Fawaz Gruosi is too reserved by nature to admit to tears of joy, but he must have had similar feelings ten years ago when he created his Allegra collection and dedicated it to his daughter, Allegra.

He had created his own Ode to Joy – an ode to his daughter’s joie de vivre, the joyfulness of youth, a homage to the magic of jewellery, with its light-filled vibrancy; it captured and held the light of life. The father has matured, and the daughter has grown up. Ten years have gone by, and their bond is more evident than ever: their eyes shine when they smile at each other, whether the tempo is allegro maestoso or allegro energico.

For Fawaz Gruosi time has taken on a new meaning as he watches his daughter grow into a young woman. So much so, that he has decided to dedicate a watch to Allegra. A lucky charm from a father whose waking dreams, days, and nights are filled with scintillating gemstones and dazzling colours. Allegra, turning the passage of time into joy. Allegra, a father’s pride and joy, and a dream-like jewel.

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND A COLLECTION

The first Allegra piece I designed eleven years ago was born of an imbroglio of feelings, attachments, dreams, and visions. Modern life tends to disperse our energies like a vortex drawing us inward, we can easily lose sight of essentials.

From a very early age on, my ambitions nurtured and obsessed me. This quest to create, to build, and to succeed, continues to drive me to this day. I was also a very young man when I became a father for the first time, I can still remember the sense of calm pervading the room where I first held Allegra, the soft warmth of light, the blissfulness of silence. The contrast between these two aspects of my life – impetuosity versus serenity, work versus family – and the constant questioning of where one should be and what one should be, were confusing issues and complex emotions that I had to deal with; but then again, a fantastic source of inspiration.

The Allegra collection is the showpiece which emerges out of this complex web, this boiling mass of ideas and feelings, but it also illustrates the harmony and sense of fulfillment that only fatherhood can bring. The Allegra collection is a symbol – my symbol – of life and love, made of all sorts of ties, some more important than others, but all forever united and entwined. Full, solid bonds of gold and leather – as colourful as life, and as vibrant as love. Rings, bracelets, earrings, pendants, and now a watch: the collection is complete, and I am proud of it.

A WATCH CAN BECOME A JEWEL

The square represents the essence of Fawaz Gruosi’s watchmaking style, even more than the circle. The Allegra watch – which gradually took shape in his imagination for ten year before it took shape in de Grisogono’s ateliers – is a double square, a squared square, a square to the power of two.

It encloses time in a fortress, and encircles it with the dazzling fire, light, and energy of precious stones, these gems sculpt the perfectly proportioned square form of the case. So much more than a watch, it is a jewel that tells the time; but most of all, it is a quintessentially, exuberantly feminine bracelet.

In deciding how to place this double square on the wrist, Fawaz Gruosi recaptured the essence of wristwatches of the 1930s when the stars of the silver screen wore precious wristwatches on delicate cords.

There is a distinct Hollywood flavour to the firework array of coloured straps gracing the new Allegra collection: a spirit of dolce vita, of joie de vivre, which is renewed daily. The promise of a jewel that will bring those who live life in allegretto mode a sense of personal pleasure, transcending the act of telling time. Above all, Allegra is about creating a tender, multi-facetted and colourful companionship, between the watch and the woman who wears it. The leather bonds both hold and release, their suppleness is an emblem of faithfulness, keeping step with every movement. Allegra: a watch for the young, and the young-at-heart. First and forever, timelessly young.

When telling the time is no longer essential yet the need to sense its tirelessly pulsating beat is still there, a watch can become a jewel. A creation evoking the passing of time, and the fleeting of minutes.

PLAYFUL COLLECTION

A father who dreams of jewels and gems. A father who is a master player of light, setting off a sparkle in a woman’s eyes. Allegra jewellery explores the energy of movement, through the curves and volumes of its own light and colour.

There is a sense of perpetual movement, in the various creations composing the Allegra collection – a fascination for thin and thick strokes, a constant tension between bursts of the heart and reason, unknown to reason when faced with the passion of jewellery.

Dedicated to a new generation of women, who dare to express their radiance, and explore different shapes and jewelled expressions of their individuality, this collection avoids the stereotypes of the conventionally ‘sweet’. Born of an insolent dream of beauty, and crafted in preciousness, this collection mischievously mingles gold, leather and precious stones. Vivaciously colourful, evoking both softness and splendour, Allegra displays sensual delights, encapsulating the inimitable de Grisogono magic.