The Italian fashion brand enters the fine watchmaking segment with a strong partner.

The watch industry has seen its fair share of fashion brands breaking into the fine watchmaking segment in recent years. Some have been incredibly successful – a nod to Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and Chanel – creating noteworthy timepieces that are beautiful and technically impressive.

The latest to enter the segment is Giorgio Armani. In the past, the brand has released watches with the Fossil Group, but only a handful of models have really caught on, and just a few models bear mechanical movements. Now it’s announced a partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier to launch Giorgio Armani Fine Watches, with timepieces for men and women. 

The very first release, available this December, is the ‘Giorgio Armani 11’ collection, named after the street number of Armani’s headquarters in Milan, on Via Borgonuovo. Limited to 200 pieces, the cushion-shaped watch is a three-hander with moonphase complication and is available in steel, rose gold or yellow gold. The steel model comes with a grey or blue dial. The rose gold model is available in an ecru or anthracite grey dial, and the yellow gold model comes with a black dial. They are paired with alligator leather straps that are hand-coloured to Giorgio Armani’s standards. Each variation is limited to 40 pieces.

The dial itself is an indication of just how Giorgio Armani intends to make these watches stand out. The minute track is a series of little applied markers that look like the stitching on a suit. There’s a fluted motif on the dial as well, and the central segment is a guilloché pattern inspired by a twill weave fabric. The moonphase display also has a series of raised dots around the counter that look both like fluting around the sub-dial as well as pearls. The hour indexes are long applied bars except for the ‘11’ in Arabic numerals. 

The cases are mirror finished, and the lugs are integrated with the case in a seamless line, creating a beautiful silhouette like the shoulders of a Giorgio Armani suit.

The choice of Parmigiani, an excellent independent watchmaker, as a partner makes this a collaboration that’s worth paying attention to. Parmigiani’s Vaucher manufacture is renowned for producing movements for Hermès and Richard Mille, among others. Powering the Giorgio Armani 11 collection is the PF047 self-winding calibre, which is not specified in the brand's catalogue. More details to come.

On the caseback, the words “By Parmigiani Fleurier” are engraved on the top of the case. The see-through back also reveals the movement, with a full-sized winding rotor with a twill weave-inspired design, similar to the dial. Giorgio Armani is indicated on the dial and rotor in a plate.  

The Giorgio Armani Fine Watches collection will be available in select Giorgio Armani boutiques including the The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from mid-December onwards. Prices have yet to be fixed locally.  

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