A timepiece, but also a pièce de résistance.

A fashion house might very well be able to build a legacy, but what happens next? Enduring a reputation over many years is no mean feat, especially in such a fickle industry, and many have fallen into obscurity over the years. Those that manage to stick around, though, usually do so by adapting. In Gucci’s case, it’s all about a fine balance of anachronism.

This is because Gucci excels in making the classic feel contemporary; mixing a little old world glamour (lots of gold and jacquard and 1970s style tailoring) with something altogether more modern – see the iridescent sportswear, for instance, or the brand’s eminently popular and recognisable loafers. You only have to look through any of the brand’s most recent runway shows to see looks that will no doubt endure for decades in the memory. From its chunky sneakers to its monogrammed suits and streetwear, Gucci doesn’t do design for wallflowers; what you’ll find here is made to stand out.

Which brings us to its watches. The Italian fashion house might not primarily be known for its innovations in the world of horology, but its practises are nonetheless in line with what you would expect from a high-end watchmaker. All of Gucci’s watches are crafted in Switzerland, run on reliable and smooth quartz movements and do a fine job of taking the intricacies of watchmaking and adding colour, style and personality.

The latest offering from the brand’s watch collection is in very much in keeping with the bodacious showmanship that Gucci has become known for under the creative directorship of Mr Alessandro Michele.

Much has been made of Gucci’s menagerie – the designer takes inspiration from the animal kingdom, and as such, snakes, birds and bees have nested themselves comfortably in the brand’s recent collections. They can be found on the brand’s timepieces, too –  a giant golden bumblebee is flanked by stars and smaller bees around the clockface, with the double-G Gucci logo denoting the 12th hour on one, while a serpent snakes across the face of another, said to be used by the brand to symbolise rebirth and transformation.

Also see the flat gold and silver faces of the 38mm Grip watch, so called because of the way it wraps comfortably around the wrist, and also in reference to how sneakers connect to the grip tape of a skateboard. Here, rather than the standard dial, three windows display the time and date to great effect.

All of Gucci’s watches make for a sophisticated statement that is easy to wear – they’ll look suave worn with the brand’s tailoring, or add a little gilded smartness to a more casual outfit. It goes without saying, of course, that a Gucci timepiece inevitably makes for a brilliant gift, too. Let’s just say that if we saw one of these twinkling up at us from the bottom of a stocking over the holiday season, we’d be more than pleased.