The Appointment That Changed Panerai
In August 2021, Panerai made a decision that redefined its trajectory.
For the first time in its modern history, the brand appointed a woman as its global ambassador: Dilraba Dilmurat.
This was not a symbolic gesture. It coincided directly with the launch of the Piccolo Due collection, the first Panerai line designed specifically for women.
Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué described her as representing “contemporary women who are bold and forward-thinking.” The statement reflected more than positioning. It signaled a shift in how the brand approached its audience.
For decades, Panerai’s identity was anchored in oversized, military-inspired tool watches. With this appointment, the brand made it clear that its future would include a broader, more diverse collector base.
To understand the significance of this decision, it is necessary to understand the scale of Dilraba Dilmurat’s influence.
Who Is Dilraba Dilmurat?
Dilraba Dilmurat, also widely known as “Dilireba,” is one of the most influential figures in modern Asian entertainment.
Born in 1992 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, she is of Uyghur heritage, an identity that contributes to her distinctive visual presence and early recognition in the entertainment industry. Her breakthrough came in the mid-2010s through television dramas and film, quickly establishing her as a leading actress in mainland China.
Her cultural reach extends far beyond traditional media. During the same period as her Panerai appointment, a television series featuring Dilraba alongside fellow Panerai ambassador Yang Yang generated such demand that Tencent Video’s streaming platform temporarily crashed during a major episode release. That moment is often cited as a defining indicator of her audience scale.
By 2023, she held over 20 active brand endorsements, with more than 60 collaborations since her debut, placing her among the most commercially active celebrities in the region. Her appointment as a global ambassador for Dior further confirmed her position at the highest tier of international influence.
Her audience spans mainland China, Southeast Asia, and an expanding global market.
The Panerai Appointment: A Strategic Shift
The timing of Dilraba’s appointment was deliberate.
Panerai introduced her simultaneously with the Piccolo Due collection, ensuring that both the ambassador and the product defined each other from the outset. Prior to this moment, the brand’s ambassador network had been exclusively male, reinforcing a perception rooted in military heritage and large-case tool watches.
Selecting a Chinese actress as the first female ambassador was also a geographic decision. China represents one of the most significant growth markets in luxury watch consumption. Dilraba provided immediate cultural relevance and credibility with an audience that traditional watch media rarely engaged.
The broader impact extended beyond marketing. The organic cultural moment surrounding her television series, particularly the widely discussed episode involving her character and Yang Yang, transformed brand visibility into a genuine cultural event. This level of engagement cannot be engineered through conventional campaigns.
What this signaled to collectors was clear: Panerai was not adapting existing products to a new audience. It was building a new category within its portfolio.
The Watches: Dilraba Dilmurat’s Panerai Collection
Panerai Piccolo Due PAM01273 — 38mm, Deep Blue Dial
The PAM01273 represents the starting point of Dilraba’s association with Panerai.
- 38mm stainless steel case
- Deep blue dial
- P.900 automatic movement
- Slimmed-down case profile
This reference marked a departure from Panerai’s traditional aesthetic. The blue dial was selected to evoke maritime heritage while introducing a softer visual tone aligned with the Piccolo Due concept.
Why it matters:
This was the first instance where Panerai designed a watch with a female audience as the primary consideration rather than adapting an existing model.
Strap Strategy:
SwimSkin® Alligator in navy or deep blue maintains the original visual intent while introducing Swiss-made durability and precision fit.
Panerai Piccolo Due PAM01123 – 38mm, Steel Bracelet
The PAM01123 expands on the Piccolo Due concept through structural design.
- 38mm case
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Alternating polished and brushed finishes
Each bracelet link reflects the geometry of Panerai’s crown protection device, connecting the collection back to the brand’s core identity.
Why it matters:
This is not a simplified Panerai. It is a reinterpreted one.2026 Context:
When paired with a Solid Series rubber strap, the watch transitions from formal to daily wear without losing refinement.
The Broader Piccolo Due Collection
Since its introduction in 2021, the Piccolo Due line has expanded across multiple dial configurations and finishes.
Positioned within the Luminor Due family, the collection focuses on:
- Reduced case thickness
- Refined finishing
- Versatility across environments
By 2026, it serves as an entry point into Panerai watches for women while maintaining alignment with the brand’s design language.
Dilraba’s Style Profile and Brand Alignment
Dilraba’s aesthetic is defined by balance.
Her work spans high-production film environments and global fashion events, requiring adaptability in presentation. The Piccolo Due collection aligns with this duality, refined enough for formal settings, yet structurally grounded in Panerai’s design heritage.
Unlike traditional ambassador pairings, this relationship does not rely on contrast alone. It reflects compatibility.
The watch does not dominate her style. It integrates into it.
What the Appointment Means for Panerai in 2026
Five years after the initial announcement, the strategic impact is measurable.
The introduction of the Quaranta collection extended Panerai’s reach into 40mm sizing, making the brand accessible to a wider audience beyond the Piccolo Due line.
At Watches and Wonders 2026, Panerai continued refining its approach. New Luminor references such as the PAM01731 and PAM01732 demonstrate improved finishing and increased wearability, while maintaining core design identity.
