Gorilla Watches was launched in 2016, designing and producing watches inspired by the world of motor-sports. Since then, the company quickly gained traction and managed to carve a name for themselves.
They prioritise the design of the watches and using quality materials such as forged carbon and ceramic but how are they famous so quickly? They seem to have a mix of different movements in their watches for the different series such as the Miyota 8215, 90S5 and the ETA 2824-2.
Inspiration
One of the plausible reasons that they are able to instil such a deep presence in their audience’s mind is perhaps the strong association with motor-sports. Most of their watches are heavily inspired by iconic cars such as the Porsche 917/20 pink livery in LeMans during 1971 and another noteworthy ride, the Ford GT 40 in Gulf livery.
Ford GT 40 in Gulf Livery 
Fastback GT Mirage
Surely, associating themselves with watches and cars taps into the very passion of most men and it might just be the key to speak to them.
That’s not all. Admittedly, after giving a browse through their website, I must say all of their watches possess a unique design of its own like no other and it somehow radiates a sense of originality coupled with luxury.
Don’t get me wrong though, in my opinion, their watches are not priced over the top however, speaking in the point of view of a Singaporean, they’re not readily affordable as well. But can you really get your hands on one even if they are available? More on that later.
The Value Proposition
As far as their beautiful designs of the watches are inspired by motor-sports are in concern, their true value proposition lies behind the team of Gorilla.
The brainchild of Gorilla Watches, Octavio Garcia started his career back in 1999 with Omega as a designer but that’s not it. He began working for Audemar Piguet in 2003 as a design manager and shortly, rose to become a Chief Artistic Officer in 2010.
He is partnered with Lukas Gopp, an industrial designer whose work is recognised by some of the world’s renowned watchmakers such as IWC, Ralph Lauren Watches & Jewelry Co. and Audemars Piguet.
This alliance turned out to be one of the best fusion that the industry has ever seen.
What are we waiting for?
Previously, I mentioned about getting your hands on one of their iconic timepieces. What’s the hassle you may ask?
It turns out almost all of their models are only available in limited quantities of 30-40 pieces per month and their engraved timepieces are only limited to 250 pieces.
Even if you have your wallet ready, be prepared to go against 139,000 people (their amount of followers on instagram) on a rumble for their limited timepieces. That may be exaggerated, but I’ve actually seen some of the watch enthusiasts in Facebook groups talking about this and the new models were sold out in less than an hour.
Arguably, this might just be one of the few reasons other than the few that I’ve mentioned above that makes Gorilla Watches so sought after. Could it be a marketing technique? A good influx of demand yet limiting the supply?
Final Thoughts
However you see it, their watches are undeniably attractive and it doesn’t change the fact that it’s designed by an ex-designer from AP.
Personally, their watches reminds me of Richard Mille, a much more affordable one so to speak. Would I get myself one? Yeah if I had spare cash and somehow my internet connection performs the best in town but nonetheless it would be a great piece for bragging rights.
You cannot complain much about the movements they use as they’re really reliable but I really do believe that most of the patrons purchase their pieces due to its design and the story behind.
We’ve mentioned one of their models in the “Top 5 Carbon Watches” article, if you’re keen, you can click this link to the article.