Luxury watchmaker Panerai has opened a new boutique on Princes Street, Edinburgh, in collaboration with UK retailer Chisholm Hunter. This marks the Italian brand’s first standalone retail presence in Scotland, aligning with its broader expansion strategy.
The boutique is strategically located in Edinburgh’s historic centre, offering direct views of Edinburgh Castle and the surrounding gardens. The company selected the Scottish capital based on its status as the UK’s second most visited city after London and its strong economic performance.
“For Panerai, visibility in culturally rich, design-conscious cities is essential. Edinburgh offers a unique balance of heritage, modernity, and a discerning audience and therefore we are delighted to open our doors in a city that mirrors Panerai’s vitality. This opening, in collaboration with Chisholm Hunter, marks a significant milestone for Panerai, further strengthening our presence in the Scottish market thanks to their deep understanding of the local market. It allows us to offer a unique customer journey, showcasing our Maison’s rich heritage and technical innovations, blending Italian design with performance to offer reliable professional tool watches to our clients,” said Guillermo Del Nogal, Chief Commercial Officer of Panerai.
Chisholm Hunter’s Retail Director, Max Brown, highlighted the significance of the development: “We are incredibly excited to bring Scotland its very first Panerai boutique, right in the heart of Princes Street with iconic views of Edinburgh castle. This is a big moment for us and a great step forward in our partnership with Panerai and the wider Richemont family. We’ve always believed in offering something truly special, and this boutique will do just that. A huge thank you to both the teams at Chisholm Hunter and Panerai for their hard work in bringing this project to life.”
The boutique’s layout is intended to immerse visitors in Panerai’s legacy and ongoing innovation. Through a curated visual narrative, customers can explore significant milestones in the brand’s development, including contributions from its Research & Development arm, the Laboratorio di Idee, based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
A watch bar occupies the upper level of the boutique, offering guests an espresso in a nod to Italian hospitality. This element complements the brand’s interior design concept, which incorporates dark Marquina marble and Grey Beauty stone, accented with blue tones referencing Panerai’s historical ties to marine exploration.
The design and furnishing of the boutique underscore the brand’s focus on producing robust timepieces, engineered with Swiss manufacturing precision. These professional-grade watches draw upon the brand’s origins in Florence, where it was founded in 1860 as a watchmaking workshop and later a supplier of precision instruments to the Italian Navy.
Iconic Panerai models such as the Luminor and Radiomir were originally classified under military secrecy and only became available to the public following the brand’s acquisition by the Richemont Group in 1997. Today, Panerai continues to manufacture its timepieces in Switzerland while maintaining its distinct Italian design heritage.
The Edinburgh opening adds to Panerai’s global boutique portfolio and aims to offer a tailored experience to both local clientele and international visitors frequenting the city.
