Hands-On With The New Furlan Marri Disco Volante — An Intricate Dress Watch With A Different Take On Vintage
After a successful three-watch collaborative effort last year, the guys from Furlan Marri are back, remaining true to their creative nature. Instead of riffing off their existing catalog, the new Furlan Marri Disco Volante genuinely surprised me.
Small brands tend to find a stable recipe for success and stick to it. And this is true even as they, like Furlan Marri, move away from the shadow of debut success. But within only three years, Furlan Marri has established a proven track record of retro-flavored moves.
The Furlan Marri evolution
In 2023, Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al-Marri joined forces with Revolution and big-dog collector Auro Montanari, aka John Goldberger. The result was a value-driven flyback chronograph in three versions. The threesome release is a modus operandi for the brand, and as appreciation for colors and dial details is hugely subjective, it is a wise move. In parallel, the Furlan Marri guys developed a permanent collection based on their two main designs. You’ll now find three versions of their accessible Mechaquartz chronographs and the LJP-powered Sector series.
On its own, the Sector range was a marked departure from the safer chronograph design, but with a studied take on ’50s cow-horn lugs paired with a sector dial, it works on many levels. The new Furlan Marri Disco Volante is an even bolder move, especially as it will be part of a new permanent Disco Volante collection. Within the smooth vintage design lies a glowing twist that aligns with the name, which is Italian for “flying saucer,” just like a UFO. This Disco Havana model is one of three colorways that include a blue (Celeste) and green (Verde) version.
What inspired the Disco Volante?
In the late ’60s and the glamorous ’70s, a very different alternative graced people’s wrists. Italian watch lovers dubbed its full-circle glory “disco volante,” but the watch design never quite took off (pun intended). Instead, it remained a timeless, niche design. Despite attempts at diamond-shaped watches or big squares, buyers gravitate towards known entities with strong, visible, and wrist-hugging lugs.
Omega even had a circular model in the late ’30s, and there was a Longines Ultra-Chron with a strong radial-brushed gold-plated disc shape. But unlike this Furlan Marri, most “disco volante” watches housed minimalist, often gold- or silver-tone dials. My fave is an exquisite hobnail-bezel grail by AP, which you’ll find in this brand story by Brandon. Furlan Marri’s curvaceous Disco Volante, however, has a curvaceous bezel with two distinct flat, brushed bands, giving the case an architectural quality.
First impressions of mini-grail vibes
Furlan Marri chose the ETA 7001 caliber to power this watch. That might be trending as this is the second watch I’ve had as a house guest in a week with the same movement. Also known as the Peseux 7001, this super thin caliber is one with which I have an intimate relationship. I’m a big fan of its vintage simplicity and sweet-winding qualities. I own a bespoke Holthinrichs Ornament with a personally micro-engraved ratchet wheel fitted to its 7001. That’s a special gold-plated custom interpretation of the movement, and I have always been fascinated with its simple, efficient, and thin construction.
In this (curvy) case, all bridges of the 2.5mm-slim movement have been redesigned and incorporate Côtes de Genève with a Furlan Marri logo. You’ll also spot clean diamond-polished edges and a black-polished and chamfered crown wheel and screws. All of the manual beveling takes place in Meyrin, Switzerland, under the watchful eye of Furlan Marri’s technical manager Sébastien Rousseau. The original 7001 was made by the Fabrique d’ébauches de Peseux SA, which was founded in the Neuchâtel region in 1923 and joined forces with ETA in 1985. The choice of this movement allows the 38mm case to have lugs with the same stretch integrated into its base. This makes the Disco Volante appear lugless from above.
Circular cool with a glowing surprise
One recognizable Furlan Marri clue is present — the well-judged use of a two-tone dial. In particular, this Disco Havana version echoes the colors of one of Furlan Marri’s debut trio of chronographs. As for the rest, it is refreshingly new but feels familiar. This new hand design is a sword variety but with a dramatic curvature, needle tip, and, surprisingly, lume inserts. Together with the small pointer rotating within the recessed sub-seconds register, they stand out as polished details along with the applied markers at 3 and 9 o’clock and a double at 12. The dial itself has a busy late ’40s or early ’50s design with a great choice of colors. The brushed metallic bronze-brown sections and soft matte salmon hues complement each other exceedingly well.
But look closely, and you’ll spot a tell-tale light green circle between each circular dial segment. You’re in for a luminous surprise. I was thrilled to see the discreet lume inserts in the hands, even if the case style and overall design are decidedly dressy. But when turning off the lights, the UFO interpretation of the Disco Volante name manifests itself with lume aplenty. With this genial move, Furlan Marri transforms a period-perfect dial for the better. Despite perhaps a few protests from purist collectors, this makes the Disco Volante more than a dressy talisman. It is a very wearable and comfortable daily wearer.
Final thoughts and pricing
Admittedly, classifying this as a daily wear watch is subjective as I’m often stuck at a nice and tidy desk. If your job includes wearing a T-shirt and doing carpentry, I would consider leaving it behind. But the Furlan Marri Disco Volante has that intangible quality of instantly feeling at home. The fit experience is very personal; some might find having no visible lugs confusing to the senses. But I found this watch a real wrist gem with a dial area more akin to a 34–35mm vintage piece. Matched up to the delightfully sweeping curvature of the tiered round case, the Furlan Marri Disco Volante resounded on many levels. It is available starting today, the 16th of July, for CHF 2,500 (excluding taxes) directly from Furlan Marri.
The Disco Volante hiding its strap while impersonating a tiny table clock
Are you up for some retro lume-fueled-UFO wristwear, Fratelli? Maybe you already own a vintage AP, Longines, or another piece of circular cool that could keep it company? Let me know in the comments below.
