High Street Horology- Versace Watches

At the tender age of 15 I was whisked to London by my arts college* to see my first exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum. It was 2002 and The Art and Craft of Gianni Versace was the first V&A exhibition to future a retrospective of work from only one fashion designer.

All I knew of Versace at that time was Princess Diana and some woman who wore some safety pins on her dress. With hundreds of garments in display, the day was truly overwhelming and has stuck with me for the last 11 (god, eleven!) years.

I’d never wear Versace myself, I don’t ooze enough ostentatious glamour or look that good in spandex and safety pins, but the look of the collections taught me a lot about creating a signature style and catering to a very specific look. The joy of a Versace dress is you know it’s a Versace dress. Very few brands can claim such immediate recognisability.**

It was in Basel this year that  I first noticed the Versace watch range and was once again impressed by the brands ability to so thoroughly stamp it’s style onto an item. The range, which has been going since 1996, is bursting with vibrant colours, glossy leathers, jewels, studs and enough gold to sink the Cutty Sark.  

 The Vanitas

All Swiss Made, the attention to detail if wonderful.  The studded quilt and flora swirl design of the Vanitas dials, the floral design on the Mystic Foulard, the grecian architectural style  details on the Thea. All re-imagined in enough colourways to coordinate with your pedicure.  

 The Mystic Foulard

The ad images are also lovely featuring collections clustered together on beds of jewels, fruit and flowers. A raw contrast of gold and jewels against nature and earth. It’s all a little bit delicious.

Like any good watch brand, Versace watches have picked a winning formula and run with it, producing a range with a very clear and obvious DNA. This is Versace, obvious is what they do best.

For more details on the watches, check out the brands website here. Make sure you have an hour to spare though, it's difficult not to get sucked in. That spandex is looking all the more appealing...

* Check out Inkberrow Design Centre in the Worcestershire. A hub of creative talent.

**I am aware that recognisability isn't really a word. Whatever, grammar geeks.

Karl Lagerfeld for Rolex- Nothing is Sacred

Not happy with his own watch collection, Karl Lagerfeld has now worked his moniker onto the holy grail of watches, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss.
 

Although I have little love for Uncle Karl, this is at least a brand pairing that makes sense: both Lagerfeld and Rolex are brands that are perceived as being at the pinnacle of their industries, the very tip of the luxury iceberg. The limited edition watch will be sold exclusively at Karl Lagerfeld boutiques in Paris and Milan priced at approx. $25.820. Certainly a price worthy of the Chanel front man's face.

Customised by Bamford Watch Department, a company that specialise in personalising sports watches independent of the watch brand, the Karl Milgauss features a matte black case (I imagine this is PVD but cannot verify) and recognisable Milgauss details including the chunky oblong hour markers and lightning bolt seconds hand. 

 The 7 hour marker has been replaced by Lagerfeld’s head, a detail taken from his own watches where the 7 hour marker often sits apart from the other 11. 

 Lagerfeld's own KL1002 Klassic watch, available if you like that sort of thing, here

The dial base also features Lagerfeld’s face (cough* ego *cough), in a tonal black/grey print that almost looks like houndstooth.

 The watch is quite lovely and buys into the monochrome colour palette that is a signature of Lagerfeld whilst still retaining that Rolex DNA, appealing to watch lovers and fashionistas alike.

Black Friday Black Out

Today is Black Friday, the American non-holiday, the busiest Christmas shopping day of the season. Now a feature in the UK run-up-to-Christmas calendar, if the hype is to be believed I have decided to celebrate this day, not by frantically typing my debit card details into the online ether but by furthering my research on PVD/DLC* plating on watches.

PVD/DLC plating is the process which bonds a micron thick layer of metal compounds  to metal or other materials. An example of PVD use outside the watch industry is in clothing where quality brands, Barbour for one, use it to coat their jacket zips to offer a better quality and finish. On watches, this process creates deep, rich black finish that is impervious to scratches and incredibly hard wearing. An ideal application for an item that suffers daily wear. It’s also pretty nifty too.

My favourite watch to use this finish is Raymond Weil’s Freelancer Lady Urban Black, a 38mm automatic model with a striking aperture at 12 o’clock and 86 black diamonds set within the bezel and lugs.

I particularly love the matte black dial and numerals which set the perfect backdrop for the polished gold and silver mechanics of the movement. Heavy duty glamour. Lush. Check it out on the brand's site here.

Next up is the Perrelet Turbine XXs, also a 38mm case automatic, this time set with 326 diamonds seton the bezel, lugs and dial. The diamonds and white hour markers contrast superbly with the matt black case. The black rubber strap adds a sporty feel to the otherwise luxe feel of the piece

Sadly, for women’s PVD/DLC watches that’s pretty much the best on offer. I could blog all day about gent’s versions but, frankly, I find the type of gent’s watch that has this plating type is always the same: huge, bolshie, boring.  Citizen have made a good effort with their Eco-Drive Satellite Wave-Air which is almost as handsome as it is functional. 

Seriously it’s got Satellite Timekeeping Technology with Worldwide Reception, Time Adjustment Available in 26 Time Zones displayed as cities, Perpetual Calendar, Power Reserve Indicator, 3-Hand with Date and a Day-Date Band. All singing all dancing indeed.

So I hope I've managed to distract you from the Black Friday madness with these lovely black watches. Much better than spending the day screaming at error messages on Amazon, I'm sure you'll agree.

*PVD: Physical Vapor Deposition

  DLC: Diamond Like Carbon