By Ryan Walsh
Giuilano Mazzuoli Trasmission Chronograph in steel
Those who love cars and watches are most likely familiar with Italian designer Giuliano Mazzuoli – who first brought us the Manometro watch (in pressure gauge design), then the Contagin (tachometer looks) and then the more recently released Trasmissione Meccanica collection – inspired by the car’s transmission. Now, following on the heels of those successes, the Italian-designed, Swiss-made brand brings us the new Trasmissione Meccanica Chronograph.
One look at the 46mm Trasmissione Meccanica chronograph and you can instantly see the inspiration Mazzuoli received from cars. Looking at the name, one easily derives that the watch is inspired by mechanics – but looking to the transmission as
grooved helical gears
inspiration is decidedly different. So, how does the design translate? Well, being an automotive technician, I may infer more than most, but still—the look is solid. I could immediately tell that the watch is modeled after a Helical Gear, a type of gear found inside transmissions. The sharp looking case – offered in either stainless steel or in PVD gunmetal over steel — features grooved metal sides that emulate the helical gears and further accent the mechanical appeal of the watch.
Just like a dial is a necessity to a watch, a clutch is to a car… and, so the complex dial – built on three levels and composed of 21 different elements — resembles a clutch. For those who know what a clutch looks like, the dial design is an amazingly precise emulation of a clutch disc.
it is offered in steel or gunmetal PVD for $7,700.
In addition to hours, minutes and seconds, the automatic watch offers chronograph functions with a seconds counter at 8:00 and a 30-miute totalizer at 2:00 – perfect for timing fast sprints on the track.
clutch disc
Designed in Italy, like the Prancing Stallions and Charging Bulls, the Trasmissione Meccanica is designed as an auto-inspired Italian masterpiece – just as precise and functional as the car that inspires it. Built in Switzerland, the watch houses the Dubois-Dépraz 2030 Luxe with anti-shock Incabloc. It beats at 28,800 alternations per hour and has a 42 hour power reserve. The convex sapphire crystal is anti-reflective for easy reading and the watch is available with either a calf skin leather strap or black rubber strap. It retails for just under $8,000.
