The first thing that struck me about the Furlan Marri Grey Sector Ref. 2145-A watch was how familiar it looks, despite how young the brand is. The “cornes de vache” lugs, Breguet numerals, and sector dial design are all beloved details of famed vintage watches made by some of the oldest watchmakers still in existence today. I suspect that it’s precisely the juxtaposition of thoughtful design familiarity and a fresh-to-market name that’s helped pave the way for Furlan Marri’s impressive rise. Fulan Marri, founded by Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al Marri in 2019, came onto the scene with Patek Philippe ref. 1463-inspired mecaquartz chronographs, launched via Kickstarter to great success. The brand quickly pivoted to adding mechanical watches to its line, first in a limited run, and now by launching a trio of automatic dress watches to its permanent collection. One of these three is the Furlan Marri Grey Sector Ref. 2145-A watch, which is the subject of this hands-on review.
The specs of the watch reathat d like a wishlist of watch enthusiasts who passionately voice their opinion online — a compact 37.5mm case (46mm lug-to-lug), a decorated Swiss-made automatic movement, no date window, and an accessible price point. It’s clear the brand is listening to feedback from the loudest voices, and to good effect, I might add. The 316L stainless steel case, which is 10.5mm thick, is home to ornate cow horn-shaped lugs, which are added after the case has been finished with a mix of polished and brushed surfaces.
The bridges that connect the lugs are engraved with the brand name and the watch’s serial number (on the 12 o’clock side), and the watch’s production number (on the 6 o’clock side) as seen here on Ariel’s wrist. The lugs also benefit from a mix of polished and brushed surfaces, and the brushed sides of the lugs match the caseband linear brushing nicely. The step-case bezel is also crafted separately and, according to the brand, the “glass box” sapphire crystal includes five layers of anti-reflective coating and a top layer of anti-fingerprint coating.
The finely grained gray sector-style dial plays background to polished and applied Breuget-style numerals at the four poles and curved and domed hands at the center. There’s a seconds/minute track around the periphery, and crosshairs at the center, and if you look closely between the fourth and fifth hours, you’ll spot the watch’s “2145-A” reference number. Given the similar tones between the background and handset, legibility isn’t as optimal as I imagine the two other dial options — white with blue hands and salmon with gunmetal hands — that make up the rest of the trio. That said, the face of the Grey Sector watch is a handsome one.
The decagonal screw-down caseback of the watch offers a view of the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement, produced and assembled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The movement operates at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers a 68-hour power reserve while its full tungsten rotor is coated in palladium for smoother rotating and improved weight distribution. Decoration-wise, there’s Côtes de Genève and snailing, along with heated blue screws and an engraved “Furlan Marri, crafted with care, designed for details” inscription. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters, which is perfectly acceptable for a dress watch that will likely never spend any considerable amount of time submerged in water. Each watch comes with two straps, one in brown with curved edges and one in black with straight edges.
From the size to the design, the Furlan Marri Grey Sector Ref. 2145-A watch offers everything there is to love about vintage watches without the hassle of owning and wearing an actual vintage watch. Emerging from the overcrowded Kickstarter space to not only winning the loyalty of finicky watch fans but also actually winning the GPHG Horological Revelation Prize in 2021, Furlan Marri has cracked the code of direct-to-consumer timepieces by focusing on attractive vintage designs, thoughtful details, and excellent execution, all while keeping prices sensible. The Grey Sector Ref. 2145-A watch is priced at CHF 1,250 (around $1,430 USD at the time of publishing) and is available to purchase now from Furlan Marri’s website. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
