What is Italy for most of us? Gastronomy (it's hard to argue with this), astronomy (if in doubt, remember the works of Galileo Galilei), fashion, and also automotive, architecture, design, cinema, music, history, and much more. Among this “many other things”, of course, watches and watchmaking take pride of place.
Watches in Italy are known and loved. This country is home to about 60 million people. The Italians, not without reason, say that they supported the Swiss watch industry in the most difficult times: they did not let the now iconic for Jaeger-LeCoultre model Reverso “die”, they made an important contribution to the formation of the cult status of Royal Oak and Nautilus from Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, respectively.
Many glorious representatives of this country work in the watch industry, many of them are famous (in our circles) no less than the universally beloved singer, actor, director, producer, composer, TV presenter, public figure and songwriter Adriano Celentano - who, by the way, is At the age of 12, he dropped out of school and went to work as an apprentice in a watch workshop, so consider our man, a watchmaker. Let's remember a couple more important names for our beloved industry.
Italian Davide Cerrato has been at the forefront of the Swiss watch industry for many years. He started his career at Panerai, then brilliantly returned the former glory to the "little brother" of Rolex, the Tudor company: it was under his leadership that Heritage Black Bay shone in 2012 and still beckons us with its brilliance. He then moved on to the Montblanc watchmaking division, where he perfectly integrated Minerva's haute horlogerie heritage into the Montblanc business, thanks to his efforts the "vintage" aesthetic of the brand's contemporary collections is so good.
Now Cerrato leads (CEO and Creative Director) the defunct HYT company, infusing it with new vitality and forging a new path for one of the most exciting independent watch manufacturers in the world (HYT is best known for models with high-tech use of liquid for hour indication).
Another interesting personality is Antonio Calce, also an Italian. Calce began his 30-year career in the watchmaking industry with the Richemont Group (Piaget and Panerai), moving to Montres Corum in 2005, where he was promoted first to Vice President of Operations and then to Chief Executive Officer. In 2018, Antonio Calce became CEO of Girard-Perregaux (Sowind/Kering) and is now CEO of Greubel Forsey – and in every workplace he is sure to be remembered for his special character and approach.
If we remembered Corum, then how not to name the creator of the "Golden Bridge" Vincent Calabrese, originally from Naples, or his friend from the Academy of Independent Watchmakers Alessandro Rigotto? The Italians are great fellows, but not only for the benefit of Swiss brands, they work day and night. Let's pay tribute to the Italian watch companies by listing a few - those that are more heard and seen than others. Of course, Italian brands cannot be considered 100% Italian as they usually use Swiss or Japanese made movements, but they do exist and offer a wide range of prices and interesting models. Let's start with the obvious, loudest name today - Bvlgari.
Bvlgari
The company was founded by a Greek jeweler Sotirio Bulgari in 1884 in Rome, so she is Italian from birth. Bvlgari watches – champions, record holders and laureates over the past years, technically sophisticated in execution and charming due to the unique design of the models of the Octo collection attract attention and delight enthusiasts, consolidating the success, which is based on thoughtful (and very Italian) design and skillful process management . Do not be too lazy to read what they write about the records of Italian jewelers with a Swiss "watch" heart on the Internet, and to stir up interest, let me introduce last year's world record of the brand in the "thinnest" category, which perfectly expresses the current state of affairs in the Bvlgari watchmaking workshop - the Octo Finissimo watch Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic.
According to Jean-Christophe Babin, head of the company, the numerous records for the thinness of watches from the Octo Finissimo collection are a way to show that Italian jewelers are no worse, and in some ways even better, than most Swiss brands in the watchmaking industry. Let's see if that's the case. Spoiler - yes, that's right.
Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic with an ultra-thin (3,5 mm, here's a record) skeletonized caliber, automatic winding with peripheral mass, one-push chronograph, and a tourbillon to boot.
All this fits into a case with a total thickness of 7,4 mm, in which the play of square, round and octagonal shapes, inherited from Gérald Genta (the Bvlgari brand was bought in 2008, if memory serves), is literally mesmerizing - and this is true for all Octo models, both simple and super complex.
Many of the functions used individually in the previous Octo, in this watch met "under one cover." It looks like an ordinary two-button chronograph, but in fact, all its chronographic functions (start, stop, reset) are displayed on only one button, which required a rethinking of the entire architecture of the movement, which is visible through the transparent case back. Among other things, a horizontal clutch of the chronographic module and a column wheel are used. An attentive reader, looking at the photo, will ask why then the second button, since we have a single-button chronograph.
In addition to ensuring symmetry and protecting the crown, the second button has two more functions: a single push unlocks the crown to set the time (so the crown is protected from accidental “hooking”). In addition, additional presses move the minute hand forward in steps of 5 minutes, for faster time adjustment when changing time zones.
As it should be for luxury watches, the brand's watches are expensive, but mere mortals can afford separate worthy specimens.
Mazzucato
Against those who think that Panerai should be listed first, we will continue with the Mazzucato brand. The company was founded Simone Mazzucato, an Italian settled in Hong Kong. He applied his experience as an industrial designer and knowledge of manufacturing processes to watches, and now the Mazzucato collection has something to look at, especially since he positions the brand's products as “never boring”.
The watch not only bears the name of the Italian, but also, they say, completely coincides with the character of the young, energetic and not boring founder of the brand. Mazzucato is by no means a novice in watchmaking – they say that the success of the Italian brand Locman, its insane popularity in the early 2000s, is largely due to his creative genius. Looking at the watches that Mazzucato is releasing now, it is very easy to believe, and with his watches you really will not get bored.
