Time To Commemorate

Gucci celebrates its 100th anniversary with a treasure trove of high watchmaking timepieces inspired by its signature artistry and design sensibility.

- TAN SIOK HOON

Marking its 100th anniversary this year, Gucci is rolling out a series of initiatives to commemorate the uber-special occasion. It kick-started the centenary festivities in mid-April with the spectacular debut of its high watchmaking collection, designed by creative director Alessandro Michele and wonderfully echoing the brand’s signature artistic character and free spirit. This is exactly what sets Gucci’s exceptional suite of watch designs apart—the inimitable connection they share with the creativity, craftsmanship and technical skill embodied by the Italian house’s creations since it was founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921.

Not a newcomer to watchmaking, Gucci’s horology creation journey began in 1972 when it became the first among its luxury fashion counterparts to present the wristwatch as a contemporary style statement, replete with Swiss-made quality. Since then, its 50-year trajectory in watchmaking has been anchored in remarkable design and made possible with the brand’s sprawling network of production facilities across the renowned Swiss watchmaking region. The La Chaux-deFonds area is where quality control, assembly and diamond setting are being facilitated for Gucci watches. For the crafting of dials and execution of special decorative techniques, the Fabbrica Quadranti facility in the Canton of Ticino, the brand’s resident dial maker company, provides Gucci watches with access to top-notch technological methods and highly skilled handwork. Finally, all these different specialities are unified under the house’s watch design division in Neuchâtel, the headquarters and home of Gucci watches.