The Lowenthal Villoresi Chronograph is the sort of watch that understands nostalgia without becoming trapped by it.
It takes its spark from a 1951 Lowenthal chronograph gifted by Enzo Ferrari to racing driver Luigi “Gigi” Villoresi, then translates that story into a compact modern chronograph with aged dials, 904L steel and a hand-wound column-wheel movement.
For a revived independent marque, it’s a confident first statement rather than a safe reissue.
At a glance
- Lowenthal returns with the Villoresi Chronograph, its inaugural model under Harry Guhl’s stewardship.
- The watch pairs a controlled-patina dial with a hand-wound 2.5 Hz column-wheel chronograph movement.
- Four colourways are planned, each limited to 12 pieces for a total run of 48 watches.
A racing chronograph with a 1951 connection
Lowenthal’s new chronograph draws from one of those stories that gives a watch more weight than its dimensions suggest.
In 1951, Enzo Ferrari presented Luigi “Gigi” Villoresi with a Lowenthal chronograph after his Syracuse Grand Prix win, a 38.5 mm watch with twin registers, a telemeter scale and a Cavallino Rampante on the dial.
The new Villoresi Chronograph doesn’t attempt to recreate that watch line for line.
Instead, it keeps the period proportions, instrumental layout and motorsport sensibility while adding choices that make sense today, including an exhibition caseback.
Harry Guhl, the entrepreneur behind the marque’s return, is a vintage collector himself and previously co-founded Czapek & Cie.
That background shows in the way the Villoresi handles its heritage, with more emphasis on atmosphere and mechanical credibility than simple retro styling.
The dial is aged before it reaches the wrist
The most distinctive element is the dial, which is made to look as though it has already lived through several decades.
Lowenthal describes the process as a controlled ageing cycle, intended to simulate 50 to 60 years of patination before the dial is stabilised.
The effect is not merely decorative.
Vintage collectors have long prized dials altered by sunlight, humidity and time, especially when black surfaces drift into bronze, honey or coffee tones.
Lowenthal is leaning directly into that language, but with repeatable intent rather than chance.
The Villoresi Chronograph is offered in four dial executions named Avorio Bianco over Grigio, Azzurro La Plata over Grigio, Palladio Verde over Grigio and Oro Metallizzato over Grigio.
Each uses a bombé dial under a box sapphire crystal treated with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
The layout is busy in the best chronograph tradition, with a spiral tachymeter in the centre, a red telemeter scale around it and a peripheral track marked for the movement’s 1/5-second cadence.
A 30-minute chronograph counter sits at 3 o’clock, balanced by small seconds at 9 o’clock, with both registers finished with snailing.
Arabic numerals echo the typography of Villoresi’s watch, while the slender hour and minute hands are thermally blued on most versions.
On the Azzurro La Plata over Grigio model, those hands are left without blueing, a small but meaningful distinction in a collection built around nuance.
A compact case around old-school chronograph architecture
The 904L stainless steel case measures 40.5 mm across and 11.8 mm thick, making it larger than the 1951 watch but still restrained by current chronograph standards.
Rectangular pushers on the right side preserve the visual link to the mid-century model, though their faceted and softened edges give the watch a cleaner contemporary profile.
Inside is a hand-wound chronograph movement with column-wheel control and a 2.5 Hz frequency.
That slower beat aligns neatly with the dial’s 1/5-second timing scale and reinforces the watch’s mechanical character.
The exhibition back also changes the personality of the piece.
Where Villoresi’s own watch carried a solid engraved caseback, the modern model turns the movement into part of the ownership experience.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Lowenthal |
|---|---|
| Model | Villoresi Chronograph |
| Case size | 40.5 mm |
| Case thickness | 11.8 mm |
| Case material | 904L stainless steel |
| Crystal | Box sapphire with anti-reflective treatment on both sides |
| Dial | Bombé aged dial with spiral tachymeter, red telemeter scale and twin registers |
| Movement | Hand-wound column-wheel chronograph |
| Frequency | 2.5 Hz |
| Chronograph layout | Central chronograph seconds, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock |
| Caseback | Exhibition caseback |
| Dial variants | Avorio Bianco over Grigio, Azzurro La Plata over Grigio, Palladio Verde over Grigio, Oro Metallizzato over Grigio |
| Production | 12 pieces per colourway, 48 pieces total |
The Villoresi Chronograph should appeal to collectors who like the texture of vintage watches but don’t want a fragile museum piece on the wrist.
It’s a carefully judged debut for Lowenthal, blending an evocative racing link, deliberately imperfect dial work and serious chronograph mechanics into a watch that feels old-souled without pretending to be old.
