Best known for manufacturing exclusive leather objects, Italian company Palagano is broadening its horizons by entering the watchmaking world. Its newly unveiled limited timepiece collection, the Tempus Fugit Bolide 80 edition, celebrates the launch of the world’s fastest superyacht, the Bolide 80 by Victory Design.
Established in 2015 by Lucio Palagano, Palagano produces fine leather objects that combine style, craftsmanship and technology. The company is guided by a Made-in-Italy philosophy, which has been key to building its enviable reputation in the leather industry.
Having already become a leader in one sector, the company has decided to broaden its range of offerings by entering the world of watchmaking, and it is making its debut with the limited edition Tempus Fugit Bolide 80.
The first model in the Tempus Fugit collection is an extremely limited edition timepiece, which was created to mark the launch of Bolide 80, the world’s fastest superyacht conceived, designed and built entirely in Italy by Victory Design.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Victory Design,” said CEO Lucio Palagano. “It is a brand sharing the same values of quality, elegance, luxury and provenance. Bolide 80 is a flagship made in Italy, with design, naval architecture and manufacturing all done within one company’s wings.
Tempus Fugit reflects the same philosophy, and its rare made-in-Italy mechanical movement is no exception. What is more, Stefano Faggioni’s deep involvement in both projects means that the watch’s design finds a way to that of the Bolide’s interior, ensuring that this customisation of our Tempus Fugit could not be more successful”.
Meaning shooting star in Italian, Bolide 80 is the first in a new breed of yachts, which has been born from the vision of Brunello Acampora, the founder and driving spirit behind Victory Design. Brunello’s goal was to build a superfast yacht that, in many ways, is similar to a high-performance hypercar.
With a heritage hailing from boat racing, the firm has designed and built a 24-metre long on-water torpedo made entirely in carbon fibre with six thousand horsepower at its disposal. All this power allows it to breach the almost mythical 75-knot barrier and cruise at over fifty knots.
It is eighty feet of sculptured beauty and a homage to Italy’s great sportscar designers and to the Italian ability to blend art with science and technical skill with innovation.
“What we are dealing with are truly the jewels of a collection, just 9+1 examples of each model made to measure for the owner. Each yacht is a unique and exclusive example. Bolide, however, is not just a yacht but a lifestyle: a wide-ranging project fusing craftsmanship, modernity and high performance, spontaneously embracing all areas of its owner’s lifestyle. A style that is expressed in choosing to experience the emotion of speed, of a perfume or a watch.” said Brunello Acampora.
In line with the exteriors, the yacht interiors are designed to showcase the best Italian craftsmanship, with exposed carbon fibre and expensive hand-stitched leather from the finest artisan workshops.
The intimate link between the Bolide 80 and Tempus Fugit extends even further: Stefano Faggioni, who penned the watch, also happens to be the yacht’s chief interior designer. He utilised the same skills that enabled him to blend tradition and his vision of the future to produce pieces of furniture which are unique and entirely tailor-made, and these same skills and attention to detail have now found their way to unique timepieces.
Stefano Faggioni, the owner of Studio Faggioni Yacht Design, said, “The idea of capturing time inside a golden cage is for me a metaphor of the illusion of being able to stop time, or at least delay it by just one second, by constructing a precious and privileged space.
Hence, the golden “cage” contains an opaque black mechanism, incorruptible and insensible to any reflection of light. The presence of rubies inside the mechanism is nothing other than confirmation that time is too precious to be stopped, and as such, it is right that it perpetuates its escape.”
The Tempus Fugit Bolide 80’s case has been manufactured by DueEmme Lab and is made from 5-grade titanium and finished with a combination of circular and straight graining.
The movement boasts an elegant skeleton pattern, an absolute novelty for the manufacturer Oisa 1937. The dial is another master stroke of design, with a hub-and-spoke pattern blending with the mechanism’s opening for a unique light effect that shows the balance-escapement.
Rounding things off, the logo of Bolide 80 has been engraved on the case side and the crown. As per the yacht, from which the collection draws its inspiration, the Tempus Fugit Bolide 80 edition will only be available in 9+1 units.
The watch movement is Oisa 1937’s signature calibre 2950 and boasts 19 rubies, 60 hours of power reserve, manual winding and hour-minute-second indications. It measures 29.50mm in diameter and 3.5mm in height, with an unmistakable 5-bridge design, Oisa’s sign of distinction.
Carlo Boggio Ferraris, the grandson of founder Domenico Morezzi and Oisa 1937’s “re-founder”, said, “We are thrilled to be on board this extraordinary project. Bolide 80 is the pinnacle of made-in-Italy in terms of style, performance, craftsmanship and heritage, and these attributes can now – and legitimately – be applied to horology, too.
Oisa 1937 is, in fact, the only fully Italian watch manufacturer and our calibre 2950 proudly enjoys this position of uniqueness. And indeed, heritage is part of our DNA too, because our company dates back to 1937, and its founders would be proud of what we achieved today.”
The box housing the timepiece takes its design clues from the dominant colours seen on the yacht’s interiors. The exterior of the box comes in the same unusual cognac-coloured leather of the sofa, dining table and the two side wings of the ceiling.
Inside, it is covered in black leather, matching the lower deck’s matt-treated carbon fibre. The box is also the work of Marine Leather, the specialists responsible for upholstering Bolide 80.
“Continuous and constant experimentation is entrenched in our DNA,” says CEO Guido De Cesare. “We are thrilled to take part in this fantastic project and showcase the Tempus Fugit at our stand at the next Monaco Yacht Show, Parvis Piscine PP09”.
In addition to being on display at Marine Leather’s booth, Tempus Fugit will also be exhibited at Victory Design stand – Quai JarlainJ02 – next to the show protagonist, Bolide 80.
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