Time flies when you’re having fun and Bulgari’s Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney is a blast, as far as retro watches go.
Bulgari announced plans to release, under its Gérald Genta mark, a contemporary take on the Swiss watch designer’s Disney-licensed timepieces, which it originally debuted in 1984.
For fans of Genta’s, the Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney might induce déjà vu. A character watch that harkens to one of Genta’s original designs from the mid-90s, the timepiece features everyone’s favorite cartoon rodent at the center of the dial, his outstretched arm functioning as the minute hand.
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A woven fabric band — in Mickey Mouse red, of course — complements the watch’s playful feel. Despite its laidback look, the timepiece boasts a price tag that’s anything but. In January 2022, it will release in a limited series of 150 editions for €16,500 (approximately $19,476).
Still, a watch that doesn’t take itself too seriously is always a welcome amid a landscape saturated with esoteric language and machismo displays of wealth. In fact, Disney has an unfailing ability to add much-needed levity to the oft-humorless world of fashion.
Perhaps that’s why Disney collaborations never go out of style — lest we forget throwback hits including Givenchy x Bambi, Mickey Mouse x Supreme, and Donald Duck x Gucci. In the past year alone, Coach, UNIQLO, Levi’s, and Casetify launched collections featuring Disney’s signature character.
There was also that recent MSCHF thing, but that’s less about childhood throwbacks and more about making a point about copyright.
Still, nostalgia seems a surefire way to capture consumers’ hearts — and the healthily lined wallets of watch collectors.