Everything begins in Epirus, in northern Greece. There, Sotirio Bulgari, a talented goldsmith, is born and moves to Rome at the end of the 19th century. There he founds the Bulgari house. Greece. The Eternal City. A cultural duality of fabulous richness that becomes the brand's signature. In 1975, his grandson Gianni Bulgari designs a watch for his best clients: the Bvlgari Roma. Produced in only 100 pieces, it features a flat yellow gold case and a very fashionable digital display - powered by a quartz movement, a revolutionary watchmaking of the time. Its bezel marks a break: engraved like an ancient coin and proudly signed!
The success is tremendous. Two years later, the House entrusts the mission of rethinking this model to a certain... Gérald Genta. This visionary of watch design pushes the exercise further and engraves the house name twice on the bezel. BVLGARI BVLGARI asserts its boldness, in Roman typography, the same as on Trajan's column. Minimalist, precious, assertive, a manifesto that foreshadows the logomania of the 2000s.
Gold and marble for 4 anniversary pieces
For its 50th anniversary, BVLGARI BVLGARI returns with four watches sculpted like jewels, whose marble dials evoke the nobility of temples and the coolness of ancient palaces. A material dear to Bulgari, used since the 1960s in its collection of jewelry and then Monete watches, adorned with Greek and Roman coins.
Verde Alpi, Blu Incanto, Azzurro Infinito... The chosen names reveal the house's intimate link with Italian nature and Roman imagination. Verde Alpi evokes a deep green marble, extracted from the Alpine foothills, found in the noble architecture of Milan or in the palaces of Piedmont. Blu Incanto denotes a marble with nocturnal, mysterious, and shimmering tones, like the sky after sunset. As for Azzurro Infinito, an ice blue tinged with light, it embodies the softness of clear mornings over Rome, the clear azure of an eternal summer. Three poetic names for three living materials, which extend the mineral magic of the Eternal City onto the wrist.
Tribute to the original Bvlgari Roma
Two yellow gold models, stamped with the inscription Bvlgari Roma, specially commemorate this anniversary, engraved on their back and limited to 150 pieces each. A first 38 mm version pulses with the automatic Solotempo BVL 191 caliber. The luxurious shine of the engraved bezel contrasts with the Verde Alpi, deep green marble, like an imperial medallion. A 26 mm watch is set with 12 diamonds as indices, precious and sparkling on the stone.
Facing this pair, two rose gold variations. The first, in 38 mm equipped with the Solotempo caliber, with a Blu Incanto marble dial, deep and intense blue. Finally, a 26 mm interpretation reveals an Azzurro Infinito marble enhanced with diamonds.
This anniversary collection asserts Bulgari's unique identity, capable of combining daring and inimitable Italian style over time. In 1977, the double logo disrupted watchmaking conventions. Even today, this inscription on the bezel declares its strong, timeless identity.
