Bvlgari Breaks The Mold In Swiss Watchmaking
Press Release – Baselworld 2019
Bvlgari Breaks The Mold In Swiss Watchmaking
The Italian Rinascimento comes to Baselworld 2019 with the thinnest mechanical chronograph in history, Bvlgari’s fifth world record. The new Serpenti Seduttori is the latest incarnation of the cult watch “born to be gold.”
In a word, Bvlgari style is unexpected. For more than a century, its designs have cast aside the old in search of what is next. Fearless designs move boldly into new territory, forever challenging themselves to be more daring, more beautiful, more sublime. True to form, Bvlgari has replicated this spirit with its exceptional timepieces, and is at the forefront of a new Rinascimento that breaks the mold of Swiss watchmaking, rewriting the rules for contemporary watches with every debut. As do the two highlights of Baselworld 2019: the new Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic taking home a fifth world record and the Serpenti Seduttori “born to be gold” collection.
Bvlgari’s latest designs champion boundless creativity, leveraging the unique heritage of the Roman jeweler to create iconic modern timepieces. “Our capability of fusing edgy, magnificent Italian design with the ultimate Swiss engineering and craftsmanship — this is why I talk about Rinascimento from Bvlgari. It is truly a revolution of design and technology,” says Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari.
The saga of Octo Finissimo reaches a new pinnacle with its setting of a fifth world record — for the thinnest ever mechanical Chronograph in watchmaking history. The most extraordinary breakthrough is that it is an Automatic with GMT function and a record-setting 3.3mm thinness i.e. the thinnest than the insofar existing flat automatic chronograph movements. This integrated movement is another demonstration of Bvlgari’s skills in Haute Horlogerie. The Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic represents the fifth element for the collection — in other words, it is the quintessence of Octo, a perfect fusion of design and technology in a remarkably thin body. Neither round nor square, Octo has created its own codes since it was first released and, with its Finissimo collection, helped launch the industry trend for ultra-thin watches.
Also debuting at Baselworld 2019 is the new and unique piece Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie with Perpetual Calendar. Created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first Grande Sonnerie by Gerald Genta in 1994, it is an impeccable new addition to Bvlgari’s Grande Sonnerie assortment. Since 1994, Bvlgari has introduced more than 90 Grande Sonnerie watches and 2019 is poised to be the year of the Grande Sonnerie for Bvlgari. The movements have been fine-tuned from the beginning, and benefit from a security setting that protects the movement when winding with the chime and avoids activating the minute repeating system in grande sonnerie mode, offering the ultimate available know-how for such a complex movement. The new model is a modern masterpiece that perfectly epitomizes Bvlgari’s mastery of Swiss mechanical and horological expertise. Bvlgari is the number one brand among chiming watches, having mastered that specialty with 2, 3 and 4 hammers (Grande Sonnerie).
The Octo saga goes ahead with the unveiling of the new Octo Finissimo Ceramic that forges ahead, writing a new chapter with its use of high-tech materials. In addition, Bvlgari introduces a spectacular new creation for those who value transparency, balance and beauty: Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire. The formal purity of this exceptional watch captures a new watchmaking vision — it allows light to flood in to showcase its mechanism through a beautifully modern and innovative design crafted in sapphire, rose gold and a contrasting blue calibre.
Fearlessly designed to be more beautiful, more sublime: that’s the new Serpenti Seduttori, the current reimagination of the cult Serpenti watch. Born to be gold, it makes time feel precious, casting a golden glow on all the beautiful moments in a woman’s life. Making no apologies for its larger-than-life powers of seduction, it feels like a total indulgence. This new collection features an unprecedented design that represents a bold new chapter for the world of Serpenti timepieces with its iconic drop-shaped watch head, a motif that comes from the Serpenti Tubogas watch. Serpenti is known for its recognizable case shape and the new Seduttori is thinner than ever before; it has a flexible new bracelet inspired by the original Serpenti watches and is crowned in cabochon-cut gemstones in a nod to Bvlgari’s DNA as the Roman jeweler. The collection includes watches in rose gold, yellow gold, white gold, and diamond pavé.
Within the rich landscape of contemporary watchmaking, Bvlgari breaks the mold with its drastically different approach to design, technology and craftsmanship. It continues to rewrite the rules for the entire industry. Artful, rooted in a heritage of larger-than-life style, exuberance and expertise, these pieces champion Bvlgari values and pave the road into a thrilling new future for Swiss watchmaking.
Baselworld Highlights
Now more than ever, Bvlgari is intensifying the impact of its most recognizable icons through two of its master collections: Serpenti and Octo. The cult-model Octo 2019 offers several new facets that underscore contemporary design, technical innovation, micro-mechanical complexity and the use of high-tech materials.
Having won a fifth world record, Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic is an emblem of Bvlgari expertise. With a manufactured integrated movement that displays the classical chronograph functions, it also has a GMT function that allows one to set the local time with a button at 9h. The home time is indicated on the subcounter at 3h: graduated on 24 hours, it indicates day or night. The chronograph minutes counter is positioned at 6h, while the small seconds counter is at 9h. This exquisite creation rewinds automatically thanks to its peripheral mass.
In addition, Octo Finissimo innovates on the materials side: every component of the two new Octo Finissimo Ceramic models – automatic plain execution and manual rewind skeleton – is crafted in this high-tech material: the case, dial, bracelet and deployant buckle are all made of black sandblasted ceramic. Bvlgari has reached the extreme limits of thinness with these two Finissimo styles, due to the complexity of production linked to this breakable material. For once, it is truly impossible to go thinner!
In its ongoing quest for unexpected innovation at 360 degrees, Bvlgari introduces the Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire. Featuring extraordinary transparency, an aerial flying tourbillon and uncommon elegance, this limited edition watch captures Bvlgari’s engineering expertise in exploring unconventional reinterpretations of the complicated watch. At the pinnacle of the assortment, Bvlgari celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first Grande Sonnerie manufactured in Le Sentier with a unique piece, the Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar. This exceptionally complicated watch, with an automatic caliber BVL 980, aligns grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon phases, movement and chime power reserve indicators. The 44-mm case is made in carbon CTP and features a carbon middle part, a blend that delivers the best sound experience for a movement that comprises a total of 1180 components.
In addition to its Swiss watch expertise, the Roman Jeweler is known for its magnificent design sensibility. The new Serpenti Seduttori collection is the ultimate expression of that character. The drop-shaped case and stylized hexagonal bracelet links are perfectly integrated and emphasize a new interpretation of the theme, celebrating the eternal renewal of the icon that was “born to be gold.” Seduttori literally flows on the wrist and radiates an unmistakable aura of power and sensuality.
