Elite Traveler Spring 2023

elite traveler SPRING 2023 117

Training in Florida’s Everglades with retired Navy SEALs

edition of just 20 pieces and was sold with a training and reconnaissance mission inspired by this highly skilled sector of the Armed Forces. All 20 Special Operations Xperience watches sold immediately (to the tune of $57,500 each), and Panerai worked with the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, to plan the mission in the Florida Everglades, concluding the mission at the National Navy UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) SEAL Museum. Those who buy the watch are buying it for the life-changing experience that goes with it. They are CEOs and owners of some of the biggest companies around the world. They come from a host of di ff erent countries, all to understand how a Navy SEAL trains and to meet these quiet heroes. The training group consisted of some of the most fi t and fi nest retired Navy SEALs. When I got the call inviting me along as a journalist, I was thrilled. Who wouldn’t want to train with the much-revered elite force? But as I received the fi tness tasks we were asked to attempt before going (swim 500 yards in less than 12.5 minutes, perform 50 sit-ups in two minutes, run one-and-a-half miles in

When adventure looks you in the eye, it isn’t always fun. Sometimes, it’s work. Sometimes, it’s a combination of both — especially with the Navy SEALs. O ffi cine Panerai, the Swiss watch brand with Italian roots, does things very di ff erently to most watch companies. Long-known for its history with the military and for providing watches to underwater frogmen in multiple countries worldwide, this brand has become synonymous with rugged underwater watches that can go the distance. Its Submersible collection is meant for the serious adventurer or professional diver. It is also the collection that Panerai turned to when it formed a custom project to honor the Navy SEALs. Perhaps the only brand, or at least the fi rst brand, too ff er real-life experiences with some of its collections, Panerai has teamed with the likes of mountain climber and photographer Jimmy Chin and arctic explorer Mike Horn to create extremely limited editions that, when purchased, come with a multi day ‘Xperience’ with that person. And trust me, these are not easy experiences. They are about serious mountain climbing in the Tetons or challenging oneself in nature’s most rugged terrains. The experiences are designed for watch lovers with truly adventurous souls who are comfortable pushing their limits. Last year, Panerai announced a new collectio release — it reached out to the elite and fi erce tactical special operations combat force, the United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Humble and unassuming, Navy SEALs have succeeded at some of the most vital tasks, with missions ranging from the D-Day Landings (before the unit was called SEALs), to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the capture of Manuel Noriega, and the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates, among a host of other known missions and operations never revealed to the public. For every class of approximately 120 students entering the six-month Basic Underwater Demolition (BUD/S) school, just about 10-12 make it through. That’s because these are the people who go where no one else will, where failure isn’t an option, and where intense physical and mental preparation are key. Needless to say, when Panerai announced the Xperience and subsequent release of three Navy SEALs-inspired timepieces, watch and adventure lovers collectively held their breath. Could there really be a multi-day experience with the elite tactical forces? In the end, two of the Submersible Navy SEALs watches are for sale in larger numbers, but one of the three watches was built in a limited on o Teams. Best known as the Navy SEALs, this military force works on highly covert, small unit, special-operations missions. The secretive brotherhood holds bravery, loyalty, service and commitment at its core.

Panerai’s Submersible collection is meant for the serious adventurer or professional diver; it is also the collection that Panerai turned to when it formed a custom project to honor the Navy SEALs

Photos Chris Garrison Photography, Inc.