Meccaniche Veloci has enriched its collections with a new story of Italian excellence in celebration of the highly traditional company Nardi that has worked with the greatest names in the automobile industry for over ninety years. The new Meccaniche Veloci Limited Edition continues the tradition of a partnership that has in the past allowed the brand to tell stories of fascinating engines and explore a wide range of materials in an expression of creative freedom applied to high watchmaking.
" The engineer Enrico Nardi was an extraordinary character, one of the men who made automotive history in Italy together with personalities of the calibre of Carlo Abarth, Vincenzo and Gianni Lancia, and Enzo Ferrari ", says Cesare Cerrito, CEO of Meccaniche Veloci - Genève. " The racing car driver, trainer and designer of everything car-related first became a test pilot for Ferrari in the 1940s, then Enzo Ferrari's right hand man. For Ferrari, in the late 1950s he designed and produced his first steering wheel made of precious wood. Ever since, Nardi steering wheels have been fitted in the fastest, most beautiful and victorious vehicles in the motor racing world, including the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO. It is a great privilege for me to tell the story of this brand, which remains truly extraordinary to this day, through our watches. We share its entirely Italian passion for finding beauty in functional things, as well, of course, as its roots in the extraordinary world of engines."
The characteristic case of Meccaniche Veloci watches, inspired by the design of a piston, is made from titanium and decorated on the edge of the case middle with a narrow, hard wooden insert with beautiful veining and extraordinary resistance. Meccaniche Veloci celebrates wood, the star material of Nardi creations.
The dial of the QuattroValvole Nardi Limited edition presents an opaque surface with a delicate guilloché weave. As well as demonstrating the high quality typical of traditional watchmaking, this finish also renders the dial more precious and clearly recalls the harmonious design of Nardi's most exclusive pedigree steering wheels that are still hand-crafted to this day.
Four small dials edged in blue in tribute to Nardi's colours stand out against the QuattroValvole's dial and the two brands' logos appear at the centre. All the hours and minutes hands are coated with SuperLuminova® and the seconds function is fulfilled by the small red hand at the bottom right of the dial, while the date may be read through a circular aperture within the dial above.
Featuring a 49 mm case with anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the timepiece is driven by the calibre MV8802 developed in-house by Meccaniche Veloci which allows four different time zones to be displayed simultaneously and independently, an expression of both the fleeting nature of time and space and their precise mastery. On the case, four crowns positioned adjacent to the four dials allow each individual time zone to be adjusted.
The strap of the QuattroValvole Nardi Edition model, directly attached to the case via a system that does not require lugs, is in black leather with green stitching and a steel MV folding clasp.
" We are excited to be working with Meccaniche Veloci to produce an exclusive watch with unique character, just like our steering wheels", says Lorenzo Cerofolini, CEO of Nardi-Personal SpA. "We share Meccaniche Veloci's passion for cars, beauty, precision and attention to detail, all factors that ensure our products are admired and renowned the world over. Nardi steering wheels provide all the pleasure of direct contact with high-end materials such as natural leather and hand-crafted and -finished precious wood, and represent a unique choice in terms of design and comfort. There is a different choice of grip for every driving style. A Nardi steering wheel is a classic. Time passes, but a Nardi steering wheel remains a dream come true!"
