Gucci Presents The Lion Head, Dionysus And Gucci Play, An Array Of High Jewelry Watch Designs

Gucci perpetuates the avant-garde thinking that defines jeweled-watch design with a dazzling treasure trove of precious designs taking inspiration from the House’s fabled design motifs and archive, with each of the Dionysus, Lion Head, Gucci Play collections.

These symbolic designs shine a spotlight on the kind of rare, artistic techniques that established Gucci as an eminent Italian design house a century ago – each watch being a mini masterpiece of craft excellence.

The integration of precious gemstones into watch design requires imaginative engineering, offering jewels and gem-setters an artistic challenge, while the slim watch movements allow the watches to take on voluminous forms, such as the Lion Head, that has a strong presence to the wrist.

The Gucci High Jewelry watch collection sets gems at the center of the designs, further heightening our curiosity around precious stones. The result is a compelling coming together of art, craft, precision and style – each watch presenting its own story in gleaming precious metals and stones.

• Dionysus
  

Dionysus’ tiger has been a powerful Gucci design motif since the 1970s and in 2021, it is revealed on a striking 18kt gold and diamond watch, its bangle set with 396 diamonds of exceptional quality. The motif recounts the tale of the Greek god’s journey across water on the back of a tiger sent by his father to see him safely to shore – the Tigris river is said to have taken its name from the fable.
Today, Dionysus’ tiger is realised in goldwork and expertly cut brilliant, marquise and navette diamonds. Three tiger heads, each with glinting green tsavorite eyes, circle the dial, while the fully diamond-set dial is highlighted with four verdant tsavorite markers. The Dionysus watch case, which rotates to fit, is exquisitely decorated and set with diamonds.

• Gucci Play
  

As the leading fashion watch designer in the 1980s, Gucci was ahead of the curve with the alla moda Gucci Play – a fine bangle watch with a personal touch – the interchangeable bezel allowed owners to customize the watch colour, so that the watch could be as casual or elegant as they preferred.

Today the Gucci Play makes a glamorous reappearance in high jewelry form. From 18kt white gold and 18kt yellow gold, with the option of a mother-of-pearl or full pavé dial, the classic design is elevated in simply precious style. Heightening its proud po-sition as a Gucci design great, the interchangeable bezel concept is realised in various precious versions with the famed House logo – the Interlocking G. A pavé white gold ‘GG’ bezel, set with 196 diamonds, is also revealed.

The Dionysus tiger emblem is also created as an interchangeable watch bezel for the Gucci Play, designed to curve protectively around the watch dial in 18kt yellow gold set with green tsavorites, 18kt yellow gold set with 29 diamonds, or 18kt white gold set with 29 diamonds. The tiger also springs vividly to life in two dazzling 18kt white gold fully gem-set bezels – one set with 144 diamonds and 7 bold emeralds, the other with 144 diamonds and 7 swimming-pool blue Paraiba tourmalines.

As one of the most favoured symbols in Alessandro Michele’s cultural canon, the Ouroboros – the snake destined to taste its tale for infinity, representing the natural cycle of life and our ability to change within it. The Gucci Play Ouroboros is presented in five flawlessly engraved 18kt white and yellow gold gem-set iterations. The magnetism of the mystic creature is celebrated in four designs, each set with a mesmer-izing precious gemstone – a diamond, a ruby, an emerald or a blue sapphire. The fifth design takes on the form of the brilliant, glittering nose-to-tail serpent in full, diamond-set form.

• Lion Head
  

The lion is an enduring Gucci motif and in 2021 its presence becomes even more powerful in the shape of a bold timepiece created in precious materials. The Gucci Lion Head Secret Watch carries on a centuries-old tradition of watches that were de-signed to hide the dial. When the wristwatch was in its infancy as a much sought-after item of personal technology, jewelers created little shields for watch dials, allowing timepieces a mischievous dual nature, wonderfully suited to social occasions. The high jewelry watch appeared only as a striking gem-set bracelet, but it contained a little secret known only to the wearer: with a gentle push of the dial shield, they could check whether it was time to stay or go.

The noble beauty of the Lion Head makes for a supremely striking 18kt gem-set gold bangle when the dial is closed. Only the wearer knows the secret that lies within, which at a gentle push, the head revolves to reveal a vivid hardstone dial, be it tiger’s eye, turquoise or green malachite. Two 18kt yellow gold and diamond designs – each with an alligator strap in a corresponding colour tone – and one 18kt white gold watch with black alligator strap, are presented. Each watch crown is diamond-set, while the rotating lion head dial-cover flashes with diamond-set eyes.

About Gucci

Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury fashion brands. As the House marks its 100th Anniversary under the Creative Direction of Alessandro Michele, with Marco Bizzarri as President and Chief Executive, Gucci moves forward into the coming decades with an ongoing commitment in redefining luxury, while celebrating the creativity, innovation and Italian craftsmanship at the core of its values.

Gucci is part of the global luxury group Kering, which manages the development of a series of renowned Maisons in fashion, leather goods, jewelry and watches.

For further information about Gucci visit www.gucci.com