Panerai Sponsors Mike Horn For Pangaea Expedition

A Panerai timepiece will accompany famed South African explorer Mike Horn as he undertakes the colossal Pangaea Mission--a 4-year transcontinental and oceanic expedition which will cover 100,000 kilometers. Horn's journey will take him across an astonishing array of terrain which includes oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, jungle, tundra, desert and fields of ice. An equally diverse range of methods will be employed to cover these elements, including travel by foot, cycling, paragliding, kayaking, skiing, sailing, and a range of animals--including camels, elephants, and sled-dogs.

Named after an ancient super-continent, the Pangaea Expedition seeks to promote environmental awareness, and a preservation of the earth for generations to come. The exploits of the intrepid Mike Horn, 42, have been well-documented; these include Latitude Zero, an 18-month circumnavigation of the earth around the equator, and the Arktos Expedition, in which Horn circumnavigated the Arctic Circle solo in a 27 month period. As a result of his pioneering spirit and remarkable accomplishments, Horn is considered by many to be the greatest explorer of the modern age.

Commenting on the Pangaea expedition, Horn stated: “I want to share my experience with future generations so they can find solutions and ultimately a respectful balance between nature and mankind. This is the most exciting venture I have undertaken. By working together with hard work, ingenuity, drive and courage, we can complement each other and find new energy of hope and ambition. Together we can tap the world’s most powerful energy source – the younger generation.”

The Pangaea Expedition begins on October 9th, 2008. Horn's 35-meter vessel "Pangaea" will set sail from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica. From there, Horn will trek to the South Pole, and on Australasia, China, and Russia. Moving onward to the North Pole, across Greenland and North and South America, the Pangaea Expedition will finally come to its end back where it started, in Punta Arenas, Chile.

On Horn's wrist through the journey, will be Panerai's self-winding Luminor Submersible Depth Gauge watch, which offers an integral electronically-controlled depth gauge whose precision has been certified by METAS. Additional sponsors involved in the Pangaea Expedition include Mercedes-Benz, Geberit, and Mrs. Gaynor Rupert, wife of Richemont Executive Chairman Johann Rupert.