Of all the classic watches designed by Gérald Genta, the Bulgari Bulgari is, to me, the most interesting. It isn?t necessarily the piece I adore the most, but it?s the one I find most unique among his other famous designs. In contrast to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Omega Constellation, Patek Phillippe Nautilus, and IWC Ingenieur, the Bulgari Bulgari doesn?t use a polygonal face or integrated bracelet, and instead opts for a more minimalist and ?classical? dress-watch look ? a Genta-unique nuance, and one that only adds to the designer?s legend.

The original inspiration for the Bulgari Bulgari, however, did not derive from Genta. In 1975, the brand produced the Bulgari Roma: it was a simple, long-lugged, gold digital quartz watch, limited to 100 pieces for some of the most ardent of the company?s fans, but soon afterward expanded to the mass market due to its popularity. It was not until 1977 that Genta was first involved, and tasked to reinterpret the quartz Roma into a mechanical piece for the larger luxury market, which would become the Bulgari Bulgari. This watch was also minimalist in its look, but in this case used a Bauhaus-inspired design, had an outer bezel engraving of the watch?s name, and told the time and date in a straightforward, analog fashion.
The modern edition of the Bulgari Bulgari is available in steel, yellow gold, and rose gold, with options of white, black, and sunburst blue dials ? as compared to just the gold case and black dial of ...