservation from 11 to 25 October.

The instruments around the wristwatch

Panerai says the display brings together early diving instruments, historical watches and patent reproductions, alongside exhibits from local collectors. Compasses and depth gauges are part of the selection, putting the wristwatch back among other equipment intended to communicate information underwater. That is the promising part of the proposition. A familiar dial is easier to reconsider when the objects beside it show that visibility and practical use were concerns shared across an entire family of instruments.

The archival material includes correspondence between the Panerai family and the Marina Militare, technical drawings, early catalogues and original historical photographs. Panerai describes some of it as previously unseen, although the announcement does not provide an item-by-item inventory. Those documents offer a different kind of interest from a case full of desirable references: they can connect an object to the people who commissioned, developed or described it. For anyone curious about how watch history is assembled, the paper trail may be the most compelling draw.

From military supply to a public catalogue

The exhibition traces Panerai's work as an Italian Navy supplier in the early 1910s, then moves towards the civilian Luminor collection unveiled in 1993 and the period following Richemont's acquisition in 1997. These are the milestones Panerai has chosen to organise its account, rather than a promise that every intervening reference will be represented. The shift in audience gives the route through the display a useful question: what changes when an instrument made for a particular job becomes a watch people choose to wear?

The Depths of Time began in Florence on 10 September 2025, marking the anniversary of Panerai's transition to civilian watchmaking in 1993. The Hong Kong announcement follows stops in Florence, New York, Miami, Shanghai, Tokyo and Taipei. It is therefore a local arrival within an established travelling exhibition, with contributions from local collectors adding a Hong Kong connection. The brand has not identified those lenders or their individual pieces in the announcement, so the exact selection remains part of the visit.

The tribute watch belongs to the exhibition's longer story

Panerai's wider exhibition material also features the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218, a tribute to reference 5218-202/A from 1993. That connection predates this Hong Kong opening. The accompanying watch image illustrates the exhibition's continuing dialogue between archival designs and present-day products, rather than signalling another October watch launch. Keeping those timelines separate matters, because the reason to follow this stop is the opportunity to see the historical material in Hong Kong, not a claim that the touring exhibition itself has just begun.

For a visitor, the practical distinction is equally straightforward: 8 October is the opening date, while the announced public reservation window begins on 11 October and ends on 25 October. Panerai places the exhibition at 2 Canton Road across three floors; visitors should arrange access through the brand before making the trip. The strongest reason to go is the chance to put the documents and instruments beside the familiar design language. Heritage is easier to evaluate when there are actual objects to examine.