How can one construct and interpret time in the most refined way possible? Bvlgari and the Japanese architect Tadao Ando have attempted to provide an answer to this equation by creating the 160-piece Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando limited series.
Tadao Ando has forged his international reputation through the use of cement and glass combined with the creative use of light in his architectural projects. These three elements are the common thread running through his architectural work, in perpetual search for absolute purity, the essential. Tadao Ando's work is now part of contemporary architectural history. Among his major achievements are the Church of Light in Osaka, the Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth (Texas) and the 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo.
After a first Octo Finissimo limited series jointly created by Bvlgari and Tadao Ando, in which the architect – impressed by Octo Finissimo pure shape - expressed time by means of a spiral engraved on the dial, a symbol of the black hole from where time is born, this second special edition picks up this theme dear to the Japanese construction specialist and based on the Mikazuki concept (三日月). While the theme of time remains central, this new model embodies a different approach.
Mikazuki (三日月) represents the crescent moon, which is the first stage of the next moon (新月) that will in due course become full (満月). This evolution symbolises the transitory nature of time, with the shadow of the earth partially masking the moon to reveal only a crescent. From the dawn of civilisation, the moon has always embodied time, acting as a clock and calendar for humanity and Nature. Japanese culture expresses temporal contingencies with a specific character – the 月 – which can be read as meaning both month and moon. Amid the spiral of the night sky, the crescent moon represents hope in the night, embodying a prosperous future. The Tadao Ando limited edition takes a minimalist approach to the theme of time on the deep blue lacquered. The time spiral is born and uncoils from the base of the seconds hand, while the gold crescent moon is positioned at 5 o'clock. In two essential graphic elements, Tadao Ando expresses his vision of time on a watch made from black ceramic and featuring a transparent caseback bearing the architect's signature.
Shapes, volumes, materials and spatial design guide his work. In this respect, Tadao Ando's architectural creations reveal clear affinities with the Octo Finissimo collection.
