Giuliano Mazzuoli Manometro
The first Guiliano Mazzuoli Manometro was launched in 2005. Dr Edwina Davies reviews this recent version of the watch which resembles a tyre pressure gauge.
MRP01N
Here is a timepiece at once both familiar and unusual. It’s cylindrical form and sturdiness instil a comfortable feel as of an old acquaintance and yet it is pleasingly different and has a modernity of style.
Then it becomes apparent. Here is the tyre pressure gauge of garage forecourts, now not so frequently in use as when tyre inflation at home meant resorting to a foot pump and it was infinitely preferable to use the garage’s air supply. That utilitarian piece of equipment had value, merit and so was regarded fondly.
The appeal remains, now presented in a different media.
Born of the manometer form, Guiliano Mazzuoli created a practical and appealing watch. He translated his skills from making pens and working in his father’s stationery business to the making of desirable timepieces, launching the first Manometro in 2005.
Familiar form emphasises the watch’s functionality. It is easy to read, clean and uncluttered. It looks solidly dependable. It has an openness and honesty which is beguiling.
The dial
Simple to read, the form and character of the dial is unpretentious and presents the requisite information, hours, minutes and seconds unequivocally. It has a purity of line and structure.
MRP01N
The numbers are lightly delineated and Arabic in form, no heavy brushstrokes. Similarly, the chapter ring is delicately drawn, the five-minute integers just a little thicker than the rest. Nothing is clumsy or heavy despite the strength of its form and shape. The lettering is undramatic but so readable and perfectly defined that you want to applaud.
Presented with no distracting flourishes is Mazzuoli’s nomenclature, his logo and the name of the watch. The legend “Swiss Made” is located at the southerly aspect of the dial. For thoroughly Italian is its lineage and design it is the proud product of Swiss manufacture.
Straight black edges define the hands which have a luminous insert. The hour batons are also luminous and their strong shape aids visibility in the dark.
A splash of colour against the ivory of the dial, adding interest, is furnished by the red 12 and the delicate, slender second hand with its two triangles, one indicating the passing seconds and the other providing a counterbalance.
All the delights of this watch’s honest, open face are clearly visible through the sapphire crystal.
The case
Bold but not brash, solidly cylindrical, the case is sturdy in form promising durability and dependability, of stainless steel.
MLB01N
It is 45.2 mm in diameter and 14.8 mm in depth. I favour the brushed satin finish version as the case contrasts nicely with the knurled, screwed-down crown with its embellishment of the Mazzuoli logo.
Ingenuity of design allows the crown to be set at 2 o’clock or 10 o’clock thereby facilitating the winding dependent on whether the wearer is left or right-handed. The model depicted has the crown set at 2 o’clock to facilitate winding by a right-handed person. It is prominent, again facilitating winding or the adjustment of the hands.
The bezel is softly rounded and comfortably broad.
Turn over the case and the eight fixing screws are visible, set in pairs at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. Their prominence imbues a sense of security, trust in the timepiece.
The movement
The movement is Swiss, the ETA automatic (ETA 2824/2), with Côtes de Genève motif.
With its screw-down crown, it is water-resistant to 50 metres.
Other features
The strap is uncompromising, thick tan leather on the selected version, although other colour options are available for dial and strap, as well as other finishes.
The calfskin is handcrafted and unusually the strap is fitted directly into the case. No lugs, just four screws clearly visible and making a statement of masculinity, strength and the watch’s totally uncompromising persona. Superfluous elements are unnecessary, a distraction, nothing superfluous detracts from the functions it performs. The creator’s name appears on the inside of the strap.
It is fastened with a simple tang buckle, again carrying the Mazzuoli logo.
Conclusion
I love the cleanness of lines of this watch. Its lack of frills appeals. It is different, uncompromising, but so practical that as the first Manometro sold out quickly and the style has remained a favourite, so this too must still appeal to those with an eye for design and who want precision, readability and reliability.
Technical specification
- Model: Giuliano Mazzuoli Manometro
- Reference: MRB01N
- Case: Stainless steel; diameter 45.2 mm, height 14.80 mm; water-resistant to 5 bar (50 metres); sapphire crystal to front and solid case back.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; central seconds.
- Movement: ETA 2824/2, self-winding; frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz) ; 25 jewels ; power reserve 38 hours.
- Strap: Tan calfskin with stainless steel pin buckle.
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