WORLDTEMPUS - 23 December 2010
Elizabeth Lilly Doerr
Having to pick only one model from the revamped Gérald Genta collection seems to me a near impossibility: the “merger” Bulgari performed on its most complicated collection has led to a stunning revamp of the entire line. What had most collectors up in arms earlier this year, before they ever laid eyes on the timepieces, turned out to the be the best thing Bulgari could ever have done with its two mini-brands Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth.
“Both the Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta brand names will no longer exist as individual brands,” Group CEO Francesco Trapani explained going in to Baselworld 2010. “They are integrated into the Bulgari collection, but both will maintain their haute horlogerie ‘DNA.' We intend to fully respect their stylistic codes and specificities.”
The result is simply magnificent. Italians have always had a well-deserved reputation for style, and Bulgari has added an Italian feel for materials to the Genta and Roth lines, turning these mechanical masterpieces into spectacular works of art displaying an incredible depth of dial and design.
The Gérald Genta Octo Biretro model, which the company aptly describes as a “sports model for intense living,” features hours displayed in digital, jumping fashion and retrograde minutes and seconds. The 43 mm steel and ceramic case housing the automatic movement boasts loving details such as an onyx cabochon in the crown and a signature rubber strap.
