Jewellery and watches are of equal importance at Bulgari so over the past decade it has become a tradition for every high jewellery collection to feature a handful of matching timepieces. Crafting an intricate piece of high jewellery is a challenge for the most accomplished master goldsmith and gem-setter, so imagine the added complication of working horology into the process. This is a challenge Bulgari rises to, uniting the forces of its Roman jewel workshops with the rigorous precision of its Swiss watchmaking ateliers.
The Barocko concept embraces the magnificence and opulence of the baroque era, the late period of the Renaissance. This is the age of Bernini and Borromini, masters who created sculptures and buildings considered the pinnacles of their discipline. Bulgari’s design team was inspired by the sense of grandeur, vibrant colour and dramatic movement that the baroque embodies. The arabesque swirls that embellish baroque churches, statues and palazzos are harnessed into smaller scale masterpieces in precious metals studded with magnificent gemstones.
Read more about Bulgari's Barocko high jewellery collection here.
The Lady Arabesque secret watch is an impressive fusion of jewellery and watchmaking skills. The bracelet is composed of swirling volutes of rose gold – or arabesques - that mimic the rich texture of lace. The voluptuous gold forms curl around vividly coloured precious gemstones including 30 carats of pink sapphires, electric blue Paraiba tourmalines, emeralds and 13 carats of diamonds. A watch dial is hidden amongst this extravagant composition, just visible under a 12-carat rubellite.
The Octa Roma Arabesque brings together the design mastery and skills of Bulgari’s watch and jewellery makers. The same gold swirls and gemstones of the Lady Arabesque are meticulously worked into the cover of a watch. With the lid closed it resembles a bracelet with an octagonal medallion shimmering with pink sapphires, tourmalines, emeralds and diamonds. Flip open the cover and the Octo watch is revealed. The open-work dial is a window in the heart of the caliber BVL 268, the thinnest tourbillon watch movement in the world.
The Serpenti Baroque Pearls Secret watch is the most daring and extravagant of the three watches thanks to the striking combination of diamonds, Akoya pearls and emeralds that took 2,300 hours of work to complete. Two sinuous diamond-set snakes with emerald eyes wind their way around the supple ten-tier cuff of 226 pearls. The creamy pearls are the perfect contrast to the brilliance of 3,605 diamonds - totalling close to 40 carats - that adorn this magnificent creation. The pearls alternate with diamond-set rondels and more single, brilliant-cut diamonds are dotted along the cuff. A final flourish is provided by the diamond-dusted arabesque swirls that cascade from the edges of the structure. A dramatic 12-carat cabochon emerald marks the point where the snake heads meet. Lift the verdant dome and diminutive, diamond-set watch dial is revealed.
