Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic ‘Cinquanta’ and ‘Bauhaus’ Editions
The artist and mechanic come together in the new Labormatic, presented in two fascinating styles.
Italians are known for quite a few things, amongst which is their unmistakable sense of style and design. From fashion and shoes to automobiles, kitchen appliances, furniture and art, Italian flair is ever-present. So much so, that specific terms are used to describe people who embrace this flamboyancy and elegance. The term Gagà for instance, refers to the Dandy or gentlemen-like lifestyle of Italians in the 1920s and 1930s, defining an elegant personal style by breaking with conformity and trends. This is the very inspiration of Gagà Laboratorio, a spin-off brand of Gagà Milano, founded in 2024 by Ruben Tomella. Where Gagà Milano focuses more on luxury designer watches, its laboratory-like derivative takes on a more innovative and creative mechanical personality. Ruben Tomella, along with his friend and legendary tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta now embark on this adventure with the Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic Cinquanta and Bauhaus.
The Labormatic is described as being an expression of both artistic and mechanical craftsmanship. It’s said to combine design with mechanics, in reference to the Latin etymology of ‘Labor’, meaning not only ‘work’ but also effort, diligence and enterprise. This comes to life in a pair of rather eyecatching watches called Cinquanta, which finds inspiration in the zesty lifestyle of the 1950s, and Bauhaus, taking after the iconic minimalistic geometrical style for design and architecture. The differences are subtle yet set both in opposite directions. The Cinquanta is the more frivolous of the two, with fresh colours and a playful font. The Bauhaus on the other hand, impresses with a black & grey colour palette and stronger contrasts. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, and start with the exterior.
The case design of the Labormatic is quite striking, and a spin on Gagà Milano’s signature look. As a spin-off brand focused more on horology, the Labormatic gets a few more details to make it stand out from the masses. The seven-part stainless steel case, measuring 42mm in diameter and 13.30mm in height, has strongly curved and stepped lugs for instance, and a crown positioned at noon, right in between the top lugs. A nice touch is the fact the larger top sections of the lugs are in fact separate parts from the lower, brushed lug elements. The middle case for the Cinquanta is clear brushed stainless steel, while the Bauhaus gets a gunmetal grey coating. A sapphire crystal on top protects the dial, while another one around the back protects and reveals the automatic movement (more on that in a bit).
The dial of the Labormatic will surely grab attention left, right and centre. It’s built up out of either a charcoal black/grey or fresh green colour and five segmented raised sections laid out in a circle. At the top of the circle, a dedicated framed window reveals the running hour display. The discs have alternating colours for the odd and even hours, with the digits in either large or small fonts. One step in, the Cinquanta shows the running minutes with a revolving window over the signature font and subtle red arrow pointer, while the Bauhaus does the same yet with a more outspoken red hand over black markers. In the middle, a revolving disc adorning the Gagà Laboratorio logo acts as the running seconds display.
Housed inside the stainless steel case is the G100 automatic movement made by La Joux-Perret. This runs at a rate of 28,800vph and delivers a comfortable 68 hours of running time. It can be seen through the transparent caseback, and it’s fitted with a partially openworked bespoke Gagà Laboratorio rotor with a charcoal coating. The finishing of the movement is rather pleasant, with Côtes de Genève, perlage and more.
Gagà Laboratorio puts both the Labormatic Cinquanta and Bauhaus editions on a handmade Safiano leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle adorned with the brand’s logo. The Cinquanta gets a grey strap with a polished buckle, while the Bauhaus comes on a black strap with a darkened buckle to match with the mid-case. These suave watches are not limited by number and retail for CHF 3,900. Both will be available through The Limited Edition UK and Chronopassion.
For more information, please visit GagàLaboratorio.com.
