I would like to introduce you to the most interesting and at the same time relatively affordable watch; Gorilla Watches - Fastback GT Drift. The model that carries a deeply motor sports inspired name, offers an extra ordinary dial and a movement with an unbeatable price tag.
Octavio Garcia is the founder of Gorilla Watches. After managing the design team of a leading brand such as Audemars Piguet for 12 years, he resigned from his position in 2015 and, after a short break, established his own brand in 2016 and returned to the industry. At the age of 50, his courageous decision reminded me of Richard Mille, who once again came out of the AP and became a world known manufacturer.
Gorilla Watches also has a similar philosophy with Richard Mille. The biggest difference of the brand, which offers motor sports inspired models built by high performance materials such as ceramic, carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium, is its unbeatable price policy. The watches sold under the Gorilla Watches are usually priced at less than US$ 1,000. The Fastback GT Drift, which I chose as the main subject of my article, has a relatively high label such as US$ 2850. Now what we get in return for this amount? Let’s find out together.
The Gorilla Fastback GT Drift has a dial structure called star wheel in the watch industry. The minute indices at the top of the dial and the hour indicators on the three wheels rotating around the center match and display time. There is also a second indicator on the dial as well. There are four numbers on each wheel. Since consecutive hour markers are located in successive wheels, reading the time from the dial can turn into a visual feast. Both the hour and minute indexes and numbers are covered with Super LumiNOVA phosphor material, which guarantees a bright image in darker environments. One of the most important details of the watch is its movement. The ETA 2824-2 based mechanism is designed by Vaucher, a movement manufacturer which collaborates with top brands like Parmigiani, Hermes and Richard Mille. The automatic movement has a power reserve of 38 hours when fully wound.
The watch looks very large, especially on black and white. The 44mm diameter case measures 48.5mm including the winding crown. The length of the watch is 58mm and its thickness is 19mm. Even though the dimensions are frightening, the integrated strap design allows for a much more comfortable watch than expected on the wrist. The forged carbon case is accompanied by anodized aluminum red details, a shiny black ceramic bezel and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The model is water resistant to 100 meters.
The model that promises a sporty and comfortable posture with its red holes on the black rubber strap will be limited to a span of 250 units only with an estimated delivery by the first months of 2019.
The MSRPs for Urwerk timepieces, one of the most famous star wheel dial watch manufacturers in the world of luxury watchmaking, start at about 30 times the price of Fastback GT Drift. Arnold & Son Golden Wheel, another star wheel dial model on the market, has a MSRP of around US$ 50,000. Therefore, Gorilla Fastback GT Drift is an absolute bargain especially if you are in the market for a star wheel dial watch.
