Bulgari Aluminium Watch Updates a 1990s Jet-Set Classic
Of the new timepieces it unveiled at Geneva Watch Days earlier this month, Bulgari’s record-breaking Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic received the lion’s share of accolades and coverage. Not to be lost in the shuffle, however, is the new Bulgari Aluminium Watch, a modern re-interpretation of a groundbreaking model the Roman jeweler-watchmaker introduced in 1998.
Aluminium White Dial (Ref. 103382)
More than 20 years ago, in the closing years of the 1990s, Bulgari introduced the first generation of its Aluminium watch, whose design was influenced by the livery of Alitalia jumbo jets and which combined an aluminum case with a rubber strap ? the latter a bold and unconventional move at the time, especially for Bulgari. Now described by Bulgari as a “unisex,” and “the watch of the Jet Set” of its era, the Aluminium (the spelling preferred in Great Britain and throughout Europe) was outfitted with a quartz movement, as were many of its peers at the time.
Aluminium Black Dial (Ref. 103445)
To most watch connoisseurs, the new Bulgari Aluminium is an improvement on the original in several respects: its case is larger as per more contemporary tastes (40 mm), constructed of a more resistant aluminum alloy and featuring re-shaped lugs for greater wrist comfort. The movements inside are not quartz but Swiss-made, mechanical automatic calibers: the two three-hand-date models use Caliber B77 (based on the ETA 2892), w...
-------------------------------- |
|