Ahead of the game: The high-performing I-Gucci Sport Watch

Eschewing the clutter of some performance watches, the new I-Gucci Sport displays the clean look and retro-digital feel we've come to expect from Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. No wonder the latest timepiece from Italy’s premier luxury brand drew more than its fair share of admiring glances at this year's Baselworld Watch Fair. Here, we clock up its credentials.

A SPORTING GREAT

Steeped in sporting traditions, Gucci has a rich equestrian heritage. So it understands the value of precision timing in sports watches performance. That's why the I-Gucci Sport Watch is as hardworking as it is good-looking. Its dual chronograph function and countdown timer allow for accurate time-lapse recording; the in-built pedometer is ideal for clocking up miles on foot; and a regatta-timing function is a nice sports-luxe touch. Add to this the new rubber strap design and it’s clear the I-Gucci is the perfect mate for summer sailing trips. To see the watch in action, have a look at this specially commissioned Gucci short.

A DESIGN FIRST

We know it's not easy to make performance kit look good. Technical functions can pose tricky aesthetic considerations when it comes to designing a watch – which is, after all, a mechanical accessory for the wrist. But Giannini's credentials (she was first appointed Gucci’s creative director of accessories in 2004) meant she knew the drill when she designed the original I-Gucci, the brand’s first digital watch, last year. This summer's I-Gucci Sport version is her well-considered update, with black rubber pushers fused into the brushed-steel bezel and a new, larger 49mm dial that allows for a slicker, roomier design. The performance-ready perforated-rubber racer strap comes in three colour options: black, orange and cobalt blue. A black version, with the classic green and red-striped webbing embedded into the rubber strap, adds a vintage feel. For a handy tool that tells you, in an instant, where to buy the I-Gucci Sport, download the Locator app.

A TECH WONDER

The I-Gucci Sport's impressively broad technical range - water resistance to 50m, backlight and hardy rubber and steel body - give the watch staying power under pressure. The clean digital display, meanwhile, makes the countdown timer and chrono functions easily readable. We're also pleased to see those handy components that made the original I-Gucci the perfect everyday watch - dual-time, alarm and date functions - are still key considerations of the Swiss-made watch. Lovers of timeless dial design will want to know about the analogical function that displays the time in the traditional hand formation. Get a quick, no-fuss briefing of the I-Gucci's tech spec.

This model has all the form and function we want in a sports watch. But we’ll let the brand's founder, Guccio Gucci, sum up the I-Gucci Sport's overall appeal with his favourite adage: 'Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.'