At the end of 2023, the brand Gorilla, owned by Octavio Garcia, debuts with a new reduced version of the Fastback, known as the Fastback Touring Aurelia.
This model was created in response to the expressed desire of many enthusiasts for Gorilla to release a smaller version of its distinctive cushion-shaped Fastback case.
Mr. Garcia has long talked about working on a reduced version of the Fastback, and, to be honest, I wasn't sure I would like it as much as the larger version. While the bold wearing of the 44mm Gorilla Fastback family is still very interesting, I agree that the 39mm Fastback Touring Aurelia opens opportunities for Gorilla to a wider market and is, in many cases, a more practical item on the wrist.
The two limited models of the Gorilla Fastback Touring Aurelia include the Fastback Touring Nero Aurelia with a black dial and the Fastback Touring Bianco Aurelia with a white/silver dial, as pictured.
The most important aspect of the Fastback Touring Aurelia (from a design perspective) is the demonstration that the Fastback case can be successfully scaled down. The difference in size between the two model families is 5mm, but the overall case shape in a 39mm profile looks very similar.
In addition to the 39mm width, the Fastback Touring Aurelia is 10.5mm thick, with a lug-to-lug measurement of 50mm, and a width of 43.1mm, considering the bold steel crown covers and crown. The case features a screw-down crown and offers water resistance of 100 meters.
The flat sapphire crystal with AR coating is positioned over the dial, and another covers the movement on the case back.
While the architecture of the Fastback Touring Aurelia case is similar to the larger models, the materials used are slightly different.
Instead of a mix of materials like titanium, ceramic, and anodized aluminum, as in most 44mm Fastback models, the Fastback Touring Aurelia case is made of steel with various finishing options. DLC coating is used to create a glossier black part of the bezel and a slightly more matte main part of the case.
This gives the Fastback Touring Aurelia a more solid appearance, though it doesn't seem as exotic as other Gorilla models with diverse materials in their case architecture. It's unclear why Gorilla chose a predominantly steel construction for the Fastback Touring Aurelia, but it's possible that future more colorful versions will use different case materials.
In the past, Gorilla has released other watches without Arabic numerals, but currently, only the Fastback Touring Aurelia features stick hour markers. In the Aurelia model, we see a slight evolution of the Fastback dial, along with familiar elements like the three-spoke hour hand in steering wheel style and the racing-inspired minute track. Thanks to high contrast and proper proportions, the Nero and Bianco Aurelia dials are highly legible.
I also like that the hour hand disc is placed in a recess on the dial. Gorilla paints the hands and hour markers in Super-LumiNova color, and the dial itself is a fine example of symmetry in action. The only minor issue is that the placement of the Gorilla logo on the dial beneath the hour hand disc means the logo is mostly covered, at least partially, most of the time.
Additionally, compared to other Gorilla watches, Garcia has been incredibly restrained when it comes to colors in the Fastback Touring Aurelia. Except for the orange central seconds hand and the 'Fastback' inscription on the dial, these are monochromatic watches.
The package includes a comfortable and attractive strap - either fully black or black with a white border, depending on the model. The straps are produced by Viton - a trade name for a specific type of fluor elastomer. I prefer it to silicone, and it feels almost like natural rubber. What I would like to see from Gorilla is a tool-free strap release system for the Fastback Touring Aurelia.
Given the predominantly black and white-silver color scheme of the cases, they would look good on straps of different colors. However, for this, one would need to use one of Gorilla's straps, but I believe Gorilla should pave the way for allowing its customers to change the appearance and feel of the Fastback watches with new styles and colors of straps.
As for the movement, Gorilla maintains close ties with the Japanese company Miyota and uses the modern automatic Miyota caliber 9039 in the Fastback Touring Aurelia model. The 9039 caliber is produced in a high class and operates at a frequency of 4 Hz with a power reserve of about two days.
It features a custom-made Gorilla automatic rotor. However, it's interesting to consider how long it will take before Gorilla opts for the La Joux-Perret G100 family movement. La Joux-Perret belongs to Citizen, and its G100 is essentially a Swiss version of the Miyota 9000 family, but with more decorations and some additional features.
Considering the price of the Fastback Touring Aurelia, I have a strong feeling that Gorilla will likely explore this direction in the future. This would allow the company to offer a more prestigious (although the caliber 9000 works very well) movement without having to change suppliers.
A few minutes on the wrist were all it took for the Fastback Touring Aurelia to win me over. It offered all the bold Fastback style (which I really like) with a much more pragmatic size for everyone except those with large wrists. If you lead a more 'regular' lifestyle but still want something interesting and fun on your wrist, then the 39mm Gorilla Fastback Touring Aurelia is a great choice.
There are many 39mm watches on the market, but very few have such a case shape and sporty style as these. Even compared to the 44mm Fastback models, Gorilla has entered an even more underserved market by offering a smaller version of the wild watch design. I believe this also opens up the Fastback to more women, few of whom would want to wear something as large as the big-cased Gorilla watch models.
The Gorilla Fastback Touring Aurelia is not very expensive, but it's not cheap either. These watches fall into Gorilla's mid-price range, although their cases lack ceramic, titanium, or Swiss Made movements. That being said, I have already noted that the brand is gradually raising its price.
I think the price isn't that bad, and frankly, watches in this case are extremely unusual at present. Furthermore, these watches will be relatively rare, given that the Fastback Touring Aurelia is limited to 500 pieces each.
The retail price of the Gorilla Fastback Touring Nero or Bianco Aurelia is $1,780 USD. More details on the Gorilla watches website.