Jamie Weiss
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the new Furlan Mari Disco Volante! Known for their tasteful homages to classic vintage watches, the fan-favorite Swiss independent brand has long been a champion of traditional watch design. But their latest creation, the Disco Volante, pays homage to one of the most radical watch formats of the 20th century, one of the most striking and forward-thinking watch designs ever conceived, despite its roots in the Art Deco movement.
One of the great joys I’ve had since joining the Time+Tide team is the opportunity to get to know some of the most exciting and interesting people in the watch industry. One of those people is Andrea Furlan of Furlan Marri, and the rest of his and Hamad Al Marri’s team. Andrea is quite the gentleman; soft-spoken, yet incredibly passionate about watchmaking. Andrea and Hamad’s approach to their namesake brand is careful, thoughtful, and fundamentally community-focused. They’re well-versed in watch design and history, and have a proven track record of making timepieces that enthusiasts love. But will their latest creation continue the brand’s winning streak?
When Andrea visited us at Discovery Studios in Melbourne for the Time + Tide 10th anniversary event in January this year, he told us he was working on something big, but he kept mum about it. In late April, when we were in Geneva for fair season, he gave us a sneak peek at a prototype of the watch we’re talking about today, and it was one of the most exciting things we saw all week.
A few months later, Furlan Marri had billboards alluding to the watch popping up around Geneva and even in New York’s Times Square, boldly announcing, “The next Furlan Marri is…” with Asimov- and Pulp Fiction-style graphics. Now the wait is over, there’s no need to keep it a secret any longer, as Furlan Marri has finally taken the wraps off Disco Volante!
History of Disco Volante
As mentioned at the beginning of this review, the term doesn’t refer to a specific watch, but rather to a variety of watches with large stepped or decorated bezels produced throughout the 20th century, many of which feature a lug-less design that makes the watch head appear to float above the wrist. “Disco Volante” means “flying saucer” in Italian, and refers to the round, futuristic design of these watches. To be clear, “Disco Volante” was never an official model name (until now, thanks to Furlan Marri). Rather, it was a nickname given to a variety of watches.
Famous watchmakers who have produced watches called “Disco Volante” include the holy trinity of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin, as well as other big names such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, Piaget, and Universal Genève. The prototype for the Disco Volante is the Audemars Piguet ref. 5093, designed in 1953 by Gebhard Dubé and manufactured by case maker Egly & Cie.
The first Disco Volante designs appeared in the late 1930s (pure Art Deco), and Disco Volante-inspired designs were in production well into the ’80s. But, at least to my eyes, it’s the AP ref. 5093 that most inspired the Furlan Mari Disco Volante.
Incident
Furlan Mari’s Disco Volante features a curved stepped bezel, alternating concave and convex faces, a flat crown and a lug-less design. While most Disco Volante watches of the time were made from gold, Furlan Mari’s watch is made from steel, which gives it a pebble-like shine on the wrist.
Furlan Marri explains that with the Disco Volante, they “wanted to convince us with a smaller watch diameter.” While vintage Disco Volante watches typically have case diameters of 36mm or less, the Furlan Marri Disco Volante is unintentionally 38mm. By modern standards it’s slightly smaller than average, but by vintage standards it’s large. It is, however, quite thin at just under 9mm in height. The hidden lug design means that there is no lug-to-lug connection whatsoever, making it perfectly sized (a major benefit of this type of design).
Dial
At launch, the watch will be available in three dial colors: salmon and brown Havana Disco, white and blue Disco Celeste, and cream and green Disco Verde. These fun colors set the Furlan Marri Disco Volante apart from vintage models, but its true differences become apparent when you turn off the lights: a thin strip of lume runs around the numerals and small seconds, as well as the hour and minute hands.
Very few vintage Disco Volante models feature any luminous material, let alone the bright modern Super-LumiNova, and that is certainly not the form Furlan Marri has chosen. With this whimsical lume, Furlan Marri has truly expressed the sci-fi connotations of the Disco Volante name. These watches look like real flying saucers, shining like retro-futuristic alien UFOs.
