Monete: Octo and high jewellery pendant watch

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Monete:  Octo and high jewellery pendant watch - Bulgari
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A pair of extraordinary and unique creations combines Fine Watchmaking, High Jewellery and rare currency.

The two secret watches – an Octo and a High Jewellery pendant watch – interpreting Bulgari’s cherished Monete theme tell a singular story: that of Bulgari and its roots deeply embedded in classical Greek tradition associated with Roman culture.

In the 1960s, Bulgari began incorporating Greek and Roman coins within its jewellery creations. The collection named Monete has been interpreted through the decades in a unique manner symbolising the quintessence of the spirit pervading Bulgari: daring to do the unexpected, to go where others will not venture, as well as affirming the Maison’s enduring ties with its deepest and most ancient sources.

The choice of coins used by Bulgari is always determined by rarity and relevance. Each conveys historical meaning, recounts an epic saga. From a purely creative standpoint, they have enabled Bulgari to explore new frontiers, to chart new aesthetic territory, to resort to unusual combinations of materials, and to associate them with modern jewellery techniques while being sure to highlight the unique patina of each coin. This fundamental theme is now extended with these two standout creations paying tribute to one of the most undisputed emblems of the Maison, symbolising magnificence and opulence.

Monete: un tourbillon et un pendentif

Octo Monete is a wristwatch comes in a 44 mm-diameter octagonal case in 18kt pink gold,
whose cover is an ultra-rare 4th century Roman coin struck to mark the 20-year reign of  Constantinus Augustus (301-336 PC). It opens to reveal the world’s thinnest Finissimo Tourbillon movement, Calibre BVL 268, in its openworked version. Above and beyond the complexity involved in devising the opening system activated by pressing the crown, and in fitting the coin onto the watch bezel, Octo Monete draws a symbolic line between the power of an octagonal design and the architectural heritage bequeathed by the emperor Constantine the Great, to whom we owe the distinctive construction of the the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome with its octagonal ceiling coffers. The back of the watch features a laurel branch surrounding the mention CAESAR. The watch is worn on a black alligator leather strap fitted with an 18kt pink gold pin buckle.

Monete: un tourbillon et un pendentif

The likewise octagonal-shaped Monete pendant watch picks up the aesthetic and creative theme in a resolutely jewellery-oriented approach. The cover of this “secret” watch is topped by a tetradrachm depicting Alexander Magnus (336-326 B.C), King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire, which opens to reveal an entirely skeletonised gold tourbillon movement, Calibre BVL 208, featuring an hours and minutes segment in red PVD-treated 18kt pink gold. The latter is protected by an octagonal case forming the pendant, crafted in 18kt pink gold and set with diamonds and rubies. The pendant is suspended from a solid 90-centimetre gold chain featuring geometrical links set with diamonds and rubies.

These two one-of-a-kind creations pay tribute to the custom adopted by Romans, from the third century A.D. onwards, of wearing ornaments composed of gold coins celebrating the artistic work done on precious metal. From Antiquity to the 21st century, the language of symbols has remained universal and unchanging, the better to transcend time.

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