ESQUIRE:First Look: Ermenegildo Zegna's New Monterubello Watches

Every sensible man of substance craves a fine wristwatch and it behooves him to educate himself on the better brands, the technicalities, and the inner machinations of one of the most important stylish investments he can make. One of the first things he will learn about watches is that almost all of them are Swiss. Swiss made, Swiss-assembled, made using Swiss parts, or made by a feller who once went on a camping holiday in the Alps. The closer a watch is to Switzerland, the better it is — or, at least, that is the conventional wisdom that has held sway for a century or two.

Such is the concentration of expertise and the spiritual hegemony of Swiss watchmaking that only a bare handful of brands from elsewhere, or from other disciplines, ever stand a chance of making a success of watchmaking. Which is why clothing brands, even the most luxurious ones, are wary of treading on Swiss toes. There are a few very notable exceptions. Witness Ermenegildo Zegna's new "Monterubello" wristwatch, that launches this week in a select few U.S. outlets, created in close collaboration with legendary Swiss maker Girard Perregaux. The Monterubello is named after the mountain that towers over the Zegna family's 101-year-old textile and clothing headquarters in Trivero, Piemonte. The design of the watch itself was inspired by a pocket watch in the family's possession, once owned by Michaelangelo Zegna, great-grandfather of Gildo Zegna, who was, serendipitously, a watchmaker.

A chrono and more simple version both carry two of GP’s famed in-house movements; each are automatics with a 46-hour power reserve. Aesthetically, they exude the kind of luxury for which the Zegna brand is known across countless categories. They also have all the technical hallmarks at which certain Swiss brands are so very good. In other words, it's a match made in heaven.

Rose gold chrono with brown alligator strap ($28,300) and rose gold solo tempo with black alligator strap ($14,800), by Ermenegildo Zegna.

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