Bvlgari listened to what women want: Tubogas, Aeterna, Serpenti, Monete, as well as unique high jewelry pieces, have said bye-bye to batteries. In a mechanical, back-to-the-roots movement, such creations are now equipped with either the manual Piccolissimo, or the Lady Solotempo BVS100 Automatic movement. Both these movements are new, and are made by Bvlgari itself, showing that the Neuchatel manufacture offers far more than only Octo Finissimo.
“We introduced the Piccolissimo in the Serpenti Misteriosi, and now we also have the movement with a crown at 3 o’clock instead of only on the caseback. But we still have it on the caseback in the Misteriosi – you don’t want to see a crown sticking out of the head of the snake,” said Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Product Creation Executive Director at Bvlgari watches.
This development comes as an answer to clients not buying Serpenti when it could only be had with quartz. Mr. Buonamassa Stigliani adds a perspective that has got nothing to do with watch snobbery and which also kills the argument that quartz watches are maintenance free. “On such watches the battery is very small. And when you look at jewelry pieces, it is something that you tend to use rather seldom. So, after 2-3 uses, it is often that the battery is out,” he said, continuing about how watches then run the risk of staying in drawers instead of being taken to a boutique for battery replacement. Then it is actually easier with setting a mechanical movement, “which may not have the most impressive power reserve, but enough for those special occasions”, Mr. Buonamassa Stigliani concluded.
So, how long is a cycle on the latest generation Piccolissimo, whose full name is BVL 100 Piccolissimo? The 1.3-gram machine made of 102 components has a power reserve of 30 hours after it is wound. As for the BVS 100 Solotempo Automatic used on Serpenti Seduttori, Serpenti Tubogas, and Aeterna Serpenti, it has a 50-hour power reserve.
For Bvlgari, these movements are the answer to the ongoing trend of the past 10-15 years of ladies being more and more interested in mechanical movements. To Mr. Buonamassa Stigliani there is, however, a huge difference between male and female collectors. With men you can sometimes entice them with technical specifications only. “But ladies tend to be more creative, and they have interesting design points of view. It is more difficult! With women it is not just the movement – the whole watch must all together have the right blend of proportions, femininity, colors, materials, finishings. The bracelet is very important. If it is not comfortable enough with the right ergonomics, the right style, then it is simply ‘no way’. Female collectors who I talk to are very self-confident, they know what they want,” he said, based on discussions with, for instance, members in the Dubai Watch Club.
Given the long history of small movements for ladies (think the legendary 101 from Jaeger-LeCoultre), Mr. Buonamassa Stigliani has a very pragmatic explanation as to why it has become a rarity in the industry. “It is difficult and expensive to develop good and reliable small movements. It took us more than 10 years. But since Bvlgari is a jewelry brand, it makes sense to have mechanical movements in high jewelry watches.”
