The Art of Time section of our magazine celebrates timepieces that are as much works of art as they are tools for measuring hours. Few new names capture that ethos as convincingly as Gagà Laboratorio, the independent watchmaker born from the imagination of Ruben Tomella, the dandy who once shook up the industry with his flamboyant Gagà Milano designs. Twenty years after launching his original brand, Tomella found himself longing to create something equally daring yet more mature. In 2020 he began work on a new project with Italian tattoo artist–turned–designer Mo Coppoletta and brand manager Fabio Ferrari. Together they decided to preserve the signature crown-at‑12 o’clock and sculpted lugs that defined Gagà Milano but reinterpret them with a more refined voice. They called their company Gagà Laboratorio — a name that conjures images of an artist’s studio and a skilled artisan’s workshop.
A creative laboratory
Tomella’s intent was to create a watch that still broke conventions yet embraced the subtlety that comes with maturity. In the brand’s first year he assembled a small team: Coppoletta took charge of product and artistic direction, Tomella oversaw production with Swiss suppliers, and Ferrari handled marketing and communications. The trio see Gagà Laboratorio not as an homage to heritage or an exercise in extreme experimentalism, but as a creative laboratory that combines Italian design sensibility with Swiss mechanical rigour. Tomella insisted that their watches should embody three conditions: they had to respect the Gagà DNA, be loved by collectors while remaining affordable and appear mechanically complex through design rather than complications. The inaugural collection, Labormatic, illustrates that philosophy. Its name references the Latin root labor, evoking effort, industriousness and enterprise, and it is inspired by both an artist’s studio and an artisan’s workbench. Each Labormatic model tracks the hours on a rotating disc at 12 o’clock and the minutes on a central disc, while the seconds move on another rotating disc — a layout that invites the wearer to slow down and savour each passing moment. The case is a seven‑part construction with elongated “Devil’s Horn” lugs an elegant tip of the hat to mid‑century design . A custom La Joux‑Perret G100 calibre with a 68‑hour reserve hums beneath the dial.
Bauhaus, Cinquanta, Champagne & Azzurro
The Labormatic debuted with four variations, each telling its own story. Cinquanta, inspired by the mid‑century modern style of the 1950s, draws from the Italian economic boom and the era’s chromed “space cars,” jukeboxes and Jet Age imagery. The case feels like a spaceship landing pad, while the flared lugs nest within each other in two distinct finishes. Bauhaus strips the design down even further, with a minimalist minute disc and red indicator.
In Cinquanta and Azzurro, Coppoletta drew on the colour palette of Italian post‑war objects; the pale blue Azzurro evokes Adriano Celentano’s song “Azzurro” and carefree summer evenings. The font used on the Cinquanta dial was influenced by Coppoletta’s roots in tattoo art, proving that typeface alone can inject understated extravagance. In contrast, Champagne pairs a sparkling champagne‑bubble dial with the sober minimalism of Bauhaus; it is a celebratory watch designed to mirror the joy of fizzing bubbles.
What binds these models together is a sense of narrative. Each one plays with colour, typography and mid‑century references to convey a particular mood. Coppoletta and Tomella’s conversations ranged from Italian pop songs to the post‑war dandy spirit embodied by Gianni Agnelli. The result is a line of watches that feel both nostalgic and contemporary. Going to sea: Aqualab divers
After winning attention with Labormatic, Gagà Laboratorio turned its creative laboratory to the water. Aqualab, launched in 2026, transforms the Labormatic idea into a diver’s watch. It still uses the disc‑based display but pairs it with a robust 44 mm stainless‑steel case rated to 200 metres. A double‑curved sapphire crystal and supple rubber strap continue the brand’s architectural aesthetic. The collection comes in three moods: Aquamarine, recalling the calm clarity of Mediterranean summers; Anthracite, evoking the darker hues of the sea after a storm; and Silver Grey & Blue, expressing the changing moods of a vast body of water. Each version retains the 68‑hour La Joux‑Perret G100 calibre and the signature crown tucked beneath a steel cabochon.
The art of time
Talking with Gagà Laboratorio’s team leaves you feeling that design and mechanics are inseparable, not adversaries. Tomella says their customers are collectors — whether it’s their hundredth watch or their first — drawn to unique design. He imagines the Labormatic as a platform for endless interpretation and hints that two new models are already on the drawing board. The company is committed to organic growth, focusing on communication and retail partnerships rather than chasing trends.
For us, the charm of Gagà Laboratorio is that it treats time not as a commodity but as a canvas. The watches tell stories drawn from Italian popular culture and mid‑century design, executed with Swiss precision. They invite you to slow down, glance at a disc, and remember that time, like wine or art, is best savoured. In an industry often obsessed with heritage or technological novelty, Gagà Laboratorio stands apart as a boutique brand where creativity rules and the art of time is alive and well.