Like the anticipation of a socialite’s arrival at the most prestigious party of the season, so the first WiLder 60 is sending tremors of excitement far and wide as she nears her launch at Wider’s shipyard in Italy. She marks the arrival of the new WiLder brand, which has been conceived to indulge the wilder side of us all in an exquisite package aimed at dynamic owners.
She may be the first WiLder 60 to be built, but she is no ingenue. From her curated design and crushing performance to her totally custom finishing, she will undoubtedly be this season’s ‘it girl’: wired for fun, inspired by superyachts, destined to be admired and desired by all who see her.
The 18.9-metre all-aluminium performance cruiser bears a superyacht soul, with her lithe good looks matched by exceptional levels of finish. “During her development, the design team at Centro Stile Wider concentrated on the idea of creating a dynamic, captivating and easy-to-handle 60-footer, but with a precise focus toward onboard comfort and refinement of details typical of superyachts,” enthuses Marcello Maggi, at the helm of W Fin Sarl, the holding company that owns 100% of Wider equity. “That attention to detail is true both for the exterior and interior, with the Centro Stile Wider studying every facet of the aesthetic and functional aspects, which has created several unique features.”
With each WiLder 60 being fully customised and therefore unique to each owner, the first to launch demonstrates how perfectly WiLder combines living large with a love of the sea.
Outside, her layout includes a forward party deck, central helm and aft social deck with sunbeds, seating and alfresco dining, while for her interior the owner has opted for two guest cabins amidships, with the owner’s suite enjoying the privacy of the bow area.
From the helm, the entrance leads directly to a saloon equipped with a designer galley cabinet and a relaxation area with sofa and television to offer maximum functionality and comfort on board. A dayhead to starboard also serves as the head and shower room for the two aft cabins.
The owner’s suite highlights the approach to design and construction that Wider is taking with WiLder. Here, skilful lighting engineering emphasises the enveloping design of the bedhead and sofa which merge into an haute-style single component that reflects the 60’s striking exterior lines, redolent of automotive styling but carried forward to a new nautical paradigm.
Embracing you in warm and welcoming folds, alternating leathers in various shades of beige feature hand-stitched seams, while the forward bulkhead bears an embellished, handmade glossy lacquer that recalls the texture of the oak selected for the furnishings. Throughout the interior, materials from leathers to marble to fine gloss finishes hark to high living, all alternating harmoniously in a sophisticated dance that mirrors the craftsmanship found on all Wider’s yacht and superyacht projects.
“We wanted to challenge the idea that a yacht with a sporty character should have modest interiors,” says Marcello Maggi. “The result is a yacht that is as exquisite on the inside as she is sensational on the outside – proof that at Wider we really believe beauty is more than skin deep. The styling and the finishes draw on legendary Italian design flair and superyacht levels of craftsmanship at every level of detail, from the luxurious lacquers to the exquisite stitching. WiLder 60 is truly the supermodel of the seas.”
The first all-aluminium WiLder 60 will be powered by twin MAN V8 1300 engines linked to surface drives, which will deliver cruising speeds of 35 knots and a top speed in excess of 40 knots. With a range of more than 325 nautical miles she will be able to take the party wherever her owners desire.
Her striking sculpted profile, enhanced by the interplay of light and shadow created by the recesses in her topsides, conceals an extremely seaworthy and comfortable performance hull developed by the naval architecture brains at Wider Engineering. Bow and stern thrusters add to her manoeuvrability, making her a dream to handle when anchoring or mooring up. Indeed, the only problem owners will face is tearing themselves away from her when it’s time to head home.
With construction proceeding quickly and the hull about to splash, the wait for the WiLder 60 is nearly over – the first yacht is due for completion in August 2023, when the wider yachting world will finally be able to toast the new talk of the town.