Limited Edition
Introducing Flying Back to the Future: Furlan Marri Swiss-made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs
Limited Edition
Introducing Flying Back to the Future: Furlan Marri Swiss-made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs
Together with the world’s greatest watch collector Auro Montanari, Furlan Marri launches their first ever Swiss-made mechanical flyback chronographs in a series of three ravishing timepieces, including a special edition for Revolution, priced at CHF 2,750 excluding taxes.
Well, today I have the answer with not one, but three different stunning timepieces. And even better, this trilogy of time writers took shape with the guidance of one of the world’s greatest watch collectors and the most elegant individual in our community, the inimitable Auro Montanari.
Rising Stars
Every once in a while, you meet a young person in the watch industry that you know is going to be an important part of the future. For me that person is Andrea Furlan.
Already what he and his partner, the wonderfully affable Hamad Al Marri, have done was unprecedented. They basically overcame the obstacles of the pandemic to conceptualize a watch brand, which went on to an incredible Kickstarter launch that allowed them to self-fund the creation of their eponymous brand. Then, in that same year, because they had perfectly tapped into the zeitgeist of accessible retro modernism better than anyone else, they went on to win the GPHG’s Horological Revelation Prize.
Conceptualizing the Watch
I recall two Geneva Watch Days ago seeking out Andrea in IceBergues, a public space rented out to small or independent brands during the major fairs. I asked him one question, “Andrea, would you like to meet Auro Montanari?”
Without hesitation, he replied by carefully placing his watches inside his travel roll and said, “Let’s go.” What you need to understand about Andrea Furlan’s character is that it is conditioned by two things — a relentless pursuit for perfection that enabled him to represent Switzerland at international athletic competitions including the Youth Olympic Games, and a huge respect for the individuals he considers mentors such as Dominique Renaud who, in a wonderfully poetic 360-circle of life, now collaborates with Andrea. As a boy, Furlan waited outside the Basel fair simply to greet industry legend Jean-Claude Biver and show him his drawings. While still a teenager, Andrea interned at Hublot, Chopard and HD3. While in his early 20s, Furlan, already a rising watch designer, moved to China to work as a production consultant. During his time there, he became aware of the high quality production available, which would later allow him to launch his accessibly priced brand. However, he and Hamad both insist on full transparency when it comes to where each component is made and where the watches are assembled.
At that moment, I had a stroke of inspiration and said, “Gentlemen, would you consider a collaboration project together? What if we could make Furlan Marri’s very first fully mechanical chronographs together?”
Auro replied, “Why not?”
Andrea said, “I need to check with Hamad but I think so — yes.” Later that week, in my Geneva Old Town apartment, the pair, joined by Hamad and I, embarked on our adventure that resulted in the trilogy of watches that you see before you. These are Furlan Marri’s very first Swiss-made mechanical chronographs, and I am absolutely, unequivocally besotted by love for them.
Upping the Design Ante
The first thing you’ll notice about the new Furlan Marri Flyback Chronographs is that they feature an entirely new case shape designed specifically for this project. While the mechaquartz Furlan Marri chronos had stepped bezels, these watches feature a high polished, aggressively concave bezel. The shape of this is echoed in the lovely swooping compound curve of the lugs that race dramatically down to the wrist. Watching Montanari, Furlan and Marri discuss these details was thrilling to behold.
It was Montanari that came up with the svelte, curvilinear olive-shaped chronograph pushers used in two out of three of the models. He explained, “These are wonderful and rare styled pushers that no one today is using but [that] were popular with brands such as Breitling and Omega in the 1930s.” The one exception to this is the Revolution exclusive two-tone salmon dial watch, which feature my beloved Tasti Tondi pushers in deference to the very first image I ever saw on Furlan Marri’s Instagram page that made me fall in love with the brand.
Swiss-Made Mechanical Caliber AMT5100
The big news, however, is in the engine bay of the watches. Instead of the Seiko V64 mechaquartz movement inside a closed caseback, we now have a Sellita manual wind, column wheel activated flyback chronograph movement, the caliber AMT5100 measuring 30mm by 7mm in thickness.
Furlan Marri Pièce Unique for Only Watch 2023
To me, this trilogy of mechanical chronographs is only one step in the journey of Furlan Marri as it blazes its inexorable path into its very bright future. One need only look at the incredible pièce unique timepiece for Only Watch that was created by Andrea and Hamad in collaboration with up-and-coming independent watchmaker Julien Tixier, and one of the industry’s greatest technical minds, Dominique Renaud, to understand the ambitions of this small but mighty brand.
These watches will be available on the Shop from 7 December, at 10PM SGT/ 3PM CET/ 9AM EST. Click here to buy.
Ref: Honey BlueFlyback (Ref. 3199-A); Salmon Flyback (Ref. 3188-A); Taupe Flyback (Ref. 3177-A)
Movement: Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Case: 38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m
Dial: Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes
Strap: Italian leather with quick release system
Price: CHF 2,750 excl. taxes
Availability: 270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition
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