At the moment, the new range of watches by Trussardi includes just one mechanical watch (the chronograph on the left in this photo), with all the others powered by quartz movements. The watches are the result of a deal between fashion brand Trussardi and the Morellato group, the latter a company based near Padua, Italy, that specializes in watches. As well as Morellato Group’s own brands, Morellato, Sector, Philip Watch, Pianegonda, Chronostar and Bluespirit (the latter is a chain of watch and jewellery stores with 220 shops in seven countries), they also make watches for Just Cavalli, John Galliano, Maserati and Miss Sixty.

The new Trussardi watches are all designed by the fashion brand’s Creative Director Gaia Trussardi, and the project is backed by the enthusiasm of Tomaso Trussardi, CEO of the brand, who has a personal interest in timepieces. Their price range will be from about €500 to €2,000. I wonder why a luxury fashion brand should choose to launch watches that are right at the bottom of the luxury watch price segment? Click here to read about other fashion brands and their watches.

The agreement was signed in June 2014, and the first group of watches was presented at the end of November 2014. They are currently available in some of the brand’s principal stores.

The automatic chronograph (in the photo below) is the only mechanical watch in the collection. It attractively blends a circular dial with oval bezel and a combination of what looks like steel and brushed or bright gold materials in case and strap. The treatment of the chronograph pushers is particularly attractive, much more stylish than the usual doorknob-type pushers. The chronograph seconds hand has a greyhound-shape counterweight, the Trussardi logo; the same logo appears on the hour counter at 6 o’clock. The other two subdials are for chronograph minutes (9 o’clock) and continuous seconds (3 o’clock). The watch is powered by the ETA-Valjoux 7750 movement, which is used in many chronographs. Instead of the traditional – and expensive – column wheel, the Valjoux 7750 has a ‘heart piece limiter,’ a single component that controls starting, stopping and reset of the chronograph, and that requires less precision in terms of shape to attain the same functions. The movement runs at 28,800 bph, and has a power reserve of 48 hours.

The GMT watch (below) has a quartz movement, Ronda 515.24H, and an attractive antique-look strap.

The other watches in the collection are all quartz, with models for men and smaller pieces (36 mm) for women: