Audemars Piguet's aesthetic in an affordable model

Gorilla, a new brand founded in 2016, has released its second model, "[The FASTBACK GT] DRIFT."

When I saw this model, I was reminded of the popular "My Omakase" series. The concept of chefs who have worked in top restaurants offering high-end cuisine at affordable prices struck me as a perfect fit for this model.

After all, the concept of offering high specifications at a low price is exactly the same. And it delivers a level that transcends mere cost performance.



Gorilla was founded by two individuals: Octavio Garcia, who built a career at Omega and Audemars Piguet, overseeing the creativity of the entire Audemars Piguet brand as Chief Artistic Officer in 2010; and Lucas Goupil, who served as a senior designer at IWC, Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry, and Audemars Piguet.

The two met at Audemars Piguet and aim to bring the "craftsmanship philosophy" and "specifications" of top brands like Audemars Piguet within our reach. Their dedication is evident from the price of their first model.

This is also true for the "[The FASTBACK GT] DRIFT," which features the brand's first complex movement. What's truly astonishing is that the movement was co-developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.

Vaucher specializes in the development and manufacturing of high-end movements, supporting many world-renowned brands with over 100 years of history. With such a top manufacturer collaborating, it's no wonder an interesting model was born.



The adopted mechanism is a wandering hour complication inspired by "drift," a Japanese motorsport. This system displays the time by having three-hour discs point to minute markers located between 10 and 2 o'clock. The development was led by Mr. Hiroshi Hamaguchi, head of movement development at Vaucher. He is Japanese.

He recalls, "The most difficult part was controlling the cost."

This model utilizes a汎用 (general-purpose) movement with a special module. To reduce costs, they thoroughly eliminated waste by decreasing the number of parts and simplifying the mechanism from the original design. However, maintaining the watch's accuracy and robustness while balancing cost must have been more challenging than creating it from scratch.

The finished watch features a design that showcases its components. Mr. Hamaguchi states that the advantage of manufacturing with Vaucher is "the ability to finish the parts." In this model, even the disc holder has been finished. While other brands may excel at module manufacturing, only a select few can achieve the kind of finishing that enhances the design.

And for watch connoisseurs, the "VAUCHER MANUFACTURE FLEURIER" inscription on the dial is surely an unmissable detail. It is said to be the first time in the company's history that Vaucher's name appears on a dial.

"It would be interesting if, someday, watches were known for having 'Vaucher Inside,' much like computers with 'Intel Inside,' wouldn't it?"

With such specifications, the price of 580,000 yen (excluding tax) makes it an undeniable success. The initially planned quantity sold out in no time. However, Mr. Hamaguchi mentioned that they are "aiming for it to become a regular model." This is something we sincerely hope comes to fruition.

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