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De Grisogono Instrumento Grande Open Date

Fawaz Gruosi's new Instrumento Grande Open Date © De Grisogono

Fawaz Gruosi's new Instrumento Grande Open Date © De Grisogono

An enhanced dial adds to an original timepiece

De Grisogono Pre Basel 2009 – Always one step ahead of trendiness, Fawaz Gruosi now proposes the Instrumento Grande Open Date – originality on the wrist from an explorer of tomorrow’s moods and currents. A man’s watch with an open dial? Normal – it has nothing to hide and everything to show.

This updated version of the Instrumento Grande Open Date can be defined by its elegant, easy-to-read dial. The 2, 4, 8 and 11 o’clock hour markers have been removed and the de Grisogono logo shifted to 9 o’clock, improving on the original Instrumento Grande’s readability and functionality. With its open dial displaying two exceptionally large discs forming the date, the Instrumento Grande Open Date combines utility and elegance. Just like earlier designs by Fawaz Gruosi, it’s a brilliant blend of technical innovation and daring design.

Challenging the rules of geometry

Two perfect circles meeting in a strict rectangle, triangles contrasting with the case’s right angles – de Grisogono reinvents geometry with the Instrumento Grande Open Date, a harmonious combination of curves, straight lines and angles. The guilloché brass dial opening, divided into quarters, reveals two large date discs, with the current date appearing in a transfer aperture at 6 o’clock, where the discs overlap.

Offset towards 3 o’clock, the two large discs add to the originality and stylishness of this modern, refined timepiece. Several original details contribute to the perpetual-movement design of the Instrumento Grande Open Date. Its large dauphine hands are coated in Superluminova to match the pink gold case, as are the beveled-arrow markers at 3, 9 and 12 o’clock, arrayed around the slowly rotating discs.

Fawaz Gruosi's new Instrumento Grande Open Date © De Grisogono

Fawaz Gruosi's new Instrumento Grande Open Date © De Grisogono

Unveiling its innermost secrets

Like the Instrumento Grande, the Instrumento Grande Open Date features an exceptionally large case. A well proportioned horizontal rectangle, it displays generously rounded hinged strap connectors. With its ingenious, stunning and stylish “at-a-glance” calendar, Fawaz Gruosi’s new design will delight everyone with an eye for the unusual. Not only has its dial revealed its every secret, its heart can also be observed through an opening at 9 o’clock in the case rim. Protected by a sapphire crystal, it provides a penetrating view of the movement from an unexpected angle.

Available in pink gold only, Instrumento Grande Open Date comes in a choice of four masculine dial styles: brown with brown discs and white numerals, black with white discs and black numerals, silvered with white discs and black numerals or set with baguette-cut white diamonds. For any man on the lookout for a dash of originality, this is the watch of choice.

Click here for technical specifications.

As a graphic designer, I'm fascinated by the crossroads between technology and aesthetics. Horology is one of these crafts, where art and engineering come together to produce mechanical wonders that grace the eye. WatchPaper was born from the desire to create an online tool where I can share my passion for watches.