 For over a century, famous Italian brand Panerai has demonstrated deep passion for the sea. Today, CEO of Officine Panerai, Angelo Bonati, true sea-lover himself, offers the brand's support to vintage yacht regattas. Mr. Bonati, fond of yachting from his early childhood, has always believed that vintage yachts enter one of the most dynamic categories in the challenging world of sailing, attracting crowds of sailors, enthusiasts and admirers. Beginning with the second half of the 19-th century, Guido Panerai and Figlio, as the company was initially named, has acted as official supplier to the Italian Royal Navy. Panerai supplied depth gauges,mechanical calculators, compasses, sighting devices, and chronometers developed exclusively for military use. In 1938 Panerai developed the first watertight watch for marine commandos to use underwater, as a part of the 'top secret' project introduced by the Italian Navy. Having decided to strengthen the connection between the brand and the sea and partner with the world of sailing and vintage yachts, Officine Panerai cooperated with the International Mediterranean Committee and the Italian Vintage Yachts Association and established the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. Having signed an initial three-year contract, Panerai announced itself as the partner and official timekeeper of the competition. Passion, team spirit and devotion - these are the values the brand has shared with followers of classic sailing boats. On June 18th, 2005, Angelo Bonati personally gave the starting signal for the first in the history Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge in Porto Santo Stefano, Italy. The small Tuscan port welcomed fifty finest classic yachts of the last century. It was followed by three other Challenges , with the last 2007-season series of regattas taking place in the period of 24-30 September. The Season III, 2007 circuit, comprises five races and three off-shore transfers from one leg to another. That means the whole series is composed of eight events for which participants are to get points to be counted towards the final classification. All the boats refer to one of the two categories - Vintage Yachts and Classic Yachts. Following the remarkable success of the first three Panerai Classic Yachts Challenges, Officine Panerai was pleased to renew the contract. Moreover, the brand has recently become the happy owner of a yacht that is qualifiable but requires restoration. This way Officine Panerai has written a new chapter of its sailing adventure. Officine Panerai has maintained its deep commitment to vintage yachts across the Atlantic, having become the sponsor of the Antigua Classic Week held in the West Indies, and at Newport, Rhode Island and Nantucket, Massachusetts in the United States. In 2007 Officine Panerai has marked its partnership with the amazing nautical adventure by introducing a limited-edition timepiece, with "Classic Yachts Challenge" engraving featured on the case back. The brand has developed a new version of its Luminor 1950 Flyback that was called the Regatta Rattrapante 2007. The timepiece will be produced in a limited edition of just 500 pieces. | 