These releases frequently include rubber straps as standard configuration—reinforcing a shift toward daily usability rather than occasional wear.
Dilraba’s continued role as ambassador anchors Panerai’s position in Asian markets at a time when those regions are driving significant growth in luxury watch consumption.
The conclusion is clear: the boundary between traditional Panerai collectors and new audiences was never structural. It was perceptual.
Her appointment marked the point where the brand moved beyond that perception.
Dilraba Dilmurat and Panerai
Who is Dilraba Dilmurat?
Dilraba Dilmurat, also known as “Dilireba,” is a Chinese actress and model of Uyghur heritage, born in 1992 in Urumqi, Xinjiang. She is one of the most commercially active celebrities in Asia, with over 60 brand endorsements since her debut and 20 active partnerships as of 2023, including Panerai, Dior, and Mikimoto. Her cultural reach spans mainland China, Southeast Asia, and a growing international audience, placing her consistently at the top tier of global luxury brand ambassador appointments.
Why did Panerai choose Dilraba?
Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué described her as representing “China’s contemporary women who are bold and forward-thinking” – a profile that aligned precisely with the simultaneous launch of the Piccolo Due, the brand’s first collection designed specifically for women. Her appointment was also a deliberate geographic decision: China is one of the fastest-growing luxury watch markets in the world, and Dilraba gave Panerai immediate credibility with a Chinese female audience that traditional watch media had never meaningfully reached. The organic cultural moment surrounding her television series – which crashed Tencent Video’s streaming platform during a major episode – demonstrated a level of audience engagement no conventional campaign could manufacture.
What Panerai watch does she wear?
She was introduced wearing two references from the Piccolo Due collection: the PAM01273, a 38mm stainless steel watch with a deep blue polished alligator strap and a P.900 automatic movement, and the PAM01123, a 38mm reference with an integrated steel bracelet where each link reflects the geometry of Panerai’s iconic crown protection device. Both were launched simultaneously with her ambassador appointment in August 2021 and represent the first Panerai watches designed with a female audience as the primary consideration rather than an adaptation of an existing model. In 2026, both references pair naturally with a Rubber B SwimSkin Alligator strap for a configuration that extends the watch’s versatility beyond the factory setting.
What is the Piccolo Due collection?
The Piccolo Due is Panerai’s first watch collection designed specifically for women, introduced in August 2021 alongside Dilraba’s ambassador appointment. It sits within the Luminor Due family and features 38mm cases, a slimmed-down profile, and refined finishing that departs from Panerai’s traditional oversized tool watch aesthetic while retaining the brand’s core design DNA – the cushion case, the crown guard architecture, and the sandwich dial construction. By 2026, the collection serves as the most direct entry point into Panerai for women who want the brand’s full design identity in a case size suited to a wider range of wrist sizes.
Is Dilraba still a Panerai ambassador in 2026?
Yes – her role as global brand ambassador has continued since the original 2021 appointment. Her ongoing presence anchors Panerai’s credibility in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets at exactly the moment when those regions are driving some of the most significant growth in luxury watch collecting globally. Five years after the appointment, the strategic logic has proven correct: the Quaranta collection expanded Panerai’s female audience well beyond the Piccolo Due, and Dilraba’s ambassador profile continues to give the brand cultural relevance with a generation of collectors who would not have encountered it through traditional watch media.
From Ambassador to Direction
Dilraba Dilmurat’s relationship with Panerai represents more than a campaign.
It reflects a shift in how the brand defines its audience and designs its products.
The Piccolo Due collection established a new entry point. The Quaranta and subsequent releases expanded that access. Together, they form a cohesive strategy that continues to evolve.
The final layer of that evolution is personalization.
A Panerai watch is defined not only by its case and movement, but by how it is worn. Strap selection determines how the watch transitions between environments, making it a central part of ownership rather than an accessory decision.
The final layer of that evolution is personalization.
A Panerai watch is defined not only by its case and movement, but by how it is worn day to day. The Piccolo Due was designed for versatility – from a film set to a red carpet in a matter of hours, as Panerai described Dilraba’s own lifestyle when making the appointment. A strap swap is the fastest way to extend that versatility further. The deep blue of the PAM01273 reads differently on a SwimSkin Alligator in navy than it does on a Solid Series in black. The PAM01123’s steel bracelet architecture takes on a completely different character on a Vulchromatic with a contrast stripe. One watch, multiple configurations – that is the ownership experience Panerai designed the Piccolo Due to support.
Rubber B’s Swiss-made strap lines are built for exactly that habit. Every band is manufactured in Switzerland with vulcanized rubber and no coatings, blends, or bonding – the same standard of material integrity that Panerai applies to its own cases. The precision fit means the strap integrates with the watch rather than sitting on top of it, which is the difference between a strap change that looks considered and one that looks like an afterthought.
For the full range of Swiss-made Panerai straps, including options for the Piccolo Due and every reference in the Luminor and Submersible families, explore the Rubber B Panerai collection here.
For the complete guide to Panerai watches for women in 2026 – including celebrity profiles, model rankings, and strap recommendations across every reference – read our full women’s Panerai guide here.
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