Aside from the unexpected colors and visual drama of the luminous track, these dials are unmistakably Furlan Marri designs, featuring a subtle sector pattern, the brand’s signature serifed numerals around the minute track, and numerous concentric circle motifs. The Disco Volante is Furlan Marri’s most complex dial to date, featuring radially brushed colored rings on the hour and minute tracks, separated by a luminous track, all sitting atop a matte central section. It’s so beautiful.
strap
The primary purpose of the Disco Volante’s invisible lug design is to provide a luxurious feel on the wrist, so the strap is very important. Each Furlan Marri Disco Volante comes with two vegetable-tanned Italian leather straps: a caramel strap and a dark brown strap for the Havana Disco, a light grey strap and a dark blue strap for the Disco Celeste, and a beige strap and a green strap for the Disco Verde. All feature comfortable tumbled leather uppers with tone-on-tone stitching, brushed stainless steel pin buckles, and curved quick-release spring bars for easy replacement. While some vintage Disco Volante models feature metal bracelets, the majority feature leather straps, which are perfectly in keeping with the theme.
motion
This flying saucer has no warp drive or flux capacitors. Instead, the Furlan Marri Disco Volante is powered by the manually wound Peseux 7001, a prolific caliber known for its reliability and relative simplicity. But in true Furlan Marri style, the Disco Volantes have significantly improved the 7001. The 7001’s bridges have been redesigned and are beautifully finished with diamond polished edges, hand-finished chamfers, Côtes de Genève, and straight-grain flanks.
Other finishes such as the mirror polished, sunray brushed crown wheel and all jeweled bosses show exceptional finesse and added value, all proudly on display through the see-through caseback. At just 2.5mm thick, the Peseux 7001 makes the Furlan Marri Disco Volante extremely easy to maintain while achieving a thinness that rivals that of vintage Disco Volante references (although your average watchmaker’s Peseux 7001 components will not be as nicely finished as Furlan Marri’s). The only criticism of this movement choice is its disappointing 42-hour power reserve, but compromises have to be made somewhere.
Verdict
Furlan Mali’s popularity has always been easy to understand. The company creates beautiful modern timepieces with meticulous attention to detail, inspired by hard-to-find vintage models. They aren’t exact replicas, but respectful imitations. They’re not cheap knock-offs. The Disco Volante is the epitome of this. A perfect blend of classic and contemporary, an imitation of multiple eras of design and watchmaking. It’s the Platonic ideal of the Disco Volante.
The case and dial are ’30s-esque, but the alien-like lume evokes ’60s sci-fi. Or maybe ’90s designs like the Ikepod or Nike Triax. It brings to mind crop circles, Roswell Grey, and smoky cocktail bars. It’s dressy yet funky, and with a resurgence of interest in shapes like the Cartier Pebble and Baignoire, it works well. Definitely a watch for enthusiasts.
Another interesting thing is the price. At just under $3,000, it’s a significant increase for a Fullan Mali, but compared to the price of a vintage Disco Volante on the market today, it’s far more affordable for the average watch enthusiast. In that sense, this watch democratizes one of the most coveted vintage-shaped watches while still setting a high bar for finishing and flair. All I can say is, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
Furlan Marri Disco Volante Pricing and Availability
The Furlan Marri Disco Volante is available for pre-order now from the Time+Tide Shop. Price: USD 2,780 (excl. VAT), CHF 2,500 (excl. VAT)
Brand Furlan Mari Model Disco Volante Case Size 38mm (D) x 8.95mm (T) x 38mm (LTL) Case Material 316L stainless steel Water Resistance 50m Crystal Sapphire front and back Dial Havana Disco (salmon), Disco Celeste (blue/white), Disco Verde (green/cream) Strap Vegetable tanned Italian leather, steel pin buckle Movement Peseux 7001, manual winding Power Reserve 42 hours Functions Hours, minutes, seconds Availability Now accepting preorders Price US$2,780 (excl. VAT), CHF 2,500 (excl. VAT)
