Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton Review

Over the past year we've had the chance to review two watches from the watch brand Gorilla. These were the Drift Mercury Wandering Hours and the Fastback Legacy Full Carbon. I came away from these reviews extremely impressed with both the designs and usage of high-tech materials in the cases. Recently another watch from Gorilla caught my eye and I reached out to Octavio Garcia to see if we could get one in for review, which he graciously agreed to.

The story of Gorilla Watches starts with Octavio Garcia who has designed my favorite watch of all time, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Juan Pablo Montoya, along with countless other amazing pieces before founding Gorilla in 2016. Octavio was actually born and raised in Chicago before moving to Switzerland in 1993 to study industrial design at the Art Center College of Design. The watch industry wasn't on Octavio's radar before college, but with the school being in Switzerland he had a lot of exposure to the industry. Octavio actually planned to move back to the United States and work with a US based company like Nike, but when his friends started getting hired by top tier watch companies he thought there might be a future in watches.



Growing up in Chicago and being exposed predominately to the Latin community, Octavio became fascinated with street art like tagging and graffiti. Another predominant part of American culture that was important to Octavio during his childhood was comic books. As a child Octavio used drawing as an escape and as he aged this transitioned in graffiti. Moving on to art was a way to take Octavio's talents and give them meaning and structure.

After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design Octavio first tried to start a business with some friends that focused on furniture design but eventually ended up at Omega in 1999. During his time at Omega Octavio worked on such iconic collections as the Speedmaster, Seamaster and Constellation. Octavio was instrumental in the creation of the Aqua Terra family as well as the full redesign of the Constellation. In 2003 Audemars Piguet was looking for a young designer to move the Royal Oak Offshore into the forefront of the brand. The creative team was then led by Claude Emmenegger and the brand had just unveiled their first Concept Watch. During this time Audemars Piguet was starting to work with bleeding edge movements from Renaud & Papi and were also experimenting with exotic metals, carbon fiber and ceramic.



An ad in a newspaper actually led to Octavio to contact Audemars Piguet and the young designer was soon brought on. Octavio would go on to become the design director at Audemars Piguet and stay with the brand for a decade. During this time Octavio did extraordinary work on the Millenary series and also further refined and improved the iconic Royal Oak. Personally it was his work on the Royal Oak Offshore limited editions that really resonate with me the most. These models were key to my time in the watch industry with the Montoya being my favorite of releases and a watch I proudly own today.

After leaving Audemars Piguet Octavio went on to found Gorilla Watches with fellow Audemars Piguet designer Lukas Gopp in 2016. The aim of Gorilla was to create bold automotive inspired watches that are crafted out of high-tech materials like carbon, titanium and ceramic at obtainable price points. While the Fastback Legacy we covered was priced more accessible, the Drift Mercury was more towards the higher end for the brand featuring the rare wondering hours complication. Today we're going to take a look at the range topping model from Gorilla.

Initial Thoughts

The watch I'm talking about is the Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton which is a limited edition of 99 pieces and created in collaboration with Swiss complication specialist Dubois Depraz. When the watch arrived, the first thing I noticed about it was the stunning power blue and orange color scheme. Knowing that Octavio has a love for motorsports the color scheme is definitely a nod to the Gulf livery made so famous in classic racing particularly the Le Mans winning Ford GT40. Blue and orange are used through-out the skeletonized dial and there is an orange anodized aluminum ring separating the bezel from the mid-case. Finally there is the powder blue rubber strap with an alcantara inlay completing the look.



Like with all watches from Gorilla, the next thing I took notice of was the masterful use of materials on the Thunderbolt. The bezel of the Thunderbolt is crafted out of matte black ceramic and is separated from the DLC coated titanium mid-case by that orange anodized aluminum ring we have already mentioned. The case back is done in brushed titanium and features a sapphire crystal display back. Finally the crown and grown guards are done in titanium while the pushers are crafted out of ceramic.

The final thing I noticed about the Thunderbolt during my initial time with the watch was the skeletonized dial. This expertly crafted skeletonized dial is actually multiple layers with the bespoke skeletonized Dubois Depraz chronograph module serving as its base. Many skeletonized watches are hard to read, but that is not the case with the Thunderbolt. Large Arabic numerals surround the 60 minute track and the chronograph and running seconds sub-dials standout nicely. The hands also have nice contrast to the rest of the dial and are easy to quickly read. While you can see the gear train moving through the dial, the real treat comes when you can see the chronograph components move when engaging and resetting the chronograph.



Technical Specifications

Now that we've gone over my initial impressions of the Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton let's now look at the technical specifications of the watch. The watch has a case diameter of 44 mm and a lug to lug length of 51 mm. The Thunderbolt weighs in at 134 grams on our scale and at its thickest point is 13.6 mm tall. Now not to sound like a broken record, but I just love how lightweight materials like ceramic and titanium bring down the weight of a watch, I couldn't even imagine how much the Thunderbolt would weigh if it was done in stainless steel.

The Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton has a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating that provides a crystal clear view of the skeletonized dial beneath. The top layer of the dial is a powder blue disc that contains the hour markers as well as the minute track both printed in black. The hour markers use a thicker bar while each minute is slimmer. The hour markers are also outlined in orange.



The next layer is a black galvanized skeletonized plate that has the thunderbolt design cut out of it at 12 o'clock. The applied Gorilla logo sits on top of the thunderbolt and is covered in Grade X1 Super-Luminova. The applied chronograph minutes and running seconds sub-dials are also present on this layer. The chronograph minutes sub-dial found at 9 o'clock has orange highlights and an orange hand while the running seconds sub-dial found at 3 o'clock has powder blue highlights. Both of the sub-dial hands are reminiscent of the hands found on the Omega Speedmaster Alaska Prototype, which is a nod to Octavio's past at Omega and also the newer Alaska Project is the only Speedmaster I'd personally own. The large applied Arabic minute markers are placed on this level and are also covered with Grade X1 Super-Luminova. These minute markers are present for each 5 minute interval from 5 to 60 with 15 and 45 being removed for the sub-dials and instead having smaller indices.

The following layer is a skeletonized cover to the chronograph module that is NAC plated and radially brushed. Found at 6 o'clock is the Dubois Depraz Vallee De Joux text that completes the co-branding of the Thunderbolt and cementing the collaboration between Gorilla and Dubois Depraz. Underneath is the Dubois Depraz developed chronograph DD268 that sits on top of the ETA 2892 base caliber which receives a top grade finish.



The centrally mounted hands are made up of the hour, minute and chronograph seconds hand. The hour and minute hands are partially skeletonized while the chronograph seconds hand is orange. All three hands are covered with Grade X1 Super-Luminova with the seconds hand having a stylized tri-angle tip where the lume is applied. In low light the Thunderbolt really shines with everything glowing a strong green.

The skeletonized dial gives a great view of the DD268 chronograph module which has a brushed finish on the levers and uses a ton of perlage on the mainplate. When the chronograph is activated you get a great glimpse of the column wheel rotating, levers moving and clutch engaging. You can also see various elements of the gear train moving through the dial as well. It is really a treat to be able to see so much of the custom Dubois Depraz chronograph module through the dial of the Thunderbolt.



Moving on from the dial is the matte black ceramic bezel held in place by four exposed titanium bolts that go through the entire case. The tachymeter scale is done in white with "Base 1000" printed in orange. In low light all of these markings glow a matching green to the dial markers and hands. Marking a break in the all black aesthetic of the bezel and case is the bright orange anodized aluminum ring that separates the ceramic bezel from the DLC titanium case.

The black DLC coated titanium mid case has a brushed finish that complements the bezel nicely and adds good contrast to the orange aluminum ring, powder blue strap and colors found on the dial. The case is best described as square cushion shaped and follows other watches found in the Gorilla lineup. Looking at the profile of the case you can see that the lugs are rather short but slope down quickly to follow your wrist. This should allow the Thunderbolt to be worn on a variety of wrist sizes.



The right hand side of the watch features a large oversized titanium and ceramic crown and matching large crown guards. The scalloped crown is meant to resemble the louvers found on the back glass of a 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback. The triangular design is super unique and not like any crown I've seen outside of Gorilla. The screw down crown aids with the 100 meters of water resistance and when un-screwed allows manual winding of the automatic movement in the resting position. There is no date function on the Thunderbolt so there is only one crown position that once pulled out to stops the running seconds hand and allows you to set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minutes hand and screwing the crown back in requires no extra care to get the crown to catch.

Housed in the large crown guards are the chronograph pushers which are crafted out of textured black ceramic. The upper pusher starts and stops the chronograph with a satisfying click while the lower pusher restarts the chronograph once stopped. As mentioned earlier stopping and starting the chronograph results in a nice dance of the chronograph module parts that you can see take place on the skeletonized dial.

The Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton is an integrated design meaning there are no true lugs on the watch. The strap connects directly into the case which allows the case to seamlessly flow into the strap. The strap has a width of 32 mm that tapers down to 24 mm at the titanium pin buckle. The rubber strap is a matching powder blue color to the other blue elements of the watch and the top side has an alcantara insert while the bottom is ribbed to stay in place on your wrist. The strap is incredibly supple and required no break in to be extremely comfortable.



The pin on the buckle is nice and beefy and gives you a nice reassurance that the buckle will not fail. Since the watch is integrated only other straps from Gorilla will work on the Thunderbolt. Gorilla does offer a good selection of straps in various colors and materials that will fit the watch if you wanted to try something different than the powder blue alcantara and rubber strap provided.

