On World Oceans Day last year, Panerai announced its partnership with travel and environmental changemaker Jeremy Jauncey. The internationally recognised entrepreneur, investor, and business advisor is the new global ambassador for the brand. He will be instrumental in collaborating with Panerai on projects that address a shared passion for adventure and environmentally sustainable practices. Jauncey’s Beautiful Destination community has a social media community of over 24 million followers. The travel influencer has joined the Panerai family to support the Italian watchmaker’s “sustainability efforts and introduce a new audience of consumers to this amazing brand”. His portfolio also includes being the ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund and GoldStandard.org.

We caught up with Jauncey at the 2022 Watches & Wonders event in Geneva, where we talked about his partnership with Panerai and his relationship with watches and time.

Excerpts below:

MW: Can you tell us a little about your association with Panerai? How did it come about?

Jeremy Jauncey: My professional association with Panerai started on World Oceans Day about a year ago. They are leaders in the watchmaking industry, and I have been a huge fan and friend of the brand for many years. Since we entered into a partnership in 2021, I have supported the brand to raise awareness of all the sustainability initiatives they have implemented. This includes talking about how the brand creates the end product using sustainable supply chains to inspire consumers to buy more sustainable materials. My personal story with Panerai started when a very close friend during our early 20s was gifted a Panerai by his father. I fell in love with the watch and the brand then. I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to own a Panerai. Thankfully almost 10 years later, I could make that wish come true. So, it’s been really fortuitous for me to partner with a brand like Panerai, because I genuinely love the brand.

How do your values as an environmental changemaker align with a brand like Panerai?

I think within the luxury industry, Panerai is one brand that has stepped up time and time again. They are not just working on a marketing strategy about sustainability and recycling; they are going deep and hard into it. They are focused on reorganising their supply chains, working with different suppliers and manufacturing in a completely different way. They have also opened this up to the whole industry so that others can see what they are doing, and build on top of that. From a sustainability point of view, my own personal values of trying to educate and inspire people to travel the world but to be more sustainable align with Panerai’s values. From a personal perspective, Panerai is family. All the team members that I have met from different markets across the globe treat me like family, and so it feels very natural for me to be a part of the brand.

How does your adventure spirit align with the brand values of Panerai?

In so many ways, I feel very fortunate, because I am coming at the back of many high-profile adventurous individuals who have worn and loved the brand. If you go back to the brand’s history, you have stories of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and recently Dwayne Johnson (who was wearing a Panerai Submersible while hosting the Superbowl this year). These high-profile individuals introduce a host of new customers to the power of the brand. I feel fortunate that I am aligned with the brand in that way, as it has inspired me for such a long time. It is very aligned with my own ambition to inspire people.

How do you see this mutual love for adventure and environmental responsibility between Panerai and you reflect in your upcoming projects?

We have some exciting things on the horizon. It is primarily focused on telling the story of what Panerai is doing from a sustainability standpoint, and how we can bring that to life through amazing adventure content. The brand has always leaned heavily into creating unique experiences for its customers, so some exciting stuff is happening this year, which will be announced shortly. As part of these exciting plans, I will be able to actually make content around these experiences, and show people what is possible if they buy into the brand. Given how much digital and social media has helped the brand grow its footprint, assisting the brand in looking in that area is something we can do.

Were you always interested in watches? What is your first memory of wearing a watch or being introduced to the world of fine watchmaking?

Honestly, I wasn’t. I never wore a watch. As I mentioned at the beginning of the conversation, the moment I saw my friend’s Panerai watch was really the inspiration for me to fall in love with the brand. At that time, I was not very successful in business, so I did not have the means to actually go and buy a Panerai watch. But it was a part of my list of things to achieve. So, when I partnered with the brand, I was able to tell the leadership that I have a personal resonance with the brand.

If you had to choose one watch from the extensive collection, which one is it, and why?

I have to be honest and say that I am biased in this regard. I prefer the Luminor Marina eSteelTM that we launched together last year. The sentiment attached to this watch is appealing to me. However, I am most excited about the Submersible QuarantaQuattro eSteel. While new for me, this recent Submersible line is something that I am enjoying. This timepiece is a large focus for Panerai at Watches & Wonders this year. I think the idea is to bring new ways to engage with new customers.

How do you plan to further your objective of responsible travel with Panerai?

I think both Panerai and I have realised how powerful digital and social media can be. We have certainly seen (in the last year) how much the brand has been investing in telling a story on social media. You will often find new product announcements and videos and much more beautiful content from Panerai coming up on social media, especially Instagram. Social media and content creation, in general, is something I have built my career on. Hopefully, that’s the area I will probably focus on most this year. If I can play a small role in this digitization of the brand, I will be very happy.