On the occasion of GMT Magazine’s 20th anniversary (and WorldTempus’s upcoming 20th anniversary in 2021), we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. The Millennium Watch Book is available exclusively now for pre-order at a discounted rate on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with delivery aimed just in time for the holiday season.
In the coming weeks, WorldTempus will be exclusively sharing excerpts from the book, to give you a taste. Use the code WT2020 at checkout get 10% off your first order!
Here’s is an exclusive excerpt from our section “Who’s who”, where we name the 80 industry players, from CEOs to Creative Directors to retailers and independent watchmakers, who have indelibly shaped the last two decades of watches, written by those in the industry who perhaps know them best. For more information, visit www.the-watch-book.com
Who’s who - Fabrizio Buonamassa Creative Director, Bulgari Watches
Fabrizio Buonamassa may already be the next century’s creative reference when it comes to legendary 21st century designers. Buonamassa joined Bulgari in 2001, after a brief period spent designing for the automotive industry. More of an industrial designer with a penchant for shapes, weight and ergonomics, his tactile sense of design has changed the landscape of contemporary men’s and women’s watches.
Among his key contributions: the Octo Finissimo ultra-thin series that was a monumental pivot from the previous chunkier Octo watch of the 20th century. Since its 2014 launch, Octo Finissimo has achieved five world records for complications and has become one of the most desirable watches of this century. Some would already call it an icon. While Buonamassa gives credit to the watchmaking team for the movement, the design of the super-slim watch, the mandate for which was to create a new way to wear a complication, was his. He turned to matt-finished gold (rarely seen in the watch world), brushed titanium and black ceramic to send a subtle message, while exploring new means of trimming the bracelet, bezel and –clasp, rising to challenge after challenge in his quest to develop a sleek, slim and powerful timepiece concept.
Another evolution to his credit is the Serpenti Seduttori. In 2009, he imagined and sketched a new way to wear the iconic 20th century snake-head watch, but Bulgari had just relaunched the Serpenti Tubogas watch line and wanted to give it room to grow. In 2017, the time was right to bring his ideas to the forefront. The Serpenti with single, double and triple-wrap interchangeable bracelets in a painter’s palette of hues emerged, followed in 2019 by the stunning Serpenti Seduttori with flexible bracelet composed of flat links, each emulating the Serpenti snake-head case shape. A deft blend of history and vision, Serpenti Seduttori enables women to make their own modern style statement with an immediately identifiable luxury symbol.
In short, Buonamassa’s contributions have seductively mesmerised the new century’s discerning wearers and changed the way we wear and view watches.
