Dolce & Gabbana has a chequered past with watches. Licensing the D&G brand in the past has led to a slew of inexpensive fashion watches flooding the market that bore little relation to the mission of the Italian fashion house and absolutely nothing to do with luxury.
More recently, the full Dolce&Gabbana logo has appeared on more upmarket pieces such as the ladies’ Sophia collection of quartz-based 18ct gold watches retailing for around €6,000 and classical men’s collections like the DG7 where an 18ct gold watch with ETA automatic movement can be had for €12,500.
The company admits that it has not set the watch world alight in the past, but it is making another comeback this year with an appearance at Baselworld that it hopes will start a brand new era for the brand.
“We tiptoed into the watch and jewellery industry knowing it wouldn’t be easy,” says Domenico Dolce in a statement accompanying news that the brand will exhibit at Baselworld.
“The work of researching was long and hard, but it was worth it. It is a very fascinating world in which we have brought our values: the love for craftsmanship, the art of handmade, the attention to detail and the scrupulous choice of materials,” he adds.
Very little detail has been revealed about what visitors will see from Dolce&Gabanna, other than the fact that there will be a focus on high end jewellery and watches from a booth in the prestigious Hall 1.0 at Baselworld.
Collections will take inspiration from the brand’s Mediterranean heritage and the engineering accuracy of Swiss mechanisms, the company promises.
“This world represents an exciting challenge. Every goal we’ve achieved has taught us that there’s always more to learn, that nothing is impossible when it’s passion that drives everything. Today, we are happy to take part in this important international event,” says Stefano Gabbana.
In a tough year for Baselworld, the show’s managing director Michel Loris-Melikoff is happy to share some good news.
“We are delighted to welcome Dolce&Gabbana to Baselworld and to start working together. We are embarking on a creative process that will allow Dolce&Gabbana to express not only its uniqueness to the 80,000 expected visitors, but also to benefit from the programme we are putting in place to keep the international community alive throughout the year, digitally and physically. Because this is precisely our vision of a platform of experiences: enabling brands to be unique in their presentation to their various audiences while benefiting from the networks and powerful audience of Baselworld,” he says.
