In the fashion industry Italian made garments are renowned for their extravagant style. Brands like Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Valentino and Prada are highly coveted by fashionistas around the world. It isn’t surprising really because their creations are sophisticated and materials are of very high quality. This thirst for Italian designed luxury goods has now filtered into the world of horology. Probably the most well known Italian watchmakers are Panerai, U-Boat and Meccaniche Veloci.
I have featured Meccaniche Veloci quite a few times on Total Watch Reviews and am always amazed they haven’t achieved the success I believe they deserve. Although they have retail outlets in many international regions they haven’t received the recognition of U-Boat and Panerai. Probably this is because they haven’t implemented as effective marketing strategies as these companies. A few years ago Cristiano Ronaldo was photographed wearing one of their fabulous Quattro Valvole timepieces in public. Most brands would have seen this as marketing gold but Meccaniche Veloci didn’t seize on this opportunity. He is now employed as an ambassador for many other luxury watchmakers.
Previously I have written reviews of Meccaniche Veloci’s Quattro Valvole and Chrono Driver. Both of these timepieces were very comfortable to wear and display an enormous amount of design merit. Nevertheless the watch I was always keen to test is the phenomenal Quattro Valvole CCM Brembo. This fabulous timepiece was unveiled at Baselworld 2009 and is not only their largest creation (50mm excluding the crowns) but also their best (in my opinion). As these days they are very rare to acquire, I was delighted to finally get access to one. After testing it constantly for a few days I can honestly say it is one of the most comfortable and lightweight watches I have ever worn.
Many watchmakers experiment with different case materials. In fact lightweight high performance composite materials are becoming more in vogue than precious metals these days. Certainly brands like Richard Mille, MB & F, Urwerk and Hublot have made groundbreaking progress in this area. However I feel Meccaniche Veloci’s collaboration with Italian company Brembo was a touch of Genius. Effectively they have produced the world’s first watch constructed from carbon ceramic break pads. The same substance used in super cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Maserati, McLaren and Porsche. This gives the watch a unique aesthetic and texture like no other.
Beneath the durable exterior are four individual Swiss made automatic ETA 2671 mechanical movements. These calibers comprise 25-jewels and oscillate at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Essentially what you are getting is four watches in one perfectly formed case. Unfortunately this amazing watch wasn’t a big seller for Meccaniche Veloci and so they discontinued the model a few years ago.
If like me you absolutely love this watch you can buy one from Netherlands based online retailer King Watch (http://www.kingwatch.nl).
