Bulgari celebrates its 150th anniversary this year and pays homage to its founder, Sotirio Bulgari, with a very elegant watch.
Born in Greece in 1857, Sotirio Bulgari was descended from a long line of artisans spec-ialized in working with silver. In 1884, he created his own boutique in Rome, situated first on the Via Sistina, then on the Via Condotti. Quite the entrepreneur, he soon opened other stores—in San Remo, Naples, Bellagio, Sorrento, and then passed his summer holidays in St-Moritz, thus establishing the first network that would later become the Bulgari empire.
It was necessary that the watch named for Sotirio Bulgari live up to the talent of this man, who was an artisan, a businessman, and a great aesthete. And live up to him, it does. Classic in its realization and its subtle details, the design is quite contemporary, as seen in the surprising triangular horns that form a sharp angle with the case back to which they are attached. This provides great resistance to shocks and offers a subtle play on the contrasts between the brushed and polished surfaces.
This same attention, both technical and aesthetic, can be seen on the dial that has been decorated with two screw-in “brackets” that make space for the date at 3 o’clock and highlight a discreet engraving at 9 o’clock, while showcasing the CÔtes de GenÈve dÉcor in the centre. This graphic element is also found on the back of the watch under an 18 carat gold cap that, when raised, lets the viewer admire the BVL 250 calibre automatic movement, whose bridges and oscillating weight (equipped with an exterior 18 carat gold segment) evoke the dial’s curved decoration like an echo.
Finished in the high tradition of timekeeping—circular-grained plate and bridges, CÔtes de GenÈve decoration, circular satined oscillating weight, diamond polished edges and recesses, polished and chamfered screw heads—the BVL 250 possesses a power reserve of 55 hours with a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. In its 42 mm case, the Sotirio Bulgari watch is produced in three commemorative editions of 125 pieces each, in rose, yellow, or white gold.


Source: Europa Star April-May 2009 Magazine Issue