The Furlan Marri Disco Volante Diamonds Onyx, a Brilliant Flashback Watch

When you hear the word ‘Disco’, your mind will probably wander to the era of bell-bottom jeans, platform shoes, funky music and glitter balls. But with the Disco Volante, indie watchmakers Furlan Marri travel back in time even further, rekindling design codes from the 1930s. You see, the ‘Disco’ part refers to a saucer, and in reality, a flying saucer or ‘Disco Volante‘. Referring to the shape of the case, the Furlan Marri Disco Volante collection made its debut last year, but now welcomes a (so far) proverbial crown jewel, the wonderfully stylish Disco Diamonds Onyx!

The case remains untouched, with a lovely, compact 38mm diameter and height of 8.95mm. The curved and stepped bezel, hidden or tucked lugs, and recessed crown add further vintage charm, and there’s a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on either side of the case. The finishing shows a mix of polished and brushed areas, and it’s water-resistant to 50 meters.

Moving to the dial, this is where the Disco Diamonds Onyx really shines, almost literally. It starts with the black onyx base dial, which is always a joy in itself. While the layout of the indications is similar to the debut models, things have been cleaned up a bit for a very important reason: to accommodate the lab-grown baguette-cut diamonds hour markers (well, some at least). Intersected with a sector-like scale on the outer edge, these give the Disco Diamonds Onyx its undeniable flair, without going overboard. Honestly, if you don’t know they’re there when you first see the watch live, you might easily miss them. The hands for the hours and minutes have a Super-LumiNova insert along their spine, and at 6′ you will find the small seconds sub-dial.

Technically, the Disco Diamonds Onyx comes with the same Peseux 7001 movement as its Disco Volante counterparts. This manual-wound ultra-slim calibre runs at a rate of 21,600vph and has a power reserve of 42 hours. Some of the components are finished by hand to elevate it from its standard appearance, and it is, of course, visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.

One of the highlights of the Furlan Marri Disco Diamonds Onyx, apart from its stellar dial, is the bracelet. Not content with just any type of bracelet, Furlan Marri went for a period-style woven mesh bracelet, which looks absolutely brilliant! It fits the watch perfectly and is the proverbial icing on the cake. Next to that, you also get a black leather strap with a pin buckle, if you want to make it a touch more formal. Limited to 100 pieces for this year, with future production not yet determined, it retails for CHF 3,500.

For more information, please visit FurlanMarri.com.