Franc Vila, born in Valencia, Spain, embarked on his professional journey after studies in science, art, and philosophy. In 2004, Vila launched his namesake watch brand after creating his first timepiece. His horological vision combined functionality with a distinctive upside-down "figure eight" design, drawing inspiration from Mexican professional wrestlers known as ‘luchadores’. After two decades working within the conventions of luxury watchmaking, Vila began his haute horlogerie collection. This evolution included developing a carbon minute repeater and establishing the new Atelier FVF Genève in 2021 after selling his ‘namesake brand’.
Vila describes his approach as ‘emotional horology’ rather than simply a watch brand. His philosophy elevates watchmaking to an art form designed to evoke emotions. His horological artistic boutique concept focuses on creating extreme artisanal contemporary timepieces with superlative hand finishing. With production limited to eight to ten pieces annually, Vila collaborates with talented independent watchmakers who share his passion and vision, creating unique timepieces that blend centuries-old tradition with 21st-century technology.
The first release by the new Atelier FVF Genève was the FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero with a heptagonal day-of-the-week display showing each day of the week back in 2021. Then followed the new FVF2 back in February of 2025 and now we bring you our hands-on review of the new FVF Genève FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero ‘Today’ alongside the ‘Dolce Vita’ unique piece.
Things to Know About the Watch
The FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero 'Dolce Vita' Unique Piece features the phrase “Dolce Far Niente" which is an Italian phrase that translates literally to ‘sweet doing nothing’. But this phrase evokes the great pleasure of idleness. It encapsulates a cultural concept that celebrates the joy and pleasure found in relaxation and leisurely inactivity. This expression represents more than just laziness or procrastination—it's about the art of savoring moments of peaceful idleness and finding pleasure in simply being. It embodies the idea that there's value and beauty in allowing yourself time to rest without purpose or productivity, to enjoy life's simple pleasures without guilt or the pressure to be constantly busy.
In Italian culture, "Dolce Far Niente" reflects an appreciation for quality of life that includes taking time to relax, whether it's lingering over a coffee at a café, enjoying a stroll with no particular destination, or sitting quietly on a bench watching the world go by. The concept has gained recognition worldwide as an antidote to the modern hustle culture that often glorifies busyness and constant productivity. It reminds us that sometimes the sweetest moments in life come from doing absolutely nothing at all.
The FVF Genève FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero ‘Today’ and the 'Dolce Vita' showcase Vila's design mastery and pay tribute to the phrase and the mindset of pleasantly living life and doing nothing other than savoring moments today. As we like to say ‘This Moment is your life’.
These ultra-light watches feature a complex mechanism with exceptional performance in a robust tourbillon format. His expertise in developing skeleton watches led to an innovative unibody ‘case-baseplate’ construction, achieving a remarkably light total weight of just 54.8 grams including the alligator strap with titanium buckle. While the cases on both watches are almost identical, the main difference comes from the shape of their lugs—both are partly skeletonized.
Both the FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero 'Today' and FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero 'Dolce Vita' Unique Piece are equipped with Grade 5 Titanium cases measuring 42.5 mm in diameter that serve as the baseplate and bridges for the movement, and both are equipped with sapphire crystal front and back bezels that create a glass-box effect, resulting in 13.9mm thick watches.
The dial features a one-minute tourbillon at 6 o'clock, a titanium heptagonal display cylinder at 12 o’clock that is different for each watch. For the FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero ‘Today’ instead of showing the day of the week, it shows the word ‘Today’ in seven different typographies—because at the end of the day who cares about the day of the week when you live a good life like our friend ‘Riley’.
Meanwhile, on the ‘Dolce Vita’ unique piece, the cylinder shows three days of the week: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Italian as ‘Martedi’, ‘Mercoledi’, and ‘Giovedi’ while Friday shows the word ‘Allegria’—happiness—, Saturday shows ‘Dolce Far Niente’—sweet doing nothing—, Sunday shows ‘Dolce Vita’—sweet life—, and Monday shows ‘Tutto Passa’ —everything passes. The cylinder is set by a pusher located on the caseband at 9 o’clock.
Additionally, the watches include a spherical 3D Grand Feu enamel day/night indicator positioned below the heptagonal display in blue and silver for the ‘Today’ model and in green and red for the ‘Dolce Vita’ unique piece—which in this case it honors its Italian inspiration with such color scheme.
The Movement
The movement philosophy balances longevity and precision through classical watchmaking traditions and contemporary architectural design avoiding unnecessary complexity through rational approaches and mechanical solutions. Each timepiece features exquisite hand-finishing to the highest standards, including inward angles, fully flat and hand-polished wheels and pinions, and meticulously polished screws.
This in-house manual wound movement composed of 240 parts features a 60-second tourbillon at 6 o’clock, a 3D Grand Feu enamel day-and-night indicator, a heptagonal day-of-the-week display, and a high-efficiency jeweled barrel with a 100-hour power reserve, and a 15-tooth Swiss lever escapement with adjustable mass balance, with four regulation screws and eight inertial screws with a shock-resistant Geneva stud.
The movement on the FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero ‘Today’ features the individual serial number out of four engraved on its ‘V-shaped’ bridge, while the ‘Dolce Vita’ unique piece reads the phrase ‘Dolce Vita’.
On the Wrist & Price
On the wrist, the FVF Genève FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero 'Dolce Vita' and the FVF1 Tourbillon Superligero ‘Today’ wear true to their case size but their lightness defies expectations the moment it graces the wrist. As its name in Spanish ‘Superligero’—ultra-light—suggests, at just 54.8 grams including its alligator strap, the timepiece practically disappears against the skin. The 42.5 mm Grade 5 titanium case presents an ideal balance, substantial enough to command attention yet perfectly proportioned for both formal and casual settings.
Despite its mechanical complexity, the watch wears with a carefree ease that perfectly embodies the ‘Today’ and 'Dolce Vita' namesakes—the sweet pleasure of doing nothing. It's a philosophical contradiction: a watch that represents the highest achievement in horological craftsmanship while simultaneously encouraging you to forget about time altogether and simply enjoy the moment.
Sticker Price CHF 170,000—approx USD 206,000— for a unique piece like the ‘Dolce Vita’ and CHF 165,000—approx USD 200,000— for the ‘Today’. For more info on Atelier FVF Genève click here.
