Watch Collaborations Galore! Looking At Girard-Perregaux, Lebois & Co, And Roger Dubuis While Wearing The Fratello × Studio Underd0g Aubergine
Since it’s watch collaborations galore this Monday morning, I thought it was best to put on one of our very own collab creations — the April Fools’ watch that went into production, the Fratello × Studio Underd0g Aubergine. This watch was made to put a smile on your face AND raise funds for the fight against testicular cancer. The Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Saint Laurent 01, Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle, and Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr. Woo Monobalancier might not raise any funds for charity. However, they could bring positive vibes with their symbiotic styling, and that’s also a good thing.
This Monday, we’re mixing horology with fashion, motorcycles, and tattoos. Girard-Perregaux has teamed up with legendary fashion house Saint Laurent Rive Droite, while relative newcomer Lebois & Co is going on a trip with famous American motorbike manufacturer Indian Motorcycle. Finally, Roger Dubuis, the Geneva-based brand that got its first “tattoo” from LA-based master Dr. Woo in 2021, is now going back for more ink.
Watch collaborations galore: the fun Fratello × Studio Underd0g Aubergine is a seriously good watch
While I’m reading about the different collaborations and finding out the connections between the different brands, I can’t help but think about how good the sold-out Studio Underd0g × Fratello Aubergine is in every way.
The watch that Richard Benc of Studio Underd0g initially presented as a joke looks seriously good. And everything falls into place with this piece — the association with the eggplant/aubergine emoji, the colors (the color of the ribbon worn to raise awareness surrounding testicular cancer is purple), and the fact that all profits went to the Cancer Research UK. Yup, this is a seriously good watch! Maybe we should do a second run. What do you think?
Watch collaborations galore: Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Saint Laurent 01
The Casquette screams the 1970s. Even the untrained eye can tell this watch stems from an era in which designers looked to the future with great optimism. Futurism was good, and retro didn’t exist in the ’70s — very different from current times indeed. Anyway, the futuristic, disruptive, and adventurous Casquette is now a reassuring retro watch. And the Casquette 2.0 Saint Laurent 01 (€5,500) is an interesting new interpretation of the digital watch with a tubular LED display and a quartz movement that debuted in 1976. Let’s start with some practical information. The watch is a limited edition of 100 pieces, and the only way to get one in person is by going to the Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. You can also get it via the official Saint Laurent Rive Droite online store but only in selected countries.
Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, chose to reinterpret the original Casquette in black ceramic and black PVD-treated Grade 5 titanium. These light materials further enhance the comfort of the already very ergonomically shaped case. The sinister-looking Casquette 2.0 Saint Laurent 01 also has a trick or two up its sleeve. The modern model not only features a chronograph but can also display the time in a different location.
Watch collaborations galore: Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle
Lebois & Co is an originally Swiss watch brand that started in 1934 and folded in 1977. Then, in 2015, it was revived in the Netherlands by entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick. Indian Motorcycle, on the other hand, is America’s first motorcycle company, founded in 1901. The brand has had several owners throughout its long history and has been under Polaris Inc. from Medina, Minnesota, USA since 2011. The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle (€2,800) came to be after finding inspiration in both vintage watches and motorcycles. There’s only so much you can do, of course, when showing motorcycle history on a small watch dial, but the chronograph manages by showing the lively colors of the new Indian Sport Chief.
The 316L stainless steel case comes in at 39mm wide, 10.5mm thick (without the 3.4mm sapphire crystal), and 47.35mm from lug to lug. Underneath its screw-down case back with sapphire crystal beats a hand-wound chronograph movement. It’s a Swiss-made column-wheel chronograph that pays homage to the 1940s watches made by Lebois & Co. The 24-jewel caliber LC-450 by La Joux-Perret has a 60-hour power reserve, Incabloc shock protection, and a 30-minute chronograph. It’s also adjusted to five positions. Find out more on the official Lebois & Co website.
Watch collaborations galore: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr. Woo Monobalancier
In 2021, Roger Dubuis (finally) found enough courage to approach famed tattoo artist Dr. Woo to get some ink done. The result was an Excalibur Monotourbillon watch showing a star “tattoo” on its sapphire-crystal dial, tracing the course of a rocket ship speeding through the universe. On the back of the watch was an engraved imaginary cosmic map, and Dr. Woo put his signature spider graphic in different positions for each of the eight watches made. Tattoos are addictive, they say, so it’s not very surprising that Roger Dubuis is getting a second “tattoo” two years after the first. The Excalibur Dr. Woo Monobalancier again mixes traditional Geneva Seal watchmaking with superior tattoo art. The new tourbillon-less watch is about half the price of the “inked” first one. Still, the Excalibur Dr. Woo Monobalancier has a price of €86,500 and requires seriously deep pockets.
This stellar black ceramic Monobalancier is a limited edition of 28 pieces. That’s the perfect number for numerous tattoos/decorations. But Dr. Woo has not just decorated the dial. The artist, whose real name is Brian, also decorated the flange, bezel, case back, and even the strap with his highly recognizable, cosmically themed, fine-lined tattoos. The 42mm Poinçon de Genève-certified timepiece also features the RD720SQ in-house caliber with a 72-hour power reserve. The watch gets its vital energy from a mainspring wound by a micro-rotor. Covering that rotor is a stylized depiction of the Sun, the vital energy source of our planet — how appropriate. Find out more about the astronomical ins and outs at the official Roger Dubuis website.
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