Ralph Lauren’s Bugatti-Inspired Timepiece is the Anti-Smartwatch

Manually-wound caliber, woodwork from a Type 57 Coupe. Analog, baby, forever and ever.

byClifford Atiyeh|
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Ralph Lauren is the reason Adidas track suits and day-glo didn’t survive the Nineties. He taught men to dress casually without schlepping in baggy jeans and oversized t-shirts. (Thanks for that, Ralph). Now, as another hat tip to his wealthiest customers, he’s launched a mechanically-wound wristwatch based on his black Bugatti.

That black Bugatti isn’t a Veyron. It’s a one-of-two 1938 Atlantic Type 57S Coupe, a car valued at some $40 million. The Swiss-made RL Automotive Skeleton debuted in January and has been making its worldly rounds, currently showing at London’s Salon QP this week. For roughly $50k, or less than what one fender would probably cost on Lauren’s Bugatti, you can be the most interesting man at your next cocktail party. The amboyna burl bezel is patterned after the luscious wood steering wheel of Lauren’s art-deco Atlantic. The manually-wound gear movement, exposed front and back, has an iron-clad structure that LEDs, glow-in-the-dark hands, and otherwise novelty touchscreens cannot match.

Smartwatches make you look like a self-absorbed geek. This sort of timepiece, even at five times the retail tag of a gold Apple Watch, puts you in an elite club. Analog, baby. It’ll always rule.

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