Deeply rooted in the architecture and history of Ancient Rome, the Bulgari Bulgari watch is the timepiece most closely associated the Eternal City. The bold design of the Bulgari Roma (below) first saw light of day over 40 years ago, when in 1975 the Italian jeweller gave 100 of these gold, digital display watches to its best clients.
In those days, Bulgari was a niche, high-end jeweller with a handful of watch designs and a cult following of the innately glamorous Italian home-crowd and a clutch of fashion cognoscenti. The simple design of the digital watch on a rope bracelet captured the indomitable spirit of Rome and its uncompromising show of power that has stamped itself on our collective memories. Little did the Bulgari brothers know that today, a simple gift to clients, would become a globetrotting ambassador for the brand. Given the success of the watch, the firm launched the first Bulgari Bulgari watch in 1977 and the model that has become a stalwart perennial.
Read more about Bulgari's watches here
The Bulgari Bulgari Cities Special Edition 2020 (above) extends its empire with nine different versions, each dedicated to a city. Rome, Tokyo, Dubai, Paris, London, Milan, Mexico City, New York and curiously Ibiza are all commemorated on the new watches. The city’s names are engraved on the bezel where normally the word Roma would originally have be found. The choice of cities reflects the cosmopolitan identity of the Roman jeweller that has conquered the world of luxury and private jet-setters' favourite holiday destinations.
To emphasise the links between the watch and the destination, Bulgari has commissioned nine young artists to create a set of twelve unique art prints that capture the essence of each city. I particularly like the Ibiza prints by Manon Molesti (below) that with a haunting touch, capture the sun-drenched, hedonistic appeal of the island.
The monolithic shape of the cylindrical watch case echoes the gargantuan columns that support Rome’s imposing ancient monuments. The bezel is like an Imperial Roman coin with the image of the emperor in relief surrounded by his name on the rim. Unlike the original watch that had a digital display, the new Bulgari Bulgari Cities Special Edition 2020 (below) is powered by the automatic-winding BVL 191 caliber that can be viewed through the crystal case back.
The mechanical movement has a 42-hour power reserve and is manufactured in-house at the firm’s Swiss workshops. The macho-sized 41 mm steel case is treated with a black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) finish for endurance and a rugged, matt look. The black grained dial sharply off-sets the opulent rose gold indexes and there is a date window at 3 o’clock. Each watch comes with two interchangeable straps: one made of brown calf leather and the other of rubber.
Like the original, only a very limited number of the watches will be available, adding to the appeal of a design that only a lucky few will be able to call their own. Any guesses as to who will be queuing up for the Ibiza model?
