I confess: Yes, I still love a good bit of vintage inspiration. Despite often mentioning a stop to retro purchases in my own collection and writing about vintage love peaking or simply wanting more modernity. But I can’t help it. I still have a deep affinity for the time-traveling qualities of a small-cased piece of the mid-twentieth century.
But with so many skin divers and sixties racing-inspired chronographs out there, I crave something else. That might be the angular, asymmetric severity of the Audemars Piguet [RE] Master02 or the delicious full gold Polo ’79. But how about the perfection of a fluid, circular shape with the evocatively named Furlan Marri Disco Volante?
The evolution of the small brand sensation Furlan Marri has culminated in this ‘flying saucer’. Yes, that’s what the beautiful Italian phrase means, or flying disc. What does that mean for the small Swiss brand, and where did they get their inspiration? Type disco volante on a site like Chrono 24, and you’ll likely get 50-60 hits because it refers to watch designs from the fifties up to the nineties that share this extremely round shape. In fact, Omega had the style as early as the pre-war thirties. It is simply one of those shapes that never caught on to the same degree as everyday curvy lugs. Or even rectangles.
Taking the flying saucer out of its travel case, I’m left with a first impression of dressy comfort. And it is of the petite and voluptuous kind. You will be surprised if you are used to wristwatches with lugs at a 46-50mm stretch embracing your wrist. The sensation is very compact, and it wears very differently from anything else. Coupled with the intricate case taking up a lot of its 38mm width, dainty is the word.
The case defies descriptions as it gently flows, with no discernible bezel and the crown nestling in its layered side. Two case bands are bereft of curvature to contrast the soft polished steel. These are softly brushed to accentuate the architectural delights of the 8.1mm thick case, expanding to 8.95mm with the sapphire crystal. And the dial diameter resembles something you’ll find within a vintage 34-35mm watch.
Impersonating a desk clock is purely unintentional.
If you know your vintage watch design, the curvaceousness has traces of seventies Audemars Piguet, sort of. But as with all Furlan Marris, there is a palpable sense of being inspired but never pure homage. The dial owes more to the complexities of the forties and fifties in its multi-layered intricacies. And to top it off, a delightful luminous surprise will hit you with its modernity.
But that doesn’t take away from its discreet elegance, and with today’s small-cased zeitgeist, Furlan Marri has impeccable timing. As a small brand, Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al-Marri seem to hit the nail on the head with each release. And this is no exception. It is nevertheless a bold move, with their existing catalog split in two. The brand has expanded its range of affordable meca-quartz chronographs and added a trio of intricate, big-value flyback chronos. A three-hand Sector range runs in parallel. These designs are a rich fifties evocation of sector design sporting the best cow-horn lugs this side of Lake Geneva. So, the Disco Volante is a dramatic departure, but one that fits perfectly within their portfolio.
The version I have here is the warmest colour, Havana Disco, with salmon pink and browns on a soft leather strap in a warm brown shade. This tapers comfortably and sits in 20mm lugs with the same 38mm lug-to-lug as the watch diameter. This means you’ll only see them from certain angles, making a clean circle-shape the first impression.
There is also a wholly unexpected party piece. This is shown above in a Furlan Marri press shot, as my own was blurry this time, perhaps shocked by the presence of the Super-Luminova inserts. That’s right, Andrea and Hamad have dared to add practical, cool, and very modern lume within the mid-century purity. This adds immense charm and a solid dose of Disco, the party kind, to the Disco Volante. The colours match their Havana, Disco and Celeste references too, underlining the studied approach to a cheeky mix of modern and retro. There are also lume inserts in the hour and minute hand, a great way to equip such a small dial with both legibility and a grin-inducing element of a luminous surprise.
The movement in the Disco is the revered ETA 7001, a.k.a. the Peseux, a calibre that seems to be making a strong return this year. The Peseux caliber 7001 has 17 jewels and is notable for its slim build of only 2.5mm. This movement has been in production since 1971 and is the base movement for vintage calibres, including the Peseux Calibre 7040 and Omega’s calibre 651. For the classicism of the round case, it fits the bill with a simple, solid 17-jewel construction and a big balance wheel surrounded by Côtes de Genève bridgework. This movement choice is a big reason for the Disco being sleek, with the added fortè of a thin but rounded flush case back. And Peseux was the name of a movement manufacturer acquired by ETA in 1985, Fabrique d’ebauches de Peseux.
I must admit to being enamored by the Disco Havana. With the flowing lines of a disco volante case, you’d expect a minimal seventies dial, perhaps a gold or champagne one. However, juxtaposing an early fifties multi-layered two-tone design with a smooth shape brings out the best in both. As for the surprising lume circles, I can only applaud the bravado of Furlan Marri, which will undoubtedly cause some head-shaking in the vintage community. But surely even the most purist collector will break out in a smile and fall for its flashy charm. I certainly did. The new Disco Volante series is available for CHF 2,500 (excl. tax), equivalent to £2,177, from the 16th of July, directly from Furlan Marri.
Price and Specs:
More details at Furlan Marri.
