foversta
[PuristSPro Moderator]
20814
Baselworld 2011: candies from De Grisogono
As I explained it in the hereafter topic, De Grisogono is a brand with a
new ambition for its watchmaking department:
home.watchprosite.com
The objective is not to become a Manufacture like
JLC but to be able to create, to design exclusive movements. The symbol
of this ambition is the recruitment of Gérald Roden who joined De
Grisogono at the beginning of 2010.
I would like to
share with you these pics taken at the DG booth of Baselworld because
they give the proof of the evolution of the strategy of the
brand.
Let's start with the caliber GD 15-89. This
caliber is used by the Intrumento Grande Date. It is an ETA 2892 base + a
big date display module. You will notice the black finishings of the
caliber bridges and rotor side. It is what I call the first level of the
offer if we forget the basic watches of the collection. Despite its
simplicity, everything is nicely made, especially the big date display
which is very neat. The blue screws are a bit out of context, I think
that their original colour would have been better.
Then, we enter an upper level with the
caliber DFR 17-90. We are basically with the same architecture: an ETA
2892 base + a specific module. But in that case, the module is much more
complex because the time display is not classic. The watch
powered by the caliber is the FG One. It features a jumping hour system,
a second timezone display, a day night indicator linked to the second
timezone display (at the right side of the second hand scale) without
forgetting the retrograde minute and second hands. Both are Dauphine
hands. The second timezone display doesn't have the jumping hour
system.
The whole movement is much larger than its
base and we can easily guess the shape of the watch. In order to
preserve the simmetry of the design, the crown is located on top of the
watch (I would have said 12 o'clock for a classic watch). The FG One was
an important watch in the DG history. Launched in 2007, its name comes
from Fawaz Gruosi's initials. The objective was to propose a watch which
combined an original design (rectangular shape with mobile lugs), an
useful complication (second timezone display with day/night indicator)
and an alternative time display. Jumping hours, retrograde minutes... we
think about Gerald Genta's watches ! After all, maybe Fawaz Gruosi was
already thinking about Gérald Roden when he designed the FG One 3 years
before his arrival!
We enter a new world with the DF 22-93, the world of
watches which bring something unusual. I already had the opportunity to
present you the Meccanico dG. It symbolizes the will from Fawaz Gruosi
to be able to propose a credible offer in the segment of the UFO
timepieces. This will was pure logic: when you create a watch like the
FG One, you obviously have the desire to go further with an innovative
time display. And to celebrate the 15th birthday of his brand, Fawaz
Gruosi wished to unveil a breakthrough timepiece. The main time display
of the Meccanico dG, a digital one, uses 23 cams and 653 mecanical
components. The movement is of course totally exclusive and was
specifically designed by Chronode (Jean-François
Mojon).
The latest version of the Meccanico dG has just been
presented at the 2011 Baselworld Fair. Don't expect something new in
the mechanical point of view. It is just a pure aesthetical change with a
full black titanium case and black dial. Full black ? Again with this
trend ? Is it not starting to be a bit boring ? Yes but here the combo
between the white figures and the black blackground work very well and
enhances the visual effect of the large figures drawn by the cams. A
worthy version of the Meccanico dG. 
Now let's discover the latest
caliber.
I consider the DR 19-89 as the last stage of
the De Grisogono evolution. Don't be mistaken: this caliber is not a
step further in a horological point of view when we compare it with the
complex DF 22-93. But it was designed by the in-house De Grisogono team
which was not the case for the DF 22-93 due to the partnership with
Chronode. This caliber will power a watch I saw at Basel but I can't
tell you more for the moment. I hope to be able to publish the pictures
soon. What I can tell you is that the watch will have an unique feature
and will be very clever and fun at the same time. But... stay tuned to
learn more about this novelty!
4 calibers, 4 stories, 4 objectives... but an unique
ambition: to develop a credible and respected De Grisogono watchmaking
department.
Thanks a lot to the De Grisogono team and
to Mr Roden for the warm welcome at the DG
booth.
Fx