Flipping the watch over shows off the brushed titanium case back with sapphire crystal. Here you can see the exposed screw heads from the dial side case bolts that hold the case together. "Fastback Limited Edition" along with the number of the limited edition of 99 is also engraved here. Looking through the display back you can see the Swiss Made ETA 2892 automatic base caliber topped off with a black Gorilla branded winding rotor. The movement underneath is finished nicely with usage of snailing and perlage.

The ETA 2892 is a workhorse movement that is known for its reliability and accuracy. The movement beats along at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and offers 42 hours of power reserve. It also has bi-directional winding and should be able to be serviced and repaired by just about any watchmaker. The accuracy is typically quoted as +/- 20 seconds per day all the way up to +/- 5 seconds per day in COSC spec movements from ETA. On our timegrapher the movement showed an accuracy of +3 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions. This is extremely accurate and actually within chronometer specifications.



On The Wrist

On my 7.25 wrist with a 55 mm flat area the Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton wears perfectly. The 51 mm lug to lug length covers my wrist nicely and there is no overhang. Since the lugs and strap seamlessly integrate into each other there is no extra flare out of the strap making the watch wear larger. The wide rubber strap also kept the watch centered on my wrist never favoring one side over the other.

With the all titanium, ceramic and sapphire construction of the Thunderbolt the 134 gram weight never caused any wrist fatigue. Now the watch is still a good deal over 100 grams, so the watch didn't completely disappear on the wrist while being worn. The Thunderbolt does have a nice presence on the wrist and I'd say the ergonomics of the watch are top class making the watch very comfortable to wear over long periods of time.

During my time with the Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton I wore it during mundane everyday errands as well as out to dinner and drinks. The watch was a perfect companion while running around and went well with my pretty casual attire of t-shirts, shorts and sneakers. I typically never get dressed for anything formal, so the Thunderbolt could work well as an everyday piece for people like me. Those who work in an office or regularly dress up might prefer the watch as a secondary or weekend watch though.



For testing legibility I use a simple test of trying to tell the time while driving using a quick glance. Typically skeleton watches do the worst at this test with dive watches doing the best. By Gorilla using large Arabic minute markers on the first level of the dial on the Thunderbolt and having large hour and minute hands, the watch was actually pretty easy to decipher at a quick glance. Sure having numerals for hours instead of minutes would have made it a bit quicker, but that's not really the aesthetic the Thunderbolt was going for. Also with ample lume on the dial, telling the time in lower light situations was a breeze with the Thunderbolt.

Wearing the Thunderbolt out proves how much the watch is not a wallflower. In our area there are a ton of stainless steel Rolex sports models when you go out, so wearing a typical diver or sports watch never gets noticed. It really takes something crazy like a UFO on the wrist like the Ulysse Nardin Freak to get eyes on a watch. I wasn't really sure to what to expect with the Thunderbolt in terms of attention, but the watch really received a ton of looks. I even had a few people come up to me and ask about the watch. I'm sure the bright powder blue alcantara rubber strap, orange aluminum ring and skeleton dial drew people's attention. The people that asked about the watch were unfamiliar with Gorilla, so it was fun sharing the story of the brand with them. Most of the compliments on the Thunderbolt were directed towards the skeletonized dial and DLC titanium and ceramic case.



Value and Position in the Market

Naturally when you're talking about a watch that is crafted out of titanium and ceramic and has a specialized chronograph module made by complication experts Dubois Depraz, the price of the watch will not be inexpensive. The retail price of the Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton is $8,500. For that price you're getting the case materials and chronograph module already mentioned but also a stunningly designed skeletonized dial and the range topping watch from Octavio Garcia's brand Gorilla. The only point of contention I could see people having with the Thunderbolt is the ETA 2892 base caliber, but you have to remember that the real star of the show here is the chronograph module. Also throughout the years ETA base calibers have served as the heart to some watches with extremely high and grand complications. Now would be a good time to look at other watches that offer similar features and specifications to the Thunderbolt and see how the watch compares in terms of value.

First up we have the pre-2021 Royal Oak Offshore chronographs from Audemars Piguet. Earlier versions of the Royal Oak Offshore used Jaeger-LeCoultre base calibers that were fitted with a Dubois Depraz chronograph module. In 2016 newer Royal Oak Offshore chronographs were based off of an in-house caliber from Audemars Piguet but still used a Dubois Depraz chronograph module. In 2021 Audemars Piguet switched to a fully in-house solution for their chronographs movements in the Royal Oak Offshore. Having spent a decade at Audemars Piguet, Octavio Garcia was very familiar with using Dubois Depraz chronograph modules and in a way the Thunderbolt could be seen as a spiritual successor to the earlier Royal Oak Offshore models. On the secondary market, the cheapest Royal Oak Offshores from this era start at just under $20,000, much more than the Thunderbolt retails for.



