Panerai boss calls Captain Cool a 'modern day hero', says Dhoni is a self-confident person

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, a hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. That’s how Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué views Indian cricketer MS Dhoni who he considers to be a modern day hero.

Modern day heroes are a recurring theme for the Italian luxury brand that began its journey making equipment for divers in the Italian navy. The tagline for one of its most iconic models - the Luminor – reads ‘survival instruments for modern heroes’.

Captain Cool = Modern Day Hero


Speaking on the side-lines of the recent launch of two special edition Panerai x MS Dhoni watches, Pontroué explained to ET Panache why he considers ‘Captain Cool’ to be the perfect example of this tagline.

“Dhoni’s a very self-confident person,” said Pontroué. “To be the captain and to be exposed to, sometimes, thousands of people in a stadium shouting (your name); people who believe you are going to save the world or the game is a very challenging situation (to be in).”

“I’ve seen him in the stadium,” he said, recalling the first time he watched Dhoni in action at a T20 match in Chennai. “It’s very impressive to see these crowds of people who are so passionate (about the game) and who are trusting him (Dhoni) to change the score. And he does it (all) in a very self-confident way. It’s a big learning for us in Panerai to be able to observe this type of character and see what are the learnings for us.”

The two novelties inspired by Dhoni – the Panerai Luminor Flyback and the Panerai Luminor GMT, respectively available in 77 and 251 pieces - are only available to Indian customers within the country.