Gucci has had a good run of late under the direction of creative director Alessandro Michele who was installed in 2015. With creations alternately flamboyant and nostalgic, Michele made Gucci cool again, a success reflected in the 48% increase in first quarter sales for the year.
Alongside the rejuvenated fashion and leather goods, Gucci watches have a similar visual style, which a vaguely retro feel and a lot of colourful, embroidered dials. The watch line-up includes hits and misses – the fabric dials are unusual but appealing while the longstanding G-shaped bezel looks dated – but most notable, despite the clumsy name, is the G-Timeless 38mm Automatic.
Modelled on mid 20th century wristwatches, the G-Timeless 38mm is novel for being quite distinct from the numerous watches that are part of the retro fever sweeping through watchmaking. Like Gucci’s other products the watch has a strong retro flavour. In fact, it is reminiscent of the hallowed Rolex “star dial” watches of 1950s, like the time-only ref. 6098 and the triple calendar ref. 6062.
The highlight of the watch is the dial, which is finished with a radial barleycorn guilloche that’s stamped but still visually appealing. Most intriguing are the applied hour markers that alternate between a bee, star or arrowhead, with a single heart as the seven o’clock marker.
While the dial is impressively done, it’s match with unimaginative sword-shaped hands.
At 38mm in diameter, the G-Timeless is appropriately sized for the retro style. Available in polished or gold-plated steel, the case is a good visual fit although it’s simplistic. The steel case is definitely the option to go for, since the gold-plated finish costs more but feels like expensive.
The case back is see-through and it reveals the Sellita SW200 inside, somewhat unnecessarily since the movement is plain. That being said, the movement is robust, reliable and appropriate for price point.
Price and availability
The Gucci G-Timeless is priced at US$1545 in steel and US$1690 with a gold-plated finish. It’s available from Gucci boutiques and Gucci watch retailers.
