Gucci enters its finest hour
Buzzing bee motifs and the famous GG logo in Gucci’s latest timepieces are really making us tick
An expert way to navigate the multitudinous trends of today is to invest in pieces that nod to a brand’s DNA. When it comes to historic design, Gucci has it in elegant abundance, from the interlinked ‘GG’ logo the Florentine House introduced in 1933 to the Horsebit hardware it debuted in 1955. Since taking the creative helm of the label in 2015, creative director Alessandro Michele has incorporated Gucci’s motifs into his time-traveling design references, mining the past to create something impeccably contemporary. Last year, Michele extended his aesthetic explorations into fine jewelry and watchmaking, interweaving Gucci motifs like its vibrant green-and-red stripe and buzzing bee – first introduced to the house in the ’50s and ’70 respectively – into impeccably crafted, trend-surpassing creations.
Now, a new advertising campaign, lensed by American photographer Colin Dodgson and art directed by Brit Christopher Simmonds, celebrates new additions to Gucci’s timepiece and fine-jewelry cannon. These images from the campaign have a warm time-honed touch, and the subtly retro inspirations behind Gucci’s G-Timeless and Grip watch styles are complemented by gleaming desk objets, like crystal glassware, golden boxes and ring-bound calendars.
“A host of coveted contemporary classics reflect the label’s retro-futurist design approach, from 2015’s backless Gucci loafer to the newly released Jackie 1961 bag, a spin on the brand’s signature hobo bag, much loved by Jackie Onassis and the ’60s jet set
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A host of coveted contemporary classics reflect Michele’s retro-futurist design approach, from the backless Gucci loafer he introduced in 2015 to the newly released Jackie 1961 bag, a spin on the brand’s signature hobo bag, much loved by Jackie Onassis and the ’60s jet set. Michele has also brought modern mastery to Gucci’s G-Timeless collection, which features a selection of delicate slim styles embellished with Italian motifs. One design features a second hand formed from a delicate filigree bee, which flits to indices in the shape of raised studs. The bee references the details of noble coats of arms, carved into the facades of buildings around Rome. Sleekest iterations of the style feature a stainless-steel bracelet strap, which taps into 2020’s affinity for chain details.
Gucci first launched watches in the early 1970s, and the brand’s timepieces blend Italian craftsmanship with famed Swiss engineering. The Gucci Grip – Michele’s first design for the house – is a celebratory symbol of horological history. Its softly curving octagonal ‘no dial’ dial is a nod to a 19th-century digital design by Josef Pallweber, while its brushed and polished metal PVD case evokes a finish pioneered by Gerald Genta in the ’70s. The focus on Gucci’s own design DNA is noted in the style’s ‘GG’ logo, which is engraved in miniature form across the watch’s case and strap. The Gucci Grip’s restrained silhouette and digital display – three windows indicating hour, minute and date – taps into an increased penchant for versatile, androgynous timepieces. With a focus on ergonomic design, its snug strap is also crafted to hug the wrist, inspired by the sole of a sneaker sticking to the grip tape on a skateboard.
Attention to trend-subverting creations has never been more prescient. Nothing speaks more of classic design with a twist than Gucci’s history-nodding timepieces. They amalgamate facets of the past, ticking forward into fashion’s future.