Is D1 Milano worth buying? Comments from a senior watchmaker: "Well polished!"

September 27, 2023

Is D1 Milano worth buying?

Once our customer's Swiss watch needed repairs, and he found a well-known watchmaker in Hong Kong who had returned from studying in Switzerland to grease his watch. He was wearing a D1 Milano watch that day. After viewing the D1 Milano watch, this well-informed watchmaker especially praised the polishing process of the watch as "not bad." Is D1 Milano worth buying? Let’s first understand this Italian watch brand, and then analyze and evaluate from different angles who this watch is suitable for buying and who it is not suitable for buying!

D1 Milano established

Compared with many popular watch brands nowadays, D1 Milano is definitely a supernova. D1 Milano was founded in 2013 by Dario Spallone in Milan, Italy. The watch design of D1 Milano is based on the popular Integrated Bracelet Watch in the 1970s, incorporating modern and clean lines to form one unique watch after another. Thanks to its unique research and development capabilities, D1 Milano watches can use different materials, surface treatments and colors to produce a variety of interesting combinations. These unique combinations and trendy designs on the market make D1 Milano known as one of the fastest growing brands in the new generation of watches.

FounderDario Spallone

The first watch series is born - Polycarbonate

In 2013, the D1 Milano brand launched the brand's first watch. It used polycarbonate as the main material to create an ultra-lightweight watch that was made of polycarbonate from the case to the strap. It was a rare polycarbonate watch at the time. integrated design.

D1 Milano 2013 1000 Limited

D1 Milano’s first watch was sold in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and was reported by Italian newspapers

rapid development around the world

The special design of D1 Milano quickly attracted the attention of watch dealers around the world. In 2015, stores in fashionable brand centers such as New York, London, and Osaka began to sell this independent watch brand from Milan, Italy, allowing watch enthusiasts around the world to get to know D1 Milano. In 2016, the brand opened D1 Milano's first brand store in Osaka, Japan, displaying all D1 Milano watch series. Specialty stores allow consumers to better experience the brand's design and quality. In the same year, D1 Milano’s first mechanical watch series, named Project 701, was launched. The design of this watch is inspired by the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance and features a transparent dial that reveals the delicate mechanical rhythm of the watch to the wearer.

D1 Milano first Mechanical Watch - Project 701

D1 Milano’s first mechanical watch series Project 701

Watch design is maturing

In 2017, D1 Milano launched the brand’s most representative Ultra thin watch series. The watch series emphasizes thin elements, with a thickness of only 6mm. Ultra thin has a simple and stylish design, and it is still the brand's most popular watch series since its launch.

The Ultra Thin watch was first revealed in September 2017 and launched as a pre-sale

In 2018, D1 Milano launched a new mechanical watch series P701. Upgrading from Project 701 to P701, the watch shows the improvement of the brand's design capabilities and development capabilities. The dial of the Skeleton version has been redesigned and consists of two levels, incorporating more line elements. The dial shows the high-end feel of the D1 Milano watch. In this year, Lam Workshop introduced D1 Milano and began selling this Italian watch brand in Hong Kong stores.

The P701 series is divided into two versions: dense surface Automatic and hollow Skeleton.

Creative collaboration continues

The 2020 D1 Milano is sold in more than 20 countries around the world and cooperates with many well-known retailers. The brand also participated in the Milan Fashion Week, an international fashion exhibition, and its reputation is getting higher and higher internationally. Starting from 2020, D1 Milano will launch limited edition collaborations with different well-known brands, such as LINE Friends, Kodak, Seletti, etc. It is even more rare to launch watches with movie themes, including the classic movie "A Clockwork Orange" and the NBA animated movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy".

D1 Milano movie "Orange" theme watch

D1 Milano x Kodak’s collaborative watch sparked a buzz in Hong Kong

In just ten years since the brand was founded, D1 Milano is more mature and complete than other brands in the same period in terms of watch design and watch development capabilities. No wonder it has become one of the best-developed new generation watch brands. . However, well-designed watch brands abound in the world. With a good-looking design, is D1 Milano worth buying?

Quality and materials

Compared with watch brands in the same price range, quality and materials can measure the cost-effectiveness of a watch. Among the choices of HKD 2000-$5000, there are many watches that use Swiss movements and provide stronger waterproof capabilities and specifications. However, it is indeed rare in this price range to use a specially developed watch case that even experienced watchmakers praised as "well polished". For example, the case of the French watch brand Baltic has also been carefully polished, but the watch uses a domestic Hangzhou movement and has been sold for more than HKD 5,000. If you only consider the specifications on paper, D1 Milano may not be a cost-effective brand. But considering the design and polishing of the case, there are really not many choices at this price point.

design & style

D1 Milano has attracted attention for its unique design and fashionable style. Some people even joked that D1 Milano’s watch is a cheap version of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. To be honest, at first glance, even Lin Tsai felt that D1 Milano had shadows of Royal Oak . But after years of training in selling watches, I carefully chewed on D1 Milano watches and found that the details of the watches are completely different. For example, the D1 Milano bezel adopts a more modern curved design, and the strap links are not the same as the Royal Oak’s commonly used design. If you like this style, you also think that the price of D1 Milano is in line with your budget (after all, the entry-level quartz version of Ultra Thin only starts at HKD 1980). In fact, it is a luxurious and affordable choice.

Brand power

Compared with more traditional brands, D1 Milano’s brand power is obviously insufficient. For example, D1 Milano's popularity in Hong Kong is lower than that of most Japanese and Swiss brands. Even when I introduce the D1 Milano watch to people in the industry many times, their comments often are: "This is the first time I see this watch, the quality is good!" If you want to buy a watch that many people know today, Watch brand, D1 Milano may not be suitable for you.

Conclusion: Who is D1 Milano suitable for?

Taking the above factors into consideration, if you are a fashion lover and like to wear distinctive micro-brand watches, then D1 Milano may be a good choice. In addition, if you like watches with noble appearance and exquisite polishing but have a limited budget, compared to some luxury watch brands, the price of D1 Milano is relatively affordable. However, if you have higher requirements for watch specifications, for example, if you want to wear a watch for swimming, or if you want to wear a watch that everyone knows, D1 Milano may not be suitable for you. Including D1 Milano , Lam Workshop sells different quartz watches and mechanical watches . You are welcome to come to our Carrefour store in person and let the store staff provide you with more suitable suggestions. I hope Lin Zai’s article can help you.

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