It has been one heck of a year for Bulgari – joining the portfolio of

luxury giant LVMH, seeing the appointment of its first non-family

CEO, buying back some of its most iconic pieces at Christie’s

Elizabeth Taylor auction and, most recently, reshaping its men’s

watch collection. QP looks at the new Bulgari Octo.

Tracey Llewellyn

PIECES OF EIGHThen Gérald Genta died in

August 2011 a tidal wave of

interest flowed through the

watch world for the designer that created

classics including, among many others,

the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek

Philippe Nautilus, Vacheron Constantin

Overseas and IWC Ingenieur. Already

recognised as a genius, Genta’s death

pushed him into icon territory and for that

reason alone, surely it would be crazy to

remove Genta’s name from the dial of a

watch instantly recognisable as one of

his legendary designs? Yet that is exactly

what LVMH’s newest watch acquisition

has done with the introduction of the new

Bulgari Octo.

This eagerly anticipated launch is the

reason that the international press was

gathered at Complesso Monumentale

Santo Spirito in Sassio in Rome, Bulgari’s

home city, on 13 July this year. The venue

– whose roots date back to AD 727 – was

chosen not only for its natural beauty but

also because of the octagonal shape of

the Tiburio located in the Monumental

Complex, which is where Bulgari chose to

display the new collection.

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RESTRUCTURING

Michael Burke was appointed Bulgari

CEO in February this year, the first ever

non-family member to take this position

(vacated when Francesco Trapani became

Head of Watches and Jewellery at LVMH

as part of the Bulgari acquisition) and

bringing with him 25 years of LVMH

experience at both Dior and Fendi. He

explains his decision to take on the role at

Bulgari as being threefold: “First of all it

is Bulgari – who would say no? Secondly,

it is LVMH – a company renowned for

helping family-owned businesses to

W

With the new

signature Octo watch

Bulgari has taken the most

distinguishing element of the

Genta original – the case – and

fused it with a typical Bulgari

dial. The result is a timepiece

that will set the pace for all

new Bulgari men’s

watches.

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achieve their full potential without destroying

the heart of the brands. Thirdly, the position is

in Rome, a country I have called home for the

past eight years and a place that I appreciate

more and more as I mature.

“Perfection for a Roman is all about balance.

Between ancient and modern, straight and

curved – where the extremes meet, this is where

you find perfection. And this is what we have

strived to achieve with the new Octo.”

The piece is certainly stripped back. Along

with the Genta name, all other dial adornments

have also been done away with. Gone are the

retrograde hands and multiple subdials of the

über-complicated originals and in their place is

a refined, sophisticated elegance featuring just

a simple hours, minutes and seconds display

with date window at 3 o’clock, the complex

case shape belying the conventional set-up of

the dial.

GLOBAL APPEAL

The case of the Octo remains – obviously –

eight-sided as Genta originally designed it, the

octagon being rich in meaning across many

cultures. In engineering terms it is known as the

geometry of perfection, it is where the curved

meets the straight, the circle meets the square

and is the traditional pinnacle of structural

strength and natural elegance. In Eastern

philosophy the circle historically represents

heaven and the square earth, with the octagon

being the perfect balance between the two and

where the eight pillars of personality meet.

Doubtless the octagonal theme that was

established in the 1970s and is emphasised in

this new incarnation will ensure that the watch

is popular in the mighty Chinese market, but

beyond that its appeal is potentially universal.

At 41.5mm in diameter and 10.55mm thick, the

in-house produced case is smaller and thinner

than its 43mm predecessor and is made up

of three parts – the middle, the bezel and the

screw-down back – comprising 110 hand-

finished facets with new, more streamlined,

lugs and a black ceramic crown with functional

octagonal grip. The polished black lacquer dial

features applied indexes, which are faceted to

match the look of the case, and the signature

Bulgari ‘6’ and ‘12’ numerals.

UNDER THE BONNET

Inside the case is the new in-house automatic

Bulgari movement Calibre BVL 193 beating at

4Hz and providing a 50-hour power reserve.

The finishing of the movement components

is as expected of Bulgari, including circular

grained mainplate, polished pivots and satin-

brushed driving wheels.

So here it is, the new ambassador for Bulgari

horology, available in two versions – steel case

on alligator strap (£6,350) and the gorgeous

pink gold model (£18,600). Still very much from

the Genta stable, Bulgari has stripped away any

excesses and in so doing imparted an elegance

that will make it a future classic. Managing

Director of Bulgari’s Watch Business Unit,

Guido Terreni, summarises: “The new Octo is a

foundation on which all Bulgari men’s watches

will be built. We believe that beauty enhances

life and we want to create the most beautiful

timepieces in the world – this is our first step.”

There is no doubt that the model is a real

looker, but with a price that pushes it into the

realms of other Genta-designed legends, who

does Terreni think will buy it? His answer is

assured: “It is not for everyone and is certainly

not or those who follow the stream, but rather

for those who are able to make a personal

choice and stand up to its charisma.”

Further information: www.bulgari.com

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E X P E R I M E N T

The hand-finished Octo

movement, the BVL 193

features 28 jewels, beats at

28,800 VPH (4Hz) and has

a 50-hour power reserve.

In the

new Octo,

circle meets square in

perfect balance, creating a

shape that has been a powerful

symbol in architecture, folklore

and mysticism since ancient

times. Assembly of both case and

movement plus case polishing

are all carried out

in-house.

The launch

of the new

Bulgari Octo in the

Complesso Monumentale

Santo Spirito in Sassio was

followed by an evening of

Roman celebration at the

awe-inspiring Stadio

Olimpico.