CLASSIC designs start off as the trends in their time. When revived, these may elegantly evolve and be adapted to the present aesthetic.
Italian watch manufacturer D1 Milano was born in Milan, Italy in 2013. The brand’s 26-year-old founder and CEO Dario Spallone began working on it as a business concept while studying at the Bocconi University of Milan. The brand expanded after it gained traction from the Bocconi University Business Incubator in 2014 — a workshop for start-up businesses.
It is now present in 28 countries and has its headquarters in Dubai and Hong Kong.
Martina Zonta, D1 Milano Sales Area Manager for Asia Pacific, noted that the brand is “not high-end where you spend a lot of money for” but it has “a high-end look.”
“They can spend a good amount of money for a reasonable high end-looking watch behind a lot of quality materials,” she told BusinessWorld of the brand’s design, during the launch at The Refined men’s grooming lounge in BGC, Taguig City on Jan. 30.
The watch’s design is inspired from the 1970s aesthetic where watches had a clean, slightly rounded square shape.
D1 Milano is launching four of its collections in Manila: the Polycarbon, Ultra Thin, P701, and the Super Slim.
The bestselling timepiece is the Polycarbon collection (P8,000 to P11,800) which has a thin and lightweight 40mm quartz with a black Luminova finish on the hands. It comes with either a silicone strap or polycarbon bracelet.
The Super Slim collection (P11,500 to P13,800), designed with a stainless steel 36mm or 40mm case, comes with interchangeable strap options such as Perlon, leather, or Milanese.
The Ultra Thin collection (P18,200 to P23,800) comes with Italian suede leather strap or a full stainless steel bracelet. It comes in 38mm or 40mm.
The P701 collection (P34,200 to P43,800) uses a 1.55mm stainless steel case with an automatic movement and is paired with either a rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet. It is available in either a skeleton or a solid black dial.
According to the Mr. Spallone, D1 Malino’s appeal is about sporting one’s attitude. “Someone who would wear D1 Milano is cool, who plays by the rules but has some unique detail that they like to look at that makes them stand out. We say people who wear our watches wear their attitudes, this is a watch that gives you social recognition even if it doesn’t cost $10,000. It’s not about the price,” he was quoted as saying is a press release.
“This is a watch that you can wear every day and don’t feel it, but at the same time it makes you proud because it differentiates you, it shows that you care about details, about trends about style.”
D1 Milano is available in Swissgear Greenbelt 1, Wristpod Uptown Mall, Robinsons Ermita, SM Megamall, Swissgear Shangri-La Mall, and SM North EDSA. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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