Geneva Watch Days 2025: Furlan Marri Elevates The Disco Volante With Laboratory-Grown Diamonds And Onyx Elegance

Furlan Marri continues its mission to reimagine vintage horological codes with contemporary sensibility, introducing the Disco Volante Onyx Diamonds at Geneva Watch Days 2025. This latest iteration represents a significant milestone for the brand, marking their first foray into diamond-set timepieces while maintaining their commitment to accessible luxury through thoughtful material choices and meticulous craftsmanship.

Reviving the Flying Saucer Legacy
The Disco Volante concept traces its origins to the late 1930s, when watchmakers began experimenting with sleek, round cases featuring large yet invisible lugs concealed beneath the case structure. These "flying saucer" designs prioritized fluid aesthetics, often integrating crowns seamlessly into the case profile to maintain uninterrupted curves. Over the decades, this design philosophy evolved through various interpretations, maintaining its retro charm while acquiring jewelry-like refinement.
Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al Marri have approached this historical template with characteristic attention to contemporary relevance. Their 38mm interpretation expands upon vintage 36mm proportions, creating better wrist presence while preserving the essential design DNA. The rounded case form and curved bezel demonstrate the duo's understanding that successful vintage reinterpretation requires subtle modernization rather than slavish copying.

At the heart of the Disco Volante Onyx Diamonds lies the manually wound Peseux 7001 movement, a calibre that embodies Swiss watchmaking heritage. Originally developed in the 1950s and first marketed in 1971, this ultra-thin movement represents a fascinating intersection of traditional design and industrial innovation. At just 2.5mm thick, the 7001 enabled the creation of elegantly proportioned dress watches during an era when mechanical timekeeping faced unprecedented challenges from quartz technology. Furlan Marri has extensively reworked this historic movement, redesigning bridges and applying hand-finished decoration throughout. The barrel bridge features diamond-polished edges with hand-finished beveling, straight-grained flanks, and polished surfaces around the jewels, complemented by côtes de Genève patterns. The crown wheel receives black-polishing with sunray brushing, while the train wheel bridge mirrors the barrel bridge's finishing techniques. Even the screws receive specular-polishing, demonstrating the level of attention applied to components typically hidden from view.

Material Innovation: Laboratory-Grown Diamonds
The introduction of laboratory-grown diamonds represents a significant philosophical statement for Furlan Marri. Rather than pursuing traditional luxury materials regardless of cost, the brand has chosen synthetic diamonds that offer identical properties to natural stones while providing superior traceability and accessibility. These laboratory-created gems share the same carbon composition, purity, brilliance, and color characteristics as mined diamonds, subjected to identical certification standards including the traditional "4Cs" evaluation criteria. Six baguette-cut diamonds totaling 0.12 carats are set directly into the onyx dial, forming hour markers at 2, 4, 8, and 10 o'clock positions, with a double index at 12. Each diamond is secured by small steel "cages," creating a technical mounting solution that complements the watch's industrial design heritage while ensuring long-term stability.

Dial Architecture and Aesthetic Integration
The onyx dial represents more than mere material selection; it demonstrates Furlan Marri's understanding of how surface treatments affect light interaction. This semi-precious stone from the chalcedony family provides deep black tones that create striking contrast with the diamond markers while reflecting light with remarkable clarity. The four-part dial construction features sharp, meticulously crafted angles that showcase the brand's commitment to finishing quality. Applied hour markers at 12, 3, and 9 o'clock complement the diamond indices, while double-printed indicators and text ensure optimal legibility. The subdial at 6 o'clock displays running seconds, balanced within the overall composition through careful proportional relationships. Curved hands feature Super-LumiNova inserts in BGW9 blue, creating nighttime visibility while adding another layer of visual interest to the dial architecture.

The 316L stainless steel case measures 38mm in diameter and 8.95mm thick, dimensions that reflect contemporary preferences while maintaining dress watch proportions. The curved bezel enhances wearing comfort and visual flow, while 50-meter water resistance provides practical durability. Front and rear sapphire crystals feature five layers of anti-reflective coating plus an anti-fingerprint treatment, demonstrating attention to daily usability alongside aesthetic considerations. The integrated crown design maintains the Disco Volante's fluid silhouette while providing adequate grip for manual winding. This detail exemplifies successful vintage reinterpretation: preserving essential design characteristics while incorporating contemporary manufacturing precision and user-friendly functionality.

Strap Options and Wearing Experience
Furlan Marri provides two wearing options: a stainless steel mesh bracelet and a black textured leather strap in vegetable-tanned Italian leather. The mesh bracelet complements the case's industrial aesthetic while providing flexible comfort, while the leather alternative offers more traditional dress watch presentation. The PVD-coated buckle features signed branding and brushed interior finishing with engraved reference numbers, maintaining quality consistency across all components. Priced at CHF 3,500, the Disco Volante Onyx Diamonds occupies an interesting position within the contemporary watch market. This pricing reflects Furlan Marri's commitment to accessibility while acknowledging the increased complexity introduced by diamond setting and movement decoration. Annual limited production constrained by Peseux 7001 availability ensures exclusivity without artificial scarcity. The watch will be available through Furlan Marri's website, their Geneva showroom, and selected retailers, maintaining the brand's controlled distribution approach while expanding accessibility for international customers.

Cultural Significance and Brand Evolution
The Disco Volante Onyx Diamonds represents more than product development; it demonstrates how contemporary independent brands can honor horological heritage while addressing modern luxury consumption patterns. By choosing laboratory-grown diamonds, Furlan Marri acknowledges shifting attitudes toward traditional luxury materials while maintaining uncompromising quality standards. This release positions Furlan Marri alongside other independent brands successfully bridging vintage inspiration with contemporary innovation, proving that accessible luxury and exceptional craftsmanship need not be mutually exclusive in today's horological landscape.