De Grisogono Baselworld 2012 Collection

My visit at the De Grisogono booth was a bit special but I knew it after. It was actually the last Gérald Roden's appearence as CEO of De Grisogono. And if I was aware of course about the arrival of a new investor, I was believing that Gérald Roden would stay longer.

Anyway, during these two years at the head of the watchmaking pole, he brought his sense of organisation and put the brand on the right tracks for the future. And this is at least what we can wish to the De Grisogono team: a new story is about to start.

But before thinking about the future, we need to have a closer look on the present offer. 2012 collection is highlighting two main ideas: the main part of this collection is dedicated to the  LADIES and it explores the FUN side of the brand.

About the Men's collection, clearly, 2012 is a transition year after the presentation in 2011 of the OtturatOre (if you remember well, the 4 watches in one timepiece thanks to its rotating dial).

The Instrumento n°1 XL is an evolution of the Instrumento n°1 which was a watch gathering two timezones and big date displays. The Intrumento n°1 XL is obviously a bulky watch (58x44mm) but the objective is to get the largest dial possible. Its size is 30x30mm in order to fully take advantage of the piece of Macassar ebony lumber which is used as background. Frankly speaking, this wood works very well because it creates an original and warm atmosphere without being "too much". When you wear an Instrumento n°1 XL, you feel to have a big piece of gold on your wrist. The wood balances this feeling and makes the watch more elegant. Despite its size, the case is quite refined with a mix of gold (WG or PG) and Titanium.

Of course, the Instrumento n°1 XL is not a sober watch, especially in PG but I found that it was a worthy evolution. The Instrumento n°1 XL is the first watch designed by Fawaz Gruosi which is entirely dedicated to men.


I like the lay-out the dial even if the big date is too close to the center:

The movement DF 11-96 is based on an ETA 2892-2 + an exclusive module:

A typical De Grisogono watch: big on the wrist, bulky, not sober... but there is a little something which makes it elegant and appealing at least to me. I would call it an "ostentatious elegance". The large crown is also used to set the second timezone display. The shape of the lugs hopefully improves the comfort.

New versions of the Occhio Repetizione Minuti were also unveiled with black atmosphere and Titanium cases:


Now you see it:





Now you don't:

The Claret movement which is assembled by the De Grisogono watchmaking team. You clearly see the two hammers and the two gongs.

With a set bezel:

Now, let's have a look at the Ladies' watches which are the strong pillar of this year collection. And good point: they are automatic or handwind watches, a strategy which takes into account the increasing interest from women for mechanical watches.

The Tondo Tourbillon Gioiello features an exclusive handwind Tourbillon movement from Concepto (which was in-house redesigned to off-center the cage at 8 o'clock), a MOP dial and a set case. I found this watch very spectacular with its 3D effect on the dial. The Tourbillon occupies a large part of the dial. Logo and brand's name are cleverly inserted.   3 versions are available, each of them using a WG case.

This version features 496 black diamonds and 33 white diamonds on the bezel, it is my fav version.





This one uses brown diamonds:

Crown shape makes the watch easier to be wound:

The typical bridges of the concepto Tourbillon:

And the bright version with 496 + 33 white diamonds:

A wristshot... and sorry, the way I took the picture gives the feeling that the watch is upside down! That's the sad life at Basel, we are always on hurry! 

This Tondo Tourbillon is a very ambitious watch for De Grisigono being the meeting point between the two worlds of the brand: watchmaking and jewellery.

The Tondo by Night plays a different tune: it is a more simple, more affordable watch than the Tourbillon and which has a fun and entertaining design.

The idea behind the Tondo by Night is to be visible during the day... and also during the night. When I say "visible" it is not just the time display, it is also the case. The Tondo by Night uses a luminous material for its case and folding clasp (the Pearly photoluminescent composite fiberglass). So even in the darkest places, the Tondo by Night will show you its brightness!

 

To be fun, the dial has to be coherent with the design. And De Grisogono chose the option to make the rotor visible dial side in order to animate the time display. A good idea here!

A wide range of colours is available: white, orange, pink, green, purple and yellow. And please don't think that these are subtle changes between the versions: when a Tondo by Night is green, it is deeply green! When it is purple, it is a true purple watch. So we are not in midwater here: the Tondo by Night accepts without any problem its colourful design. Actually, when I saw the 6 watches, I had the feeling to discover a box with 6 sweet candies inside!

 
Pink:

Orange:

White:

The crown of each watch is set with a black diamond. The stones around the bezel change from one version to another one to respect the colours harmony. You will notice that the winding rotor is also set, we find here a bit the idea of the Dancelight from Piaget: diamonds are rotating thanks to the wrist movement.

Movement is based on an ETA 2892.

Like with the Tondon Tourbillon, a galuchat strap is used: its grainy aspect is a sort of continuation of the bezel.

I finish my report with these 6 colourful watches which give a good idea of De Grisogono style: an innovative (case material) and daring attitude to seduce the female clientele who wish to wear an automatic and fun watch. I'm sure that De Grisogono team expects that the same client will buy several versions of the Tondo by Night to make them combine with different styles of clothes.

I would like to thank a lot the De Grisogono team for the warm welcome and of course, I wish the best to Gérald Roden. I hope to see him again soon with a key position in the industry.

Fr.Xavier