Just announced and shared first with aBlogtoWatch, Panerai has announced its new Pam.Guard care program. The Richemont Group, as a whole, has been doubling down on efforts to provide easier and more expansive warranty care for their customers, and the Pam.Guard program is in line with this by offering an eight-year international warranty for customers, retroactively applied to Panerai watches purchased up to two years prior.

It’s a thoughtful and savvy move for Panerai (and its Richemont siblings) to present the typical warranty program in a larger contextual online platform. By creating a Pam.Guard account, customers will stay at least somewhat engaged with the brand, in addition to reaping the benefits of the admittedly generous eight-year warranty. Of course, the goal is to remove interlocutors between the brand and the customer, which is more and more becoming the way of things (and to get that sweet, sweet customer data, which is the coin of the realm in this day and age). Naturally, it’ll take next level enthusiasm for the brand beyond signing up for Pam.Guard to be anywhere near a bonafide Paneristi. But it’ll be a first step.

Simply put, the interactive Pam.Guard platform is a customizable hub that’s accessible on computer, smartphone, WeChat, etc., that users can go to for any concerns about the watch. Of course, it’s all done in a portal that’s designed to make you feel a part of the “Panerai experience” rather than trying to find out who you should call. There is also a newsletter that, in addition to keeping Paneristi up-to-date on what the brand is up to, will be used to get in touch about “a series of special gifts,” as well as a recommended check-up for the watch at the end of the third year of ownership.

I recently did an interview with Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué, during which he briefly also talked about the Pam.Guard program. He’s clearly got a vision for what he sees Panerai becoming in the next few years, and the Pam.Guard program utilizes the massive resources of the Richemont group with the mission of further directly connecting brand to consumer. (You can get a better idea of that in the interview I did with him here.) With so many options for consumers to buy watches online and in person, Panerai and its peers are wise to amplify what they can offer that no one else can. You can learn more at panerai.com.