Q&ABulgari’s Creative Director On The Brand’s Duality, Materials And A Bold Approach

What can you tell us about the new Octo Finisssimo Carbon Gold, and its similarities with the marble Octo Finissimo that was made for the Only Watch charity auction? Did one influence the other?

There wasn’t really an influence of one on the other as they were two different projects. The carbon gold execution on the Finissimo took place after the Only Watch edition was made, but it was always on our mind to do something like this. The Only Watch edition was a very difficult project. We spent a lot of time to figure out the weight of the watch with the material that we were working with—marble. There were several trials.

The idea was to produce a very strong piece with a link to our Roman heritage. And the idea for the carbon edition came from our work in playing with unconventional materials, but with a different point of view. This one was forged carbon and it does look a little like marble, but it is very different. No two watches will be the same.

What are the kind of challenges that you face while exploring new any new material for something as thin as the Octo Finissimo?

For instance, initially we found it extremely challenging to work with marble. It seemed impossible at first. For the carbon version we had to make some adjustments. We redesigned the bracelet and changed some components of the movement. For the first time we have bridges in gold. With marble, the challenge was to construct the case. With each new material that we use, we are faced with different challenges. Titanium for instance is more difficult to work with when making the bracelet.

Talk about the new Monete Catene timepieces. What led you to come out with these editions?

Monete Catene is a very old tradition that goes back to the 70s. We were playing with coins, turning them into timepieces and using them in bracelets. And because of our movement development, we decided to play again with coins and feature our mechanical Piccolissimo movement. It was possible because the movement is very small. There’s the single watch and the double one also, with a lot of Bulgari signature elements that reflect our Roman heritage.

This year’s theme has been ‘duality of nature’ for Bulgari. Could you expand on that a little bit?

A good example of duality is the Serpenti with the Piccolisimo movement. It reflects our ability to produce one of the smallest mechanical movements available, and it also reflects our heritage as a Roman jeweller. Even with the combination of carbon and gold, we are working with a new age, high-tech material like forged carbon, along with a traditional material like gold. With Bulgari watches, we are always thinking about the jewellery side, along with the mechanical side of things. This is the strongest example of duality for us.

"A good example of duality is the Serpenti with the Piccolisimo movement. It reflects our ability to produce one of the smallest mechanical movements available, and it also reflects our heritage as a Roman jeweller."

"With Bulgari watches, we are always thinking about the jewellery side, along with the mechanical side of things. This is the strongest example of duality for us."

Could you talk about some of the craziest ideas that you and the team have had—even ideas that may not have been executed?

Honestly, the craziest idea we’ve had lately was the marble watch. But come to think of it, some of our craziest ideas come from our clients, who come to us with their customisation requests.

How do Bulgari maintain such design consistency across product categories from watches and jewellery to fragrances and bags and so on?

Yes, we are consistent, but we are more concerned with the consistency of the message, not necessarily with the consistency in the aesthetics. If we stay consistent, we are more like stylist. But we are not stylists; we are designers. Initially, when I joined the company, people used to ask me to define Bulgari in a few words and I used to just say, “Boldness.” Earlier it was boldness only in proportions, but now it’s boldness more in creativity than in proportions.

"Our boldness also gives us the freedom to play with variety in terms of mechanical offerings, designs, and of course our expertise as jewellers." Seen here is an Octo Finissimo Automatic

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"We can play around and create new products with different materials and features. We can play around a lot with the same shapes." This here is another Octo Finissimo, but with an open-worked display

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"It is this quality that allows us to play with templates like the Octo." This reworked Octo Finssimo Skeleton offers a massive eight-day power reserve

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This boldness also gives us the freedom to play with variety in terms of mechanical offerings, designs, and of course our expertise as jewellers. It is this quality that allows us to play with templates like the Octo. We can play around and create new products with different materials and features. We can play around a lot with the same shapes.

More from the Octo Finissimo line, this is the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, which is still the slimmest mechanical chronograph watch ever made

₹16,65,000

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This steel Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT in steel looks more like the first Chronograph GMT in titanium, which broke the record

₹16,65,000

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Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT SHOP THE COLLECTION