THE NEXT BIG COLLECTIBLES: ALESSANDRO MICHELE’S GUCCI WATCHES
Collecting watches created during Alessandro Michele's tenure as Creative Director at Gucci. Michele's Gucci watches became miniature extensions of his larger aesthetic world: 1970s glamour, androgynous chic, romantic symbolism, and maximalist storytellin
Alessandro Michele didn’t just design watches at Gucci—he built a fantasy. During his tenure as Creative Director, Michele’s timepieces became miniature extensions of his larger aesthetic world: 1970s glamour, androgynous chic, romantic symbolism, and maximalist storytelling. Today, collectors are beginning to realize what fashion insiders already suspect: the watches he created—from the retro-cool GG2570 to the skate-deck-smooth Grip—are future classics, destined to become talismans of a particular cultural moment.
Unmistakable Michele dial touches: the cryptic phrasing and mystical imagery. Photos: Gucci.
What makes them so compelling is their unmistakable point of view. Michele embraced a genderless approach, erasing the old divides between “his” and “hers” and replacing them with a single, expressive vocabulary. He layered in personal symbols—the number 25, bees, stars, tigers, cosmic motifs—and designed rounded-square cases and throwback dials that felt ripped from the golden age of 1970s Italian style. Even at their most playful, his watches were grounded in intention and identity, turning each piece into a wearable piece of myth-making.
Gucci is best known for its green and red stripes, interlocking GG's, and, during Michele's tenure, the addition of tigers, snakes, floral motifs, stars, and, of course, bees, as seen here. Photos: Gucci.
Then came the pivot from fashion to serious horology. With the GUCCI 25H, Grip, and G-Timeless high watchmaking collections, Michele ushered the brand into a new era, introducing the GG727.25 calibre—Gucci’s first in-house movement—and haute complications like tourbillons, moon phases, and hard-stone artistry. Suddenly, Gucci watches weren’t just accessories; they were legitimate watchmaking statements wrapped in unmistakable Gucci flair. It will be interesting to see if Demna, the recently appointed new Gucci designer, applies his subversive conceptual approach to future collections (I hope so!).
The demand for steel sports watches knows no bounds. The GG727.25 calibre—Gucci’s first in-house movement. Photos: Gucci.
That is why these pieces will age beautifully. They are not generic luxury products—they are artifacts of a creative revolution that defined Gucci in the 2015–2022 era. Just as Tom Ford–era Gucci is now a touchstone of late-90s fashion, Michele’s watches will soon be coveted markers of their time: bold, bohemian, fiercely individual, and absolutely unforgettable. For the collector who loves style with soul, the hunt starts now.
The Gucci Grip foreshadowed the 2025 explosion of secret and covered dial watches. Photos: Gucci.