bulgari

Bulgari Daniel Roth Tourbillon Chrono Rattrapante Watch

I am not sure exactly what is happening to the Daniel Roth visual aesthetic now that Bulgari has officially sunken its teeth into the each watch by having Bulgari branding. A small "Daniel Roth" label lives at the bottom next to the name of the movement. Looks like the branding message going forward is Bulgari design and character, with Daniel Roth movements - or something like that. This watch takes the (presumably new or newer) Calibre 8300 manually wound tourbillon movement with rattrapante (split second) chronograph and fumbles with a design to stick it in. From an academic standpoint the Calbire 8300 is an interesting a well laid out movement. The dial has a subsidiary watch face, with an emphasis on the 30 minute chronograph mechanism. It also has an exposed tourbillