What happens when ebullient Italy meets calm and collected Switzerland? On the one hand, the elegant and languorous expression of a typically Mediterranean dolce vita. On the other, a country accustomed to braving winter chill with quiet determination.
Fortunately, the two have come together over a delicious cup of coffee. This dark, rich beverage inspired Marco Borraccino for an idea that would give Singer Reimagined the shot it needed in a mere 60 seconds. A sweep of the dial? Yes, and also the time required to make the perfect americano. Thanks to this Italian born and bred, you can now enjoy barista-style coffee whenever you like.
How it all began
“Like many people during lockdown, I went online and bought things I never really got round to using properly. A gorgeous coffee machine, for example. Little did I realise I was heading down a rabbit hole! Making coffee is an art in itself, with its own rules, training courses and master baristas. There’s even a world championship. However, the one thing almost every method has in common is that the coffee must brew for a certain length of time: between 6 and 60 seconds. If you’re a chronograph enthusiast, obviously those numbers will jump out at you.”
We already know what came next: Marco Borraccino designed a novel scale for the Singer Reimagined Flytrack, with five segments. The first extends for the 6 to 7 seconds during which the water runs into the filter. The rest of the scale shows brewing times to obtain coffees of varying strength: ristretto (7 to 17 seconds), espresso (17 to 30 seconds), lungo (30 to 40 seconds) and americano (40 seconds or more).
Gadget or godsend?
Not everyone will perk up at the idea of paying CHF 25,500 for a shot of their favourite espresso. Some might think Marco Borraccino needs to wake up and smell the coffee. In fact the project could have been consigned to the dregs of history, were it not for one important fact: Singer Reimagined walked away with a prize at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève… and the brand wasn’t even a year old!
“Obviously we were delighted and winning certainly put us on the map, but we’re an innovative brand and not everyone understood where we were coming from,” Borraccino says. “People started taking us more seriously but the real work came after.”
This “after” is still under construction… just when watch enthusiasts are fessing up to using their chrono mainly to measure pasta cooking time. Using it to achieve the perfect percolation isn’t that far-fetched after all! The Singer Reimagined Flytrack Barista Edition is shortlisted in the Men’s Complication category at this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The brand is better known and better appreciated now. A second GPHG win in just four years would be exactly the boost it needs to really make its mark on the horological landscape. Meet you for a coffee at the Théâtre du Léman bar this November 10th.
