Each model in the Octo collection seems unique, while remaining immediately identifiable with this line that has become iconic in just a few years; how have you achieved this result?
We always strive to please the Bulgari customer, who is extremely demanding from both aesthetical and technical standpoints. This must always be kept in mind. Therefore, every time we imagine a new Octo, it must be not just another version, but one that excites and positively surprises clients with an unexpected interpretation. The Octo collection manages perfectly to achieve this because it builds its allure on a very powerful aesthetic that is combined with the highest watchmaking savoir-faire. This is the case for every innovation, from the Octo Finissimo that rewrites the rules of masculine formality by moving towards a highly contemporary interpretation of elegance, to the Octo Ultranero that pushed the “original” Octo towards a more casual use with its black codes and its rubber strap.
"Battre des records n’est pas l’objectif principal"
Is the world’s thinnest minute repeater a crowning accomplishment in itself, or merely one more stage on this path?
The Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater is indeed the thinnest minute repeater on the market and it comes after the Octo Finississimo Tourbillon that represented the thinnest tourbillon. We are of course continuing to work on ultra-thin movements, but record-breaking is not the main goal. We want to give our customers an extraordinary luxury experience and ultra-thin is itself just such an ultimate experience. If we have to break some records in order to accomplish this, so be it.
What do many mainly expect from the other lines?
The other collections are also expressions of a unique Bulgari design combined with a very high level of savoir-faire that we have developed internally over the last 15 years. The Bulgari Bulgari is our classic. In 1975 Bulgari shocked the luxury world by using the family name as a graphic design element, directly on the bezel. The inspiration came from the Roman Emperors who used to have their name placed on the currency during their period of sovereignty, as a statement over their power across the Empire. We have just celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first Bulgari Roma and we remain true to the original in presenting this icon representing continuity. The other historical line is the Diagono collection. After last year’s innovative introduction of the Diagono Magnesium in Blue, Brown, Silver and Anthracite, powered by our in-house Solotempo caliber, this year we are introducing a chronograph function in a striking Red version, a Black variation, as well as in the most popular Blue and Silver colors.
If you were to choose three models as gifts for your sweetheart?
For me, the Serpenti remains the most feminine and sexy ladies watch ever created. In my opinion a woman’s wrist is so much more beautiful when adorned with a Serpenti. We do not develop ladies’ watches by downsizing models designed for men. We know from our longstanding experience in serving ladies through our core jewellery vocation that women fall in love with a luxury creation as a whole and therefore the emotion must be holistic. The Serpenti embodies all this, whether in its Tourbillon skeleton interpretation for a woman who admires the unique combination of our finest jewellery and watchmaking know-how; or in its black ceramic and gold version for a strong personality looking for a model designed for daily wear.
My third preference would be for the Piccola Lvcea. It is quite unique to see that simply by reducing a design from 28mm to 23mm, the creative mood shifts towards a more precious, gentle and feminine feeling that is very much on-trend nowadays. As far as different circumstances of wear are concerned, I gave up imagining them more than ten years ago when we received a full baguette-set timepiece for servicing because the owner had lost a baguette-cut stone while playing tennis…
