PANERAI AND GREGORIO PALTRINIERI IN CAGLIARI FOR THE LUNA ROSSA LAUNCH
Now on water the new full-foiling monohull that will represent Italy in the race for the 36th America’s Cup
Cagliari, 3 October 2019 - The revolutionary full-foiling monohull AC75 Luna Rossa has officially touched the water. Launched yesterday at Cagliari’s Molo Ichnusa, where the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team is based, it will represent Italy in the challenge for the world’s oldest sailing trophy.
Marking the ceremony on the wrists of skipper Max Sirena and of the members of the Luna Rossa sailing team was the Panerai Submersible Luna Rossa – 47 mm, part of the collection the Florentine luxury watch brand has dedicated to the Challenger of Record in its role as official sponsor. The watch mirrors the team’s bold character as well as several signature technical features as the case made from carbonfibre, the same material used for the AC75 hull and the dial where Luna Rossa sailcloth fragments are applied.
Attended this important event for all sailing enthusiasts, Miuccia Prada, who officially christened the boat, Patrizio Bertelli, President of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, Agostino Randazzo, President of Circolo della Vela Sicilia, and Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli, co-title sponsor of the Luna Rossa Team and technological development partner.
Also at the ceremony was Gregorio Paltrinieri, reigning Olympic 1,500m freestyle champion who joined the ranks of Panerai’s Ambassadors last April. His presence underscored yet again the Maison’s celebration of its unique connection with the aquatic sports world.
“It is an honour to be here today with Panerai for the official inauguration of this Italian flavour project based on commitment to sport, quality and innovation. All characteristics I feel very close to in my role as Panerai Ambassador for Italy,” Paltrinieri declared.
Announced last January at the Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the partnership between Panerai and the Challenger of Record for the 36th America’s Cup is based on a significant sharing of core values as technical innovation, Italian excellence and an extraordinary passion for the sea.
“Panerai has always flanked modern heroes in their exploits by providing them with exceptional precision instruments for their most extreme challenges,” said Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. “We could not be happier to have our watches on the wrists of the Luna Rossa sailing team to face the road to Auckland together”.
The first challenge involving the new AC75 Luna Rossa in the run-up to the finals in New Zealand in 2021 is the series of preliminary regattas of the 36th America’s Cup presented by Prada, the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS), that will take place in Cagliari from 23 to 26 April 2020.
