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Yesterday, Tourneau launched their latest collection of watches dubbed the TNY Series. We met with Tourneau's design collaborator Marco Borraccino and their branding consultant Gianluca Maina at the new concept store to get an up-close look at the collection.
Tourneau commissioned Borracciono to design the Swiss made collection. Makes sense seeing as how Borracciono holds a pretty impressive resume. He was previously the creative director of Panerai timepieces and currently teaches at Haute Ecole d'Art et de Design a.k.a. HEAD, Geneva's art and design university, in addition to running his own design consultancy. Maina shared with us that "this [grouping] reflects the new Tourneau." Among the many styles and variety of brands that are available in their boutiques, Maina described how they wanted to offer their clients something that was consistent with the new design of the stores and the new direction the company is moving towards.
Watch images courtesy of Tourneau
We asked Borracciono where his inspiration for the designs came from and he replied, "the minimalism of New York and in particular the Hearst Tower." "The angles, how the light reflects off of each facet [of the watch]," says Borracciono, mimics the facade of the building. And the name TNY? It's an homage to the city that influenced the collection.
While there are 12 models offered in three sizes (35mm, 40mm, and 44mm), Borracciono believes there is a potential for a myriad of options, which he says we'll see in the holiday collection. There is also a limited edition—only 100 pieces were produced—The Rush Hour watch (pictured below) where even the screws and the Tourneau logo is blackened, so that it creates a sharp clean look that doesn't compete with the numerals on the face.
The TNY series starts at $1,100 and will top out at $9,800. The collection is available now at the concept store in New York, but will be made available in 39 locations across the country come September.
· Tourneau [Official Site]
· Tourneau Launches TNY This Fall [Racked]
· Tourneau's New Store Concept Will Be Rolled Out Across the Country [Racked]