Italian masterclass in Venetian opulence
Since setting up its watchmaking arm Alta Orologeria to run alongside its fantastical Alta Gioielleria line in 2017, Dolce & Gabbana has applied that same Italianate exuberance to its timepieces. From watches framed in lavishly engraved gold cases to playful nods to Giuseppe Verdi, the aesthetic is as vividly opulent as you’d expect from the unashamed masters of maximalism: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
And this year, the house nods to Venice’s most famous landmark in the new San Marco watch. The church’s clock tower depicting the signs of the zodiac was said to be so breathtaking when it debuted in 1499 that the Doge of Venice had the clockmaker blinded so he could never repeat his work. Fortunately, the craftspeople who replicate it in lapis lazuli on this timepiece weren’t subjected to the same fate.
Expertly mirroring the original, with zodiac signs in pink gold, the watch exudes the opulence that Venice is known for. It is also a masterclass in craft. The dial features Bianco D’istria stone, used in the palazzos of the Grand Canal because of its resistance to salt corrosion, with lugs and case engraved in gold Rococo swirls to rival the Teatro La Fenice opera house’s gilded interiors. With a movement made in Geneva and the rest of the watch crafted by Dolce & Gabbana’s artisans in Italy, it’s a bold combination of Swiss excellence and Italian flair. SD Dolce & Gabbana San Marco watch from the Manifattura Italiana collection, price on application; dolcegabbana.com