Worn & Wound
Review: the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab
Writing about the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab has proved a difficult task. A tutor once told me to keep the structure of any article, report, or document simple: tell them what you’re about to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them. As I sit to translate my thoughts onto screen, I struggle with both the introduction and summary parts. The longer I spend with this interesting piece, the more difficult it becomes. Gagà Laboratorio describe this watch as “extend[ing] its vision into the world of diving watches, interpreting this category through its distinctive design culture and its contemporary understanding of luxury lifestyle”, and although it encompasses both the function of a dive watch and the refinement of a luxury timepiece I find it tough to pin down exactly what the Aqualab is. On a personal level, I either like a watch, or I don’t. I’d either be happy to buy it, or I wouldn’t. Writing about a watch causes me to think more objectively, and evaluating against an archetype is a good way to do that. The fact that I struggle to pigeonhole the Aqualab is a stumbling block. But here goes… Considering the dial separately from the case, or even the strap, feels a little spurious as the overall design flows strongly throughout. Nonetheless, that’s what I’m going to try to do, starting with the time-telling functions. As you’ll no doubt spot at the very first glance, the Aqualab doesn’t make use of ordinary hands. Hours, minutes, an...
