Bulgari introduced its Octo Ultranero collection of men’s sport-luxury watches ? notable for their multifaceted, octagonal cases in jet-black, DLC-coated steel ? at Baselworld 2016. This year, the brand adds a touch of blue in a new edition of the watch designed specially for the Americas. WatchTime had a chance to preview the new Octo Ultranero Americas Edition at the Bulgari flagship boutique in New York.
Bulgari Octo Ultranero Americas Edition – front
The watch’s 41-mm-diameter steel case is coated with Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC); the grooved, screw-down crown is also treated with DLC and is topped with a ceramic insert. The black lacquered and polished dial of this special edition is graced with applied hour markers (including Arabic numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock) and faceted, skeletonized hour and minute hands, all executed in a bright blue that contrasts with the watch’s predominantly all-black look. The central seconds hand is also in blue, while the date appears, somewhat discreetly, in a small window at 3 o’clock.
Inside the 100-meter water-resistant case, and on display behind a specially decorated sapphire caseback, is Bulgari’s in-house Caliber BVL 191 Solotempo, a self-winding movement with a rotor mounted on ceramic ball bearings, a frequency of 28,800 vph, and a 42-hour power reserve. Its rotor, mainplate, and bridges feature an array of haute horlogerie finishes, including côtes de Genève, circular graining, and c...