Gran Turismo: Brera Orologi's Newest Collection

Founded in 2008 by Maurizio Pasi, Brera Orologi is a relatively young company in the luxury watchmaking industry. While staying true to Pasi's Italian roots by incorporating various traditional elements of Italian watchmaking into its manufacture, the company strives still to distinguish itself from others with the insinuation of unique watchmaking concepts. What's more, is that Brera Orologi may be one of the more affordable brands of luxury watches out there, in comparison to the likes of Audemars Piguet or Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Neiman Marcus is simply among the few places to check out the price range on a catalog of Brera Orologi watches.

The Gran Turismo collection is Brera Orologi's newest addition to its catalog. What draws the eye immediately is the juxtaposition of colours used on any of the watches in the collection, almost akin to what one observes on a race car. Of course, the over-sized nature of the watches may not be all too difficult to ignore as well, as is the case for Brera Orologi's other existing watch collections.

As seen in the picture of a Gran Turismo Model BRGTC5401 above, the watch is characterized further by its dial, designed with a distinct honeycomb motif, which is also available in a variety of colours. The other thing that makes the collection stand out from Brera Orologi's other collection is its lack of emboldened numerals or indices to mark the hours. In their place are white pointers fitted into the inner circumference of the bezel, which probably shouldn't interfere with one's ability to read the time, at least, in the case of anyone already accustomed to reading the time off watches with a numbered dial.

The dial contains four indicators, positioned as such to give the wearer an impression of reading the various meters installed on the dashboard of a race car. The second indicator is on the top right as seen in the same image above; the hour indicator on the bottom, where the 3, 6, 9 and 12 hour markers is contained; a chronograph on the top left; and a date indicator on the pointer indicating the number 4 on the main dial. In an attempt to further strike a balance between the meticulous intricacies of the watch's honeycomb motif and its functional aspects, the numbers of a tachymeter are inscribed on the watch's bezel, with the first quarter of its length rendered in a different colour from the rest of the dial. The presence of a tachymeter, which is commonly utilized as a function to measure the speed of an object, can also be seen as an attempt to round out the watch's overall race car motif.

The rest of the watch comprises of Brera Orologi's signature crown and coloured screws which the makers apparently make no attempt at hiding against the colour of the watch case itself, with the few exceptions such as the Gran Turismo Model BRGTC5402, which camouflages its screws perfectly against a clear stainless steel watch case as seen in the image above. It doesn't seem as if the Gran Turismo watches afford the same customization with their rubber straps, one proffered by conveniently interchangeable straps found in Brera Orologi's other collections. Still, it also doesn't seem as if this lack of customization would impede your efforts to look good wearing it for any occasion.

Below is the image of Gran Turismo Model BRGTC5403, whose screws, like those on the model mentioned earlier, blends well with its black ionic-plated case. Being rendered a continuous shade of black down to both ends of its straps, the watch is quite literally the black sheep of the family, seeing that it is quite far removed from the bright, bold play of colours adopted by the rest of the collection. With the hint of green on its tachymeter, which seems somewhat subdued amid an almost entirely black background, alongside the hint of blue on the chronograph, the watch suggests more an air of stealth and camouflage than the vibrance one naturally expects from a sports arena, or in this case, a racing track.

The crystal used in all the watches here is a K1 Anti-reflective mineral supposedly with a higher scratch resistance than the typical mineral crystal, and a higher shatter resistance than the typical sapphire crystal. The watches are designed with a 10 atm water resistance, which means that you can wear it while swimming without worrying about soaking it completely. Any other aquatic activities that require one to be more rigorously exposed to water than what swimming entails, such as scuba diving, is prohibited.

There are certainly a number of distinctions one can draw between Brera Orologi's Gran Turismo and the manufacture's other collections, such as the fact that the Gran Turismo watches present a visual complexity that is not found among others. In this aspect, the Gran Turismo can be seen as a colourful counterpoint to the manufacture's other more simplistic designs, while still retaining the elegance in Italian watchmaking.