The second edition of W.O.I. - Watches Of Italy opens its doors today and tomorrow at the Museo delle Macchine Agricole 'Orsi' in Tortona, Via Emilia 446. Set up last year on the initiative of a collective formed by Italian operators in the sector, it will host Italian and foreign brands from all over the world but united by the fact that they are all directed and managed by Italians. With free admission and continuous opening hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the fair will make it possible to see and touch the watches, but also to buy directly those on display or to reserve new models thanks to the prototypes that can be previewed in person, for a more informed purchase. There will also be several world premieres: exclusive models that will be unveiled and presented to the general public at the exhibition. Visitors will be able to admire new calibres made in Italy, they will be able to admire high-performance patented cases, some of which are 3D printed and others even made of fibre-reinforced composite materials. Patents will be unveiled and each exhibitor will present their designs, with all the technical/aesthetic peculiarities involved.
However, there will not only be watches but also technical equipment, accessories, straps, boxes, displays and maintenance equipment reserved for watch technicians and hobbyists. There will also be manufacturers in the sector who are able to design and produce 'private label' models for those who want to become entrepreneurs in the watchmaking world with their own brand. The fair will also host Hora, the Italian Association of Historical Watchmakers.
For the second year in succession, W.O.I. - Watches Of Italy is uniting solidarity with the national watch exhibition and supporting the association 'Friends of the 4th Floor'. In the 2021 edition of W.O.I., the "Memphis Belle Collectors Club" - the group of collectors of the Genoese brand of military watches - will be going around the Orsi Museum with a box so that, whoever wishes, can leave a donation to the well-known association that takes care of recreational activities for the children of the paediatric oncohaematology ward of the Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia. It will also be possible to leave your contribution at the Memphis Belle Watches stand.
Below are some of the novelties and previews presented at the exhibition/market.
The Elmà Sole & Luna was launched last year as a prototype and is now present as a finished watch, equipped with a steel case and Miyota 8215 automatic movement with around 40 hours of power reserve.
The new Allemano 1973 collection by Allemano Watches is rooted in the history of the Turin-based company in the 1970s and 1980s.
Also new from the Ardito Watches Group is the Lince Turquoise model, with a grade 5 titanium case with a micro-bead-blasted finish, a Petronas degradé dial and a Sellita SW200 calibre customised for GAW.
Calamai's new G50-V Il chronograph, an evolution of the G50-F chronograph, with a Sellita movement, specifically the SW511 Top Grade version that features a 15-minute chronograph minute counter instead of the more traditional 30'.
The Predator Heritage by Memphis Belle, with a special all-steel case in relief and equipped with the new in-house manual DB9 calibre.
The first timepiece from Inceptum, a project born of the ambition of two young engineers whose aim is to create their own business in the world of watchmaking. Vintage-inspired, its design recalls the military watches of the 1930s and 1940s.
The world premiere of Milano Straps' new MSLabStraps line, which includes a series of eco-friendly NATO fabric straps made with Newlife® yarn by recycling post-consumer plastic bottles collected in Northern Italy and a series of straps made of rubber, a urethane-based thermoplastic bioplastic containing raw materials from renewable sources.