The main distinguishing feature of all models is the so-called reverse mechanism mechanism (RIM). The Mazzucato system also plays on the well-known idea of transformer watches - the watch case can be easily turned over in the “frame” and secured with a special clasp, but the special charm is different. The case consists of two modules, the first, “simple”, displays hours, minutes and seconds on the dial, the self-winding mechanism controls the passage of time. The second is a chronograph powered by a quartz caliber.
In total, the brand has already released five collections - RIM Monza, RIM Scuba, RIM Sport, RIM GT and RIM Sub. The latter is a departure from the concept of “shifters”, a collection of inexpensive “divers”, intended for those who like the design, but the second module seems superfluous - the RIM Sub watch has three hands, the NH70 movement is used with automatic winding (power reserve 42 hours). Mazzucato RIM Sub is offered in 4 colorful designs, one brighter than the other, but I like the most “modest”, silver-black SK1-BL (diameter 42 mm, price about 600 USD)
Gucci
Third on our list is the insanely popular Gucci. You will not confuse the products of this Italian brand with the products of another brand - bags, clothes, accessories, watches - everything is marked with the logo and corporate identity of the brand, sometimes so that it dazzles your eyes. My favorite Gucci Grip YA157411 is no exception. For a unique aesthetic, look no further than the Gucci Grip YA157403 in a 35mm case and a yellow gold-coloured PVD bracelet. Both the case and the bracelet are engraved with the iconic intertwined Gucci logo (I once saw such a tattoo on the forearm of a foreign lady). Dial to match the case, with three windows: round for the date display and oblong for hours and minutes. Quartz watch.
Authorless
Anonimo is a company that has created its own special style and offers really interesting watch models of good quality. Anonimo is a conventionally everyday watch, but not without sophistication. Anonimo's products are distinguished not only by the logo - many easily recognize the brand's watches by their popular branded bronze cases (although I prefer the steel versions, when compared). The Militare collection is Anonimo's best-selling collection, check out the Militare Chrono AM-1120.04.001.A01 and you'll see why.
This particular model has a brushed bronze case with a diameter of 43,5 mm, the watch looks great on both a leather strap and a fabric one. The coffee grounds-colored dial emphasizes the hands and Arabic numerals of the bronze indicators, the black dial of the 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock and the small seconds counter at 3 o'clock seem to be drowned in this "coffee".
All this designer combination of shapes and colors in a fairly common SW300 caliber will eventually require some effort from your wallet - Anonimo is considered a premium brand, and costs about 5000 euros.
Meccaniche Veloci
This watch company is now based in Geneva, but in 2006, the year of its "conception", the Meccaniche Veloci brand was located in Milan, so the roots are definitely Italian. Meccaniche Veloci says a watch is a banal item unless there is a story to breathe life into it, whatever that means. The brand also values passion, freedom and respect, and all of this in some interesting way encourages Meccaniche Veloci to continue its activities and create "unique, expertly made watches."
An absolutely iconic model for the brand - Icon 10th Podium W01GC110 was released in a limited edition of 88 pieces (40 euros apiece, all sold out), there is a tourbillon watch in the Icon collection (000 euros).
The case of the “icons” and other Meccaniche Veloci is simply gigantic, 49 mm in diameter, on the front side we traditionally (for the brand) see 4 dials. In the Icon 10th Podium W01GC110, each of them displays the time in a specific time zone, and one skillfully hides the date window from your view (try to find which one). If you want to be known as a notorious eccentric, then this watch is for you.
Venezeanico, Officina del Tempo, Visconti, Ennebi and others
Venezeanico, which picked up the baton Meccaniche Veneziane, is an Italian watch company specializing in the production of reliable, not very expensive, more or less high-quality watches. About itself, the brand says that it draws inspiration from the Renaissance and Venetian traditions, which are necessarily taken into account in the process of making watches. While the company produced watches under the Meccaniche Veneziane brand, the Nereide GMT 1305001J was the absolute hit of sales, painfully similar to the Rolex GMT-Master II «Pepsi» – that's where the Renaissance and Venice are!
Another Italian watch brand, Officina del Tempo, tries to convince buyers with its minimalist design, which should appeal to lovers of true and timeless values. Let's add Visconti to the list - although it is not a watch manufacturer in the main, but under this name they offer several models of watches, each of which has its own distinctive features, indicating excellent Italian craftsmanship. Of the several models in the Visconti watch collection, the best-selling is the elegant and sophisticated Visconti Opera.
But Ennebi, a brand founded in 2004, set itself the task of producing quality products that would appeal to watch collectors of various calibers (pun intended!). Ennebi craftsmen turned to new technologies, skillfully combined practice with traditional Italian watchmaking, as a result, several rather expressive, distinctly Italian watch models were born. Check out the Ennebi Fondale Vintage – antique looking, they will still survive diving to depths of up to 1000m.
Here, of course, it would be worth remembering U-Boat from Italo Fontana (a well-known surname in Italy), and Locman, and Zanetti, and many Italian fashion brands (Emporio Armani, by the way, watches are made very good, just not everyone likes them ). We don’t touch Panerai, due to the special position of the brand, this would turn out to be a rather long story.
So that this very short swim in the sea of information about Italian watch brands does not stretch out, I round off by making a loud statement: there are many Italian watch companies that sometimes are not inferior to the most popular Swiss brands. These brands have a different approach to watchmaking, which translates into a variety of styles and designs, but whatever your preference (and budget), you're sure to find Italian watches that speak to you in plain language.
