A Closer Look at The Gorilla Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph

Gorilla Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph

Meet Octavio Garcia, Gorilla’s brainchild whose contribution to the world of signature watches is more disruptive than sustainable. He’s been in the industry for over a decade, releasing intelligent and luxurious watch brands. The first product he designed that hit the market was sub-CHF 1,000, beating his close rivals at his game. However, this write-up isn’t about his first products. It’s a closer look at the Gorilla Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph.

About Gorilla Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph

According to A Blog to Watch, the Fastback is one of the most high-quality watches Gorilla has ever created. It’s a perfect description of a maker’s dream turning into a reality and making it a cultural practice. The watch is unashamedly bold and dramatic, revolutionizing Gorilla’s core themes that accentuate a well-executed complication. However, it doesn’t remove the stereotype people have of the brand and are willing to spend more than $8,000 on a Gorilla watch. Instead, it gives wearers some tangible sense of fun to the brand’s lineup like its close rivals the Omega, Breitling, and TAG Heuer.

Product features and description

Gorilla released Thunderbolt in 2016, and it was in conjunction with the Independent Vallee de Joux manufacturer, Dubois Depraz. It is not an everyday watch thanks to the features outlined below:

Case

According to Deployant, Thunderbolt is coated with grade 5 brushed titanium. It also comes with a ceramic bezel matte entailing an engraved tachymeter scale. From the ceramic and crown grade 5 titanium pusher-guards, you can tell that it’s a first-generation watch made for stylish wearers. The case back features an engraved sapphire crystal, qualifying it as a titanium grade 5 watch. The sapphire crystals are scratch-resistant and water-resistant, giving value for your money. Don’t forget that it has an anodized aluminum pinstripe on the case, allowing you to customize the features with ease. One more thing; it has an anti-reflective coating on both sides, helping you see time no matter the time of day or night.

Dial

Thunderbolt’s dial is skeletonized with Super-Luminova™ coated numerals. You can tell from the applied logo and indexes at 3 and 9 o’clock. This component also boasts applied chronograph function counters, central and counter hands filled with Super-Luminova™.

Optimal night vision

Modern watches like Thunderbolt have ultra-modern night vision features like chronograph indications, including: Hands, Counter scales and Tachymeter. All these chronograph features are treated in X1 Super-Luminova for the highest possible night vision performance.

Material composition

The watch is primarily made from a radical material composition the likes of titanium, aluminum, and sapphire crystals. Here is a breakdown of the materials per component:

  • Bezel black ceramic matte
  • Anodized aluminum “pinstripe”
  • DLC coated grade 5 titanium case
  • Sapphire crystal that is Anti-reflective
  • Screw-down titanium crown
  • Push pieces in ceramic
  • Open titanium case back with sapphire crystal
  • Engraved limitation number

Openwork dial

This watch’s signature colors are blue and orange. The combination suits all types of wearers regardless of their gender. The open-worked dial is skeletonized in galvanic black. Furthermore, it has applied indexes indicating counters at three and nine o’clock and applied Gorilla’s logo.

Movement

Gorilla’s Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph comes with a skeletonized chronograph DD-268. Thanks to Dubois and Dépraz engineering, it produced stem transmission. Also, it boasts a personalized black PVD coated oscillation weight, making it lightweight on your hands. Its stem transmission system ensures you don’t have to check on your watch for time or calculate speed on the road. It will do that for you.

Base caliber

If you’re worried about the watch’s compliance standards, check out the case for the ETA 2892-A2 mark. It’s Swiss-made, which means it relies on a bi-directional winding mechanism to achieve its functionality. The wristwatch comes in 21 jewels that rely on an anti-shock system, making it a perfect candidate to withstand abuse. It also boasts personalized oscillating weight, suitable for all types of wearers. With the speed of 4 Hz/28.800 vph and 42 hours of power reserve, what else do you expect from this elaborated grade watch?

Module

This watch is engineered and manufactured by Manufacture Vaucher Fleurier. Moreover, it is a proprietary G-5238 Wandering Hours Complication. The watch’s chronograph module is Dubois & Dépraz DD268, bi-compax layout, stem transmission. That means you’re wearing a designer watch from world-class engineers. So, be sure to check the case to see if these initials appear.

Functions

In terms of functions, this watch has traditional features any watch brand will have. You can see the hour, minute, small seconds, chronograph with central seconds and minute counter. So, if you want to set the timer or alarm, the hour, minute, and second hands will do that for you.

Buckle and strap

Like the case and case back, the watch’s strap and buckle are made from robust materials, making them water-resistant and impact-proof. Both are made from FKM rubber & Alcantara™ hybrid, titanium grade 5 pin buckle, which offer 100M/330FT/10ATM water resistance.

Case dimensions

The case is 44 mm case diameter, 48.5 mm with crown guards, 13.8 mm case thickness, and 57 mm lug-to-lug. Considering how much watch models attract fakes, you might want to ask your dealer to measure it so that you don’t end up buying its replica.

How to buy this watch

According to ShopsVipe, the Thunderbolt only comes in 99 pieces, meaning it’s a limited edition. It already started shipping in 2021 through Gorilla. Getting the watch comes with special terms and conditions. For example, you’re expected to provide your phone number to help them track it. The company might also ask you to give your identity verification when ordering, after which their SVIPE team will contact you via email within 1-2 business days of placing your order. The watch’s starting price is $8,500, but it can go higher or lower than that, depending on the market environment.

Verdict

You will hardly find a watchmaker who comes up with a new product and doesn’t expect a bubble to form around it. That said, Gorilla’s primary strategy is to produce unique watches whose designs don’t fit well with the everyday layman. But once you slip a watch like the Fastback on your wrist, you get to understand the concept of acceptance instead of dwelling around conservative skepticism.

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