Hands On The de Grisogono New Retro Watch

By Victoria Townsend | July 1, 2015

Getting your hands on this New Retro timepiece from de Grisogono is literally something you will want to try. Over and over again. Caressing its smooth rounded shape can easily become addictive!

Originally known for its precious stones and stunning jewellery creations, the house established its watchmaking division in the year 2000, and now houses all its ateliers at its head office in Plan-les Ouates near Geneva.

In a relatively short time, the company has already created more than 26 watch collections, from jewellery timepieces to avant-garde complications. Among its iconic references are the Meccanico dG that won the Public Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2009 for its two time zones shown with a patented dual analogue and mechanical digital display, and the UNO collection for men, that this year included an updated classic version of the INSTRUMENTO N° UNO, an annual calendar, a carbon chronograph version, and a tourbillon.

Meet the New Retro, the new iconic timepiece in the starting blocks. Highly visual and tactile, the New Retro owes its name to its modern design influenced by the chic of the 1950s. Its shape, style and proportions needed seven years of dreaming and development before satisfying de Grisogono President, Owner and Founder, Fawaz Gruosi.

The first thing we see when we look at it are the clean simple lines of the large rectangular case that is 12 mm thick, 50 mm wide and 40 mm long, made harmonious with a round counter on a minimalist dial and gently rounded angles of panoramic sapphire crystal glass on the front, sides and back of the watch. We then notice with surprise that the dial does not reach the edges at 3 and 9 o’clock, leaving a transparent gap on either side that gives the impression the dial and movement are suspended inside the two identical curved sapphire crystals that are connected by a thin gold band.

Moving back to the easily readable 2 handed dial, our eyes discover the Arabic numerals in a new font developed by de Grisogono, and the black lacquered gold crown and coat of arms at 12 o’clock.

The New Retro comes in several case versions of polished 18K pink or white gold, or in steel with matte black PVD coating, all with matching triple-folding clasps. Each case has its preferred dial, from a vintage green lacquer with shimmering blue SuperLumiNova® markers, to a deep shiny black lacquer, or an off-white lacquered dial with creamy undertones.

Bracelets are available in black or brown alligator leather with saddle-stitch. The New Retro is powered with a black PVD-coated mechanical self-winding 42 hours Calibre DG 10-01 that features a gold oscillating weight decorated with the de Grisogono emblematic scrolling motif.

With its very original shape and colours, the New Retro is versatile, can be casual, classically understated, and even eccentric. Available in most markets by September, prices are CHF 26,800 for the white and rose gold versions, and CHF 14,000 for the PVC-coated version.