Dolce&Gabbana are better known for their dramatic clothing flourishes and the Alta Moda shows, which feature haute couture creations by the duo. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, both of who are known in the fashion industry, started their label in 1985 in Legnano.
Since 2017, they’ve added to their high fashion creations with alta gioielleria and alta orologeria, or high jewellery and high watchmaking respectively. Focusing on unique haut de gamme creations, in limited quantities, these pieces are inspired by traditional Italian artistic styles and reference Corinthian architecture qualities.
Each watch is designed with a specific style and design reference in mind, and they also relate to Dolce&Gabbana’s fashion flair in haute couture. The Dolce&Gabbana tourbillon carriage design bears the brand’s signature ‘D&G’ logo. Others, such as this unique piece designed with jewellers Qilin, feature traditional engraving iconography with the Genevan lion, where its watch movements are created.
This year, the brand is kicking things up a notch with its first in-house movement, jointly developed with the Atelier MHC (Manufacture Haute Complications) under the guidance of Pierre Favre in Geneva, and the brand’s own internal technical department with their master watchmaker.
The movement, the DG 01, is an automatic calibre with a new-generation micro-rotor. It offers a power reserve of 58 hours and runs at 3Hz. The main plate and bridges are given a brushed by hand and gold-plated.
The movement has been two years in the making, according to its founders. “We wanted to create something unique and exclusive that reflected our love for handmade things and for Italy, two very important elements of our work. The manufacture movement is the result of a long artisanal work of engraving and is manually assembled on each watch. Once again it is the human touch that makes the difference. We are really interested in the attention to detail, and to details which only man can achieve,” they said.
The Firenze watch displays time with the historic “hora italica”, the 24-hour display of time with sunset as the twenty-forth hour. This display is still seen on the clock of the Florence Cathedral and on the clock tower in Piazza San Marco in Venice. In the mechanical movement DG 01.02, MHC and Dolce& Gabbana included a system for reducing the hours wheel count. Only 13 will be produced, each engraved with the serial number on the caseback.
More information on the Firenze timepiece and the DG 01 movement will be available after Baselworld.
