Furlan Marri built its name on the kind of vintage chronograph language that usually lives behind auction glass, then made it approachable without flattening the charm.
The brand’s Mechaquartz Permanent Collection sharpens that idea into a full lineup of slim hybrid chronographs with serious case work, period-minded scales and a compact Seiko VK64 movement inside.
It’s a collection for people who like the feel and visual rhythm of old chronographs, but don’t need the maintenance burden or pricing of a fully mechanical piece.
At a glance
- Furlan Marri’s Mechaquartz Permanent Collection expands the brand’s hybrid chronograph lineup into five distinct dial executions.
- Each watch uses the compact Seiko VK64 mechaquartz movement inside a 38 mm 316L stainless steel case with polished, brushed, perlage and embossed finishing.
- The collection leans on vintage chronograph cues, including pulsometer, asthmometer and tachymeter scales, while remaining positioned around accessibility.
A Borgel thread running through the case
The collection’s design language reaches back to François Borgel, the case maker whose work helped define many important vintage chronographs.
Borgel patented a screw-down case system in 1891, an important development for improving resistance to dust and water in watches of that period.
After Taubert & Fils took over the company, further patents in the 1930s refined those constructions, adding to a lineage that still resonates with collectors of early and mid-century chronographs.
Furlan Marri channels that world through details rather than imitation.
The engraved “Tasti Tondi” style pushers, the architectural caseback and the slim 38 mm profile all point toward the 1940s and 1950s without turning the watch into a costume piece.
The Seiko VK64 keeps the proportions right
The choice of a mechaquartz calibre is central to the collection’s character.
The Seiko VK64 allows the case to stay compact and balanced, which matters on a watch built around vintage chronograph proportions.
It also has a direct connection to Furlan Marri’s earliest days, as the movement powered the brand’s Kickstarter launch and has remained part of its identity since.
Mechaquartz movements emerged in Switzerland and Japan during the late 1980s, at a moment when quartz technology was reshaping the watch industry.
The appeal was simple but clever, pairing quartz precision with mechanical chronograph traits such as a more tactile pusher feel and instantaneous reset.
In the VK64, Furlan Marri gets a robust, compact movement with a smooth central chronograph seconds hand and a pusher action that feels closer to traditional mechanical chronographs than standard quartz timing modules.
Five dials with instrument character
The Permanent Collection includes five executions, each using colour and scale choice to create a different mood on the wrist.
Nero Sabbia combines black and sand tones with a pulsometer scale, giving the watch a desert-at-dusk feel.
Castagna works in brown and taupe, with an asthmometer scale that suits its aged wood and vintage interior palette.
Rosso Grigio brings red and grey into the mix, pairing a bolder urban character with an asthmometer scale.
Ardesia Blu is the calmer option, with deep blue tones and a pulsometer scale inspired by open water and distant horizons.
Sabbia Rosa uses cream and champagne tones with a tachymeter scale, creating the softest and most sunlit version of the group.
The use of pulsometer, asthmometer and tachymeter scales gives the collection more than decorative period flavour.
These are functions tied to a time when chronographs were everyday instruments, whether used for measuring pulse, breathing rate or speed.
Finishing that gives the watch its weight
The most compelling part of the collection is how much attention is paid to the surfaces around the movement.
The 38 mm stainless steel case is finished with a mix of perlage, polishing, satin brushing and deep embossing, which gives the watch more texture than many accessible chronographs attempt.
The decagonal caseback is deeply engraved, reinforcing the sense that the case has been treated as a design object rather than a container.
On the dial, a sandwich construction adds depth, while applied polished Roman numerals and double-printed indications keep the display legible and layered.
A domed outer ring, plus domed and curved hands, help preserve the vintage-inspired balance without making the dial feel flat.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Furlan Marri |
|---|---|
| Collection | Mechaquartz Permanent Collection |
| Case size | 38 mm |
| Case material | 316L stainless steel |
| Movement | Seiko VK64 mechaquartz |
| Chronograph functions | Pulsometer, asthmometer or tachymeter scales depending on model |
| Dial construction | Sandwich construction with applied polished Roman numerals and double-printed indications |
| Case finishing | Perlage, polishing, satin brushing and deep embossing |
| Caseback | Deeply engraved decagonal caseback |
| Models | Nero Sabbia, Castagna, Rosso Grigio, Ardesia Blu and Sabbia Rosa |
| Availability | Permanent collection |
Furlan Marri’s Mechaquartz collection works because it understands what collectors actually respond to in vintage chronographs.
It isn’t only about the movement or the scale printed at the edge of the dial, but the cumulative pleasure of proportion, case detail, hand shape and finishing that feels considered at every angle.
