The new Bulgari Watches, Crafted From Stones and Metals, Were Showcased at the Geneva Watch Days Exhibition

Bulgari has a special connection to the Geneva Watch Days, as it was the company’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin (who is also the CEO of LVMH Watches as of this year), who initiated this exhibition in late August 2020. This was right after the first COVID lockdown, and he saw it as an opportunity for people in the watch industry to finally meet and see the watches in person, rather than through a Zoom. Babin remains the president of Geneva Watch Days to this day.

This time, Bulgari organized an entire exhibition at Geneva’s Hotel de la Paix, dedicated to the story of Octo Finissimo watches from their first appearance in 2014 to the present day, highlighting all their world records for slimness. The exhibition was completed with two new models–Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bvlgari and Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon.

The first model is a new art collaboration, this time with Korean artist Lee Ufan, who is also a philosopher, critic, and poet. Lee Ufan is an important figure of contemporary art and has been residing in Tokyo since the 1950s. This collaboration is undoubtedly one of the most stunning watch partnerships in Bulgari’s history, which has previously featured other Asian artists like Tadao Ando and Hiroshi Senju. Bulgari's Product Creation Executive Director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, clearly relishes the creative challenge of merging Japanese and Italian aesthetics, which seem so distinct from each other.

Regarding the current collaboration, Buonamassa mentions that he was struck by how Lee Ufan places stone at the center of the mirror in his sculptures, achieving a perfect balance between these two contrasting textures, which he finds deeply moving. This effect was intended to be conveyed by the Octo Finissimo watch, transformed by Lee Ufan’s artistic vision and Fabrizio Buonamassa’s design ideas. This watch features an automatic calibre BVL 138 with a micro-rotor and is only 2.23 mm thick, with an overall height of just 5.5 mm. The balance between the rough, coarse surface and the mirror-bright one is represented by the hand-filed titanium case and a bracelet on one hand and the polished watch dial on the other. Each of the 150 copies in this limited edition is unique with its original scratch pattern. Buonamassa recounts how he initially used a nail file to achieve the desired texture on the titanium surface and says that working with different textures is now extremely interesting to him. In contrast, the dial resembles a perfect mirror of a frozen deep lake with all shades of blue and gray, an effect created by applying layers of pigments. On the caseback, Lee Ufan's handwritten signature marks this intimate object as a true work of art, and I must say, it’s hard to look away from this discord turned into harmony.

The second model, the Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon, features a Blu Incanto marble dial with grey hands and indexes. Marble is a crucial material for Bulgari, symbolizing ancient Rome, whose aesthetics are vital to the brand. The previous release of the Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon, showcased this year at the Watches & Wonders exhibition, featured a green marble dial. A few years ago, for the Only Watch auction, they crafted this model entirely from green marble, including the bracelet. Now, we have a blue version in a 40 mm extra-thin satin-polished platinum case with the same thinness of 5.35 mm–calmer and more conventional, if such an epithet can be applied to this exceptional watch at all.

But Octo is not the only marble dial watch we've seen this time. In fact, there was a whole festival of marble dials in Geneva, showcasing Bulgari’s exceptional capabilities in working with this challenging material for watchmaking. The iconic Bvlgari Bvlgari model received three marble dials in honor of its 50th anniversary. Additionally, marble dials were added to both the 38 mm and 26 mm diameter watches. The green dial made of Verde Alpi marble is now available in both the large and small models, and the combination of this rich green color with the yellow gold case creates a striking dramatic contrast. The golden bezel with the double name of the house, reminiscent of imperial names engraved on Roman coins, proides the desired antique Roman context. The Blu Incanto dark blue marble dial paired with the rose gold case of this 38 mm watch looks exceptionally elegant. Meanshile, the small 26 mm watch in a rose gold case features a delicate icy blue dial made of Azzurro Infinito marble and an alligator leather strap in the same shade. Each model in the anniversary series is limited to 150 pieces, and each has a personalized caseback with a "50th anniversary" engraving.

Last but not least is the bronze, this time used in the Bulgari Aluminium watch. Originally created in 1998 based on the Bvlgari Bvlgari model, this watch was reintroduced in 2020 with an automatic mechanical movement and showcased at the first GWD exhibition. This time, the model is called Bulgari Bronzo and features a 40 mm sandblasted bronze case with a black rubber bezel–marking the first time this has appeared in the Bulgari Aluminium collection. The black rubber strap also includes sandblasted bronze links. However, the most striking aspect is not just eh contrast between the black dial, black rubber bezel, black rubber strap, and bronze case. The key feature is that bronze is an alloy that changes over time when exposed to air and in contact with skin, meaning the Bulgari Bronzo will gradually develop a unique patina for each owner. Two models were released: the Bulgari Bronzo GMT with a B192 automatic winding mechanical movement featuring hours, minutes, central seconds, GMT, and date, and the Bulgari Bronzo Chronograph with a B381 automatic winding mechanical movement featuring hours, minutes, small seconds chronograph, and date. The former has a power reserve of 50 hours, which the latter has 42 hours. Both models are not limited editions.

Courtesy: Bvlgari

Text: Elena Stafyeva