The contemporary history of Italian watchmaking is made up of numerous brands, each with its own fascinating backstory. One such brand is Gagà Laboratorio, whose instantly recognisable style is defined by refined, sculptural design. This approach to the art of watchmaking has given rise to original collections such as Aqualab, which marks Gagà Laboratorio’s entry into the sophisticated sports watch segment.
In the following paragraphs, we will explore the Aqualab collection, illustrating its characteristics, its origins and, above all, the features that make it unmistakably a Gagà Laboratorio creation. We will also touch upon the vision that led to the brand’s inception and the aesthetic approach that, years ago, defined the predecessor of the current brand, namely Gagà Milano.
AQUALAB: THE CASE AND THE DIAL
“An expression of Italian design dedicated to the spirit of the sea”. This is how Gagà Laboratorio defines Aqualab, a highly personal interpretation of the world of diving watches that the brand develops through what sets it apart most: unconventional design and a contemporary vision of luxury with a lifestyle twist. Although guaranteed water-resistant to 20 bar, Gagà Laboratorio conceives the watch not so much as a professional timepiece, but rather as an accessory striking a balance between performance and refinement.
The 44 mm case, 15 mm thick and crafted from satin-finished steel, features muscular yet sinuous lines. What really catches the eye of both the wearer and the observer, however, is the dial. It is essentially divided into four concentric sections, each characterised by a slight curvature. Moving from the outside inwards, we have a ring indicating dive time, a ring for the hours, one for the minutes, and a central section bearing the Gagà Laboratorio logo.
The watch alternates between displaying minutes and seconds via hands and a digital hour display. The upper part of the ring dedicated to the digital display features an aperture spanning approximately 120 degrees, within which the hour disc rotates. This multi-layered design creates a visually dynamic yet highly legible dial, particularly thanks to the extensive use of Super-LumiNova on all the rings dedicated to timekeeping, ensuring visibility in low-light conditions. The minute ring is particularly striking, with its bullet-shaped hour markers and inverted triangle at 12 o’clock drawing strong inspiration from the underwater world, as one would expect from the Aqualab.
THE THREE VERSIONS AND THE AESTHETICS OF AQUALAB
As mentioned above, the Aqualab’s case dimensions are generous, in keeping with the watch’s diving heritage. Its architecture follows the stylistic language of Gagà Laboratorio: fluid transitions, balanced proportions and sculptural volumes. Its silhouette is further enhanced by the double-crown design; the crown at 12 o’clock is used to set the time and references the brand’s history and origins in Gagà Milano; the crown at 6 o’clock allows adjustment of the internal rotating bezel to be used during dives, whilst preserving the purity of the external form.
At the heart of the project, let us not forget, lies the idea that a sports watch should not only function in demanding conditions but also express a strong aesthetic identity. Aqualab embodies this philosophy through a design that is both functional and emotional, technical yet expressive.
To achieve this, Gagà Laboratorio offers the timepiece in three versions: Anthracite, whose case features a Gunmetal PVD finish and whose black dial has contrasting “old radium”-style hour markers; Aquamarine, characterised by its minute and second rings and aquamarine-coloured strap; and Silver Grey and Blue, whose colour accents are defined by the model’s very name. All versions feature a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a screw-down case back and screw-down crowns, as expected of a modern diver’s watch. The rubber straps echo the colour schemes of each model.
The mechanical heart of the Aqualab is the tried-and-tested La Joux-Perret G100 automatic calibre, offering a 68-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. A logical choice for a watch designed to be a reliable and precise companion, positioned within a sensible price bracket: CHF 3,900 excluding VAT.
GAGÀ LABORATORIO AND GAGÀ MILANO
As mentioned above, the name and aesthetic vision behind Gagà Laboratorio draw on the experience of Gagà Milano. In 2020, Ruben Tomella, founder of Gagà Milano, decided to draw on the expertise of Manufacture Gagà SA – the Swiss company that has been designing and manufacturing high-end watches for Gagà Milano since 2012 – to embark on a new venture in the world of luxury watches.
Together with his friend Mo Coppoletta, a respected figure in the watchmaking world and current artistic director of Gagà Laboratorio, Tomella created a new luxury watch brand with a distinctive stylistic identity. According to the founder, it aims to capture the essence of beauty in its purest form, blending Italian design with Swiss precision. A goal made achievable by years of experience in the watchmaking sector and solid relationships with Swiss manufacturers. Thanks to the combination of creative thinking and high-level craftsmanship, Gagà Laboratorio has created quality timepieces that carve out their own unique niche in the world of independent watchmaking.
CONCLUSIONS
In essence, therefore, Aqualab brings a somewhat novel aesthetic approach to diving watches. Gagà Laboratorio states that its inspiration “stems from the desire to imagine how Gagà Laboratorio’s stylistic codes might naturally evolve into a true sports watch”. A new field of exploration for the brand, which has nevertheless managed to explore without straying from its own stylistic and construction principles.
The Aqualab features dynamic lines, well-crafted shapes and subtle references to classic watchmaking, all coexisting in a diver’s watch that is, so to speak, unexpected. It may not be what a lover of diving watches has in mind when searching for one, but this is precisely the beauty of the collection: its ability to bring time and diving to life in an original way – professional, yes, but also effortless, with one eye on performance and safety and the other on style. Gagà Laboratorio is, above all, this, and Aqualab could be nothing else.
By Davide Passoni