RAW Brand Spotlight: Gorilla Watches
, by RAW Singapore, 6 min reading time
In this RAW Brand Spotlight, we reveal how the three components of Power, Performance and Rarity come together to form one of our best-selling brands: Gorilla Watches.
Founded in Switzerland in 2017, Gorilla Watches is fronted by dynamic duo Octavio Garcia (former Creative Director at Audemars Piguet) and Luka Gopp (former Designer at IWC). Gorilla finds its roots in serious horological passion and cutting edge design.
1. Exotic materials are the name of the game
Every Gorilla model that has been released thus far consist of non-conventional materials, coming together in a modern form factor. Think–lightweight and strong forged carbon cases, scratch-resistant ceramic bezels, aluminium color-coded pinstriping and titanium hardware.
2. If you love cars and motorsports, you’ll love what Gorilla can offer
Notice how some of the color combinations look familiar? Well, you are not alone. Each Gorilla watch takes design cues from the iconic liveries and aesthetics of cars around the world–from the American Muscle cars straight out of Detroit to the exotic beauty of the European supercars and even racing teams like Gulf Oil.
3. The brand started small–but got beefier over time
The Fastback Core Collection was the first to debut, featuring a fusion of forged carbon, ceramic and titanium housing a base-model Japanese Miyota 8-series caliber. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters and comes with comfortable Viton rubber straps. The Core models are affordable yet reliable and today, it features the largest variety of colours for Gorilla.
4. Like cars, they’ve got souped-up ones too
Following the Core collection, Gorilla released an enhanced version of the Fastback with a higher-spec movement and some aesthetic changes. A Miyota 9-series took the place of the previous 8-series, smoothening the sweep of the seconds hand and adding a hacking feature. Dubbed the Fastback GT series, one could now see the spinning balance wheel through the dial, and a sapphire display caseback was added. It was through the GT series that Limited Edition models and hybrid straps started to make their way into the brand’s lineup.
5. Accelerating straight into GPHG
However, the real big guns (they’re probably considered cannons at this point) were pulled out with the introduction of the Drift collection in 2018. Featuring a Swiss-made ‘Wandering Hours’ complication developed by Vaucher Manufacture (the same brand behind some Richard Mille and Parmigiani movements), Gorilla was now a force to be reckoned with. So much, that its Drift models were nominated in the GPHG ‘Challenge’ category for 2 consecutive years. Now, that’s what we call a jump.
Find out in person why Gorilla means so much to watch collectors in all stages, as well as our hearts. Visit us at RAW ION Orchard (#B3-03) and RAW Suntec City (#01-464) to check the watches out.
