Maurice de Mauriac and Warm & Wonderful bring back the iconic ‘Black Sheep’ pattern celebrated by Lady Di on a collaborative timepiece designed by Carlton DeWoody.
In an era of globalization, individuality is more and more valued. In a politically correct era where there is pressure to behave according to socially acceptable conventions, being a black sheep means one rejects to conform. For those free spirits who refuse to run with the pack, Maurice de Mauriac and Warm & Wonderful have created a seminal collaborative timepiece: the ‘Black Sheep’.
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After 19-year-old Diana Spencer wore the ‘Black Sheep’ sweater from British company Warm & Wonderful to a polo match in 1981, four months after her engagement to Prince Charles, images of the future Princess of Wales and her animal jumper were spread across newspaper front pages around the world — and the small business founded by friends Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir exploded as a result. That distinctive knit showed Diana Spencer was beginning to express herself in the eye of the public and later on became not only a symbol of Lady Di’s status within the royal family (she wore it again in 1983) but also an icon of pop culture: the Victoria and Albert Museum has one, actress Emma Corin wore a replica in season four of ‘The Crown, and the original pullover fetched over 1.1 million USD on a Sotheby’s auction.
«Diana was a perfect symbol for the so-called black sheep: she stood outside the royal norm and was particularly loved for it. That suits us, as Maurice de Mauriac is always a little outside the mainstream and is loved for it. When the question arose as to whether we wanted to make such a ‘Diana watch’, we immediately embraced the idea», states CEO Massimo Dreifuss.
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The ‘Black Sheep’ design has now entered watch culture via a luminous collaboration between Zurich-based watch brand Maurice de Mauriac and Warm & Wonderful, to celebrate the 45th birthday of the original knitwear company — which has been revived by Rowing Blazers.
It all started with a Warm & Wonderful bucket hat the siblings ordered for their late father, more than two years ago; the brand wanted something special for their 45th birthday and the Dreifusses stated they had the perfect designer to execute the idea in Los Angeles-based creative Carlton DeWoody, who is also friends with Eric Wind — the renowned vintage authority who collaborated with Rowing Blazers on a previous limited edition series of watches and has given his own input on the ‘Black Sheep’ collaborative project.
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The ‘Black Sheep’ edition is limited to 45 units and its 39mm case, traditionally used in the brand’s Classic collection and tennis-inspired Rallymaster series, fits most wrists; it is powered by a Swiss Landeron automatic movement and is outfitted with not only one but two two-piece textile stretch strap especially developed for Maurice de Mauriac — a black one and a white one, both with a red central line, to be worn according the user’s own mood or style for the occasion.
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Maurice de Mauriac x Warm & Wonderful ‘Black Sheep’
Case: brushed stainless steel with thin off-white Cerakote® ceramic coating
screw-in crown with polished black PVD coating with an embossed sheep
Movement: Landeron 24 automatic Swiss
Dial: red double logo Maurice de Mauriac + Warm & Wonderful dial; one black sheep, 15 white sheep treated with Swiss Super-LumiNova® SLN White X1/BL afterglow luminescence
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Wear the Badge
The watch box also includes a ‘Black Sheep’ patch that can be knit anywhere to underline the symbolic distinctive identity and the significance of being the odd one out.
«Our late father was a true maverick, often viewed as an enfant terrible with his colourful persona», reminds Masha Dreifuss, adding that «Sometimes, the symbol of the black sheep is misused; we appreciate it and with this timepiece we are happy to pass it on to those who not only know the charm of the black sheep, but love it».