Moving on we have the Monaco Chronograph Skeleton from TAG Heuer which has a 39 mm case crafted out of titanium. Like the Thunderbolt, the Monaco also has a black DLC titanium case that is mostly square in shape. The Monaco also has a skeletonized dial with highly legible sub-dials as well. The Monaco uses an in-house caliber with 80 hours of power reserve and has the same 100 meters of water resistance. The Monaco has a very strong connection to motorsports like the Thunderbolt was inspired by. The Monaco Chronograph is a bit more expensive than the Thunderbolt at $11,250.

Next up is the Spirit of Bing Bang Titanium Ceramic from Hublot which has a 42 mm case and is crafted out of titanium with a ceramic bezel. Once again the Spirit of Big Bang has a non-round tonneau shaped case and a skeletonized dial with a chronograph. The Spirit of Bing Bang uses an in-house flyback chronograph movement with 50 hours of power reserve and has 100 meters of water resistance. The Spirit of Big Bang is a good deal more expensive than the Thunderbolt at $25,200.



Finally we have the RM 72-01 Lifestyle Flyback Chronograph from Richard Mille which crafted out of quartz TPT and has a case diameter of 38.4 x 47.34 mm. Like the Monaco and various older Royal Oak Offshores the RM 72-01 has a direct connection to motorsports with Richard Mille being a sponsor of the F1 teams of Ferrari and McLaren and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc even having his own limited edition of the RM 72-01. The RM 72-01 runs on an in-house movement with 50 hours of power reserve and features a flyback chronograph. The RM 72-01 only offers 30 meters of water resistance and has a stunning skeletonized dial. The retail price of the RM 72-01 starts at just over $300,000.

Looking at these four watches you can see that the Gorilla Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton offers great value for what it offers. Like I mentioned earlier, three of the watches do come with in-house movements, but also come at a much higher price and require specially trained watchmakers to work on the movements, even then parts might not be available requiring the brand to service and repair the watches. The ETA 2892 has been proven for decades and inside of the Thunderbolt we tested is also deadly accurate.

Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Gorilla Thunderbolt Chronograph Skeleton for me? In all honesty being a huge fan of both Octavio Garcia as well as motorsports the watch really speaks to me. Once again it checks off a lot of things I personally look for in a watch with an over 50 mm lug to lug length, high-tech case materials and just being something different. The Gulf inspired powder blue and orange color scheme is awesome as is the collaboration with Dubois Depraz and the skeletonized dial.



With the older limited Royal Oak Offshores being so important to me, seeing some elements of those watches in a newer watch designed by Octavio is awesome. The exposed case bolts, titanium case and crown guard design really make me think of the Offshores worked on by Octavio Garcia and having the chronograph module supplied by Dubois Depraz is a subtle nod to those older Offshores.

Would I recommend the Thunderbolt to somebody looking for a unique chronograph? I feel the Thunderbolt is best suited to be a fun watch not worn every day. So if this person is looking for a daily wearer that they can wear to the office and be a one watch collection, I'd say this probably isn't the watch for them. The Thunderbolt just draws too much attention to blend in like a daily wearer should.

Otherwise if they are open minded and can appreciate something different from the commonplace Daytonas and Speedmasters of the world, the Thunderbolt would be a great addition to their collection. The watch being created in collaboration with Dubois Depraz and even being co-branded is truly unique and shows the respect they have for both Gorilla and Octavio Garcia. With a small limited edition run of 99 pieces, it also ensures that you will more than likely never see another one out in the wild.



I'd really like to thank Gorilla and Octavio Garcia for sending us this Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton to review. This is now the third watch we have reviewed from the brand and as with the prior two the Thunderbolt has been beyond our expectations. We've now have also reviewed watches from three very different price ranges from Gorilla and the build quality has been just as high on the less expensive model as on the range topping Thunderbolt. I'm genuinely excited to see what Gorilla has planned for the future and hopefully we will get in some more pieces to review in the near future.

For more information about the Chronograph Thunderbolt Skeleton please visit : Gorilla

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: Thunderbolt

Retail Price: $8,500

Case Size: 44 mm

Lug to Lug: 51 mm

Thickness: 13.6 mm

Weight: 134 grams

Case Material: DLC Titanium

Bezel: Ceramic

Strap: Blue Rubber Strap with Alacantara Insert and Titanium Pin Buckle

Movement: Swiss Made ETA 2892 with Dubois Depraz DD268 Chronograph Module

Functions: Chronograph, Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Power Reserve: 42 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters