In November 2025, Gucci quietly dropped something that sent vintage watch lovers into a spiral. The Gucci Play, a gold-plated bangle watch with interchangeable ceramic bezels — landed at NZD $5,045 and sold out at several retailers within weeks. Fashion editors called it the accessory of the season. TikTok called it a must-have. Watch collectors just nodded and said: we know this one.
Because they did. The Gucci Play isn't a new idea. It's a revival of one of the house's most beloved designs, the 11/12, a changeable bezel bangle watch first introduced in the mid-1980s. The originals have been quietly trading on resale platforms for years, beloved by the kind of woman who finds things before they trend.
We found two. Here's what you need to know.
A brief history of the most fashionable watch Gucci ever made
It was 1985, and Milan was having a moment. The city had just emerged as a global fashion capital Armani, Versace, Valentino were all in their prime, and the Italian appetite for glamour was at its peak. Gucci, for its part, was in the middle of a complicated chapter: family feuds, tax evasions, and boardroom drama that would eventually inspire a film and a Lady Gaga performance. But through all of it, the house kept making beautiful things.
The 11/12 was one of them. A 26mm gold-plated round case on a sculptural ball-and-link bracelet, designed with a removable outer bezel so the wearer could swap colours to match her mood, her outfit, her moment. It came with a set of bezels plastic and metal, in the house's most signature colourways and the original green Gucci box. It was playful and precise in equal measure. Quintessentially Italian. Quintessentially Gucci.
The bangle variation followed — a slimmer, more delicate silhouette on a thin gold-plated hoop. Where the 11/12.2 was bold and sculptural, the bangle was refined. Jewellery pretending to be a watch, or a watch pretending to be jewellery. Either way, it worked.
Both designs were made for the woman who dressed intentionally, who understood that an accessory could do more than mark the time.
Why vintage beats new
The Gucci Play retails today for NZD $5,045. It's a good watch. Ceramic bezels, a slightly larger 28mm case, water resistance to 50 metres, Gucci improved on the original in meaningful ways. But there are things the new version simply doesn't have.
It doesn't have the original proportions that particular delicacy of a 26mm case that sits on the wrist like fine jewellery rather than a statement piece. It doesn't have the original bezel click, the slight patina of gold that tells you this object has a history. And it doesn't have the box, that deep green Gucci presentation box that, if you grew up around fashion, takes you somewhere specific.
Vintage originals with complete bezel sets are currently trading on resale platforms between NZD $1,000 and $2,000. That's a fraction of the new retail price, for the piece that inspired it.
There's also something to be said for owning the original rather than the revival. Fashion works in cycles, and the Gucci Play exists because enough people fell in love with the vintage 11/12 to make Gucci notice. If you buy the Play, you're buying into the trend. If you buy the original, you're buying the thing that started it.
How to wear them
The bangle is the easier of the two to style. Its slim profile means it stacks effortlessly, layer it with fine gold bangles, a chain bracelet, or wear it alone on a bare wrist. The stripe bezel does the work for you: red and green against gold is a combination that needs nothing else. For something more understated, swap to cream or taupe and let the silhouette speak. It works with everything from a linen dress to a blazer and jeans.
The 11/12.2 is a different proposition. The ball-and-link bracelet gives it presence, this is not a watch that disappears into an outfit. Wear it as the focal point: one statement piece on the wrist, nothing competing. The cobalt bezel works beautifully with navy and white. The black is the most versatile. The teal is for when you want to be asked about it.
Both watches are 26mm, which sits on the smaller side by contemporary standards. On a narrow wrist, they're perfect. On a wider wrist, they read as deliberately delicate, which is its own kind of intention.
Two pieces. One drop.
Seconds Club started with bags. But good taste doesn't stop there and when we found these two in Japan, authenticated them with Entrupy, and laid them out on the table, we knew we had something worth sharing.
These are not reproductions. They are not the new version. They are the watches that made Gucci reissue the design forty years later and they're dropping soon.
Dropping this Sunday, one of each available.