Introducing Stefano Ricci Octagon Watches

In my past, and actually currently, I  write about a host of luxury categories for a variety of publications. One of those categories was men’s fashion and bespoke brands. In that capacity, I had the great fortune of meeting Stefano Ricci, getting to know him and getting to visit the brand’s spectacular workshops in Florence. Over the years, though, as my coverage of men’s fashion ebbed, I am afraid I didn’t keep in touch with the man who built the house of Stefano Ricci. Now, though, I am happy to say we are back in touch, as the brand unveils its first full-fledged watch collection: Octagon.

Inspiration behind the Stefano Ricci Octagon Collection

With the two Ricci sons joining the husband-and-wife team, Niccolò as CEO and Filippo as Creative Director, the brand continues to honor Florentine style with the Octagon line of watches, inspired by the Italian amphitheaters from the Renaissance. Stefano Ricci chose the octagonal floor plans of some of Florence’s greatest architectural wonders (Santa Maria del Fiore, the Tribuna degli Uffizi, and others ) as the center of his design.

Totally inspired by his birth city of Florence, Stefano Ricci is dedicated to Italian craftsmanship. Still, the company recognizes that the movements and parts must be of the best quality, and so the brand turns to different Swiss brands for the calibers, cases, dials and more in each watch.

Stefano Ricci Octagon Watches

The first watches are crafted in 18-karat white gold in a limited-edition of just 10 of each. They include the Octagon Perpetual Calendar, Octagon Annual Calendar and the Octagon Chronograph. The watches feature octagon-shaped dials and the bezels feature eight sides, as well, each one separated by a triangular edge that is an inverted V that gives a distinctive look to the watch. Each bezel is distinctive thanks to the 40 octagon screws, in color-coordinated hues to the dial. The dials of the watches are octagon shaped and are offered in three different colors depending on the model. The chronograph features a blue dial with darker blue subsidiary dials, the annual calendar dial is golden-hued and the perpetual calendar is in ever-elegant black.

The 45.5mm watches feature crowns set with cabochons, a sapphire stone for the chronograph, onyx for the perpetual calendar and citrine for the annual calendar. The colors of the crowns coordinate with the dial color and the screw color.  Looking at the profile of the watch, one can see a geometric pattern that includes lines, octagonal screws and more. There is a Diamond Lux limited-edition version of the watch that boasts diamonds instead of screws on the bezel.

The case back of each watch is a half-hunter style that is finely engraved with a complicated English Scroll floral motif that showcases the beauty of light and shadow. In fact, each case back is created by hand and the customization of each is an important element for the watches. For the Diamond Lux Limited edition pieces, the case back engraving depicts animals such as the eagle, leopard, elephant and lion. The half-hunter style case back lifts to reveal a transparent sapphire crystal case back beneath it for viewing of the movement.

What’s Inside the Stefano Ricci Octagon Watches

As mentioned, the watches are powered by Swiss movements. They all feature the same self-winding base made by a Fleurier brand and are fitted with a platinum oscillating weight that is customized with the Stefano Ricci logo.  Each watch then features the appropriate complication module. For instance, the chronograph is fitted with a Dubois-Depraz tri-compax module. The perpetual calendar watch is fitted with the PF 333 caliber from Parmigiani Fleurier that is a self-winding movement with a perpetual calendar module that displays the day, month, leap year and retrograde date display, as well as moon phases in both hemispheres.  The annual calendar is also fitted with a Parmigiani Fleurier movement (caliber PF 339) with retrograde date.

The gemstone setting for the Diamond Lux versions takes place in the hills of Florence where Stefano Ricci’s master goldsmiths meticulously prepare the gold bezel and hand set the princess-cut stones. The diamonds are of the best quality, being either IF (internally flawless) or VVS (very few inclusion), and are either E, F or G colors (exceptional or extra white). The Stefano Ricci Octagon watches retail from about $110,000 to $200,000 and are all warrantied for three years.

(Portions of this article by Roberta Naas first appeared on her column on Forbes.)