Precision Winter 2020: Forzo

Regular readers of Motor Sport’s Precision page might recall a British brand called Geckota, which featured in the April 2020 issue. The Gloucestershire-based business grew out of eBay-founded trading platform WatchGecko, which was established by horology enthusiast Jonathan Quinn more than a decade ago to sell timepieces and accessories.

But what started out as little more than a hobby turned into a business in 2012 when Quinn began penning watches under the Geckota name, with the line-up now comprising models variously inspired by adventure, flying and motoring. All designed at the firm’s Tewkesbury HQ, the watches use a range of mechanical, quartz or hybrid meca-quartz movements – made variously in China or Japan – and cover the whole gamut of styles from dress to sports to pilot to automotive.
And in summer next year, Geckota plans to launch a new sub-brand aimed squarely at motoring enthusiasts that takes its design cues from the world of classic and racing automobiles. Called Forzo, the range comprises timepieces that will be priced from around £450 and which, like the Geckota models, will feature a variety of mechanical and quartz/quartz hybrid movements.

The inaugural 1970s and ’80s-inspired Gridster designs cover a selection of seven 41mm pieces, four being simple, three-hand watches with date windows and the remainder being chronographs. All feature square-shouldered cases made from 316L stainless steel and fitted with matching steel bracelets combining block links and large perforations for a classic driving watch look.

The three-handers will be available with a choice of green, blue or black dials, each with contrasting detailing, while the chronographs will be offered with yellow, red and white or black dial finishes, the latter having gold-coloured markings.

The Forzo 60s model, meanwhile, has five three- handers and four chronographs in a slightly more retro style, again with a choice of dial colours but this time with solid rather than perforated bracelets.

A further watch called the Forzo 70s Concept completes the line-up, and this one has a square/cushion- shaped case and a dial that loosely resembles a classic Heuer Monaco. All five variants will be chronograph models with Seiko MecaQuartz movements and rugged steel bracelets.

Forzo has already established a community page and blog on its website with the aim of sharing the founders’ interest in cars and watches with fellow enthusiasts, and to encourage owners’ feedback on both the brand’s existing and proposed models.
Upon launch next summer, it is planned that there will also be a range of accessories, which will include good-quality watch rolls and an impressive selection of leather and fabric straps including, of course, a number of ’60s-style perforated types.

forzowatches.com