Combining sartorial excellence with traditional craftsmanship, the new Italian brand is looking for a piece of the fashion-savvy yet affordable market.

Milan is well known as one of the fashion capitals of the world. A quick stroll through the streets of the North Italian city is enough to convince anyone of the superb sartorial skills on display.

Perfectly tailored Italian clothes, of course, demand just the right accessory. Start-up brand Monforti is looking to provide just that, having recently released their first collection, which has been appropriately named the Sartoria.

The brand was started by two young and enterprising managers, who have partnered with an Italian watchmaker with over 50 years of experience with some of the top watchmaking brands.

Now, having an excellent fashion sense and impeccable clothing, any accompanying timepieces, I believe, should be understated. In this case, the clothes are meant to do the talking, rather than the timepiece.

And that’s what we see with Monforti - the underlying design codes of the Sartoria watch are defined by a sophisticated and understated aesthetic.

The added value of the Sartoria is that it provides more flexibility when suiting-up. First, the collection is available in three different case colors - rose gold, silver and black – which can be paired with a further four dial variants.

Then, there are no less than 22 handmade Tuscan leather straps to choose among, which can be switched out in the blink of an eye thanks to their quick release spring bars. As an added bonus, the strap buckle can be monogrammed – something common in the Italian sartorial tradition.

On first impression, the inaugural collection reminded me of an upscale version of fashion brand Daniel Wellington’s offerings. Monforti’s price point a slightly higher in comparison, expected to retail from around the 300-euro mark. They are also more dressy and elegant in terms of their appearance, helped by the use of roman numerals and a more stylized logo.

The overall idea behind the Monforti Sartoria, then, is to provide a very elegant timepiece that provides the option of many different stylistic interpretations while at the same time also keeping the prices reasonable. What more can an aspiring sartorialist ask for?

Look out for Monforti’s next launch on Kickstarter in mid-October. Until then, you can get your hands on a Sartoria timepiece by checking out their watch giveaway.