A one-of-a-kind Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Titanio DLC is set to become available for sale in an auction to raise money for the new Design Museum in London.
Just 300 Luminor 1950 timepieces exist worldwide, but the Italian watchmaker has agreed to donate one with dedicated engraving and Special Edition certificate especially for the cause.
All items in the ‘Time for Design’ auction are being exhibited at Phillips’ headquarters in Mayfair ahead of the online auction, which takes place from tomorrow until May 2.
Together with a live auction on 28 April, ‘Time for Design’ aims to raise £1m in support of the Design Museum’s ambition of creating the world’s most dynamic and innovative museum, dedicated to contemporary design and architecture at its new Kensington home.
In addition to donating the exclusive 3 Days Titanio DLC for auction, Officine Panerai will be gifting the Design Museum a Luminor 1950 3 Days, known to horology experts as the infamous reference “PAM00372”, to be accessioned into the permanent collection of the museum.
The Design Museum was originally opened by Sir Terence Conran in 1989 and has hosted exhibitions from some of the world’s pioneering designers including Charles and Ray Eames, Zaha Hadid, Sir Jonathan Ive, Christian Louboutin, Dieter Rams and Sir Paul Smith.
The Grade II listed doors of its new West London home will open on 24 November to an expected 650,000 visitors per year.
