Delbana was founded 95 years ago by Goliardo Della Balda in a story that will be familiar to many modern independents and microbrands. While he admired the Swiss watch industry of the 1920s, having come from humble beginnings he was unable to afford the watches he wanted. As such, he set out on the quest to produce the type of watch he would want to own at a price that people like him would be able to afford. The Delbana brand was born in 1931 and now 95 years later, they are celebrating their history with the launch of the Della Balda 95th Anniversary Edition in tribute to the vision of their founder.
At 40mm in stainless steel, or steel with gold PVD, the Della Balda fits into the core archetype of Delbana’s watches: a practical daily wear wristwatch that leans towards a refined dress watch aesthetic. That’s most apparent with the luxe vibe of the gold PVD editions but even the steel versions have a strong air of refinement thanks to the signature sunray burst engraved dials.
It’s an attractive pattern and I enjoy the detail that every sixth sunray slice is slightly wider to accommodate the numerals and arrow indices. It adds an extra depth to the pattern that warrants closer attention. Just as there are two colours of case, there are also two colours of dial: black and silver. The silver makes the watch feel brighter and a little more summer ready while the black feels suited to formal occasions. The red tipped seconds hand adds a touch of sportiness to both options. There’s also the anniversary tribute elements such as the use of an historic Delbana logo and a commemorative caseback.
Below the dial is the Sellita SW200-1 movement, a Swiss Made automatic with 41-hour power reserve. That power reserve shows that it’s the more recent model with improved specs, which is always nice to see compared to the older 38-hour edition. At the same time, it’s still a widely available movement that should be familiar to any service centre, making maintaining it more convenient. It also helps keep the Della Balda competitively priced.
Talking of which, the stainless steel model is £825 and the PVD is £875. The four combinations of dial colour and case material are each limited to 95 pieces each in tribute to the 95th anniversary. We’ve now covered the 90th anniversary special edition and the 95th, so check back in five years when they hit that big 100.
Price and Specs:
More details at Delbana.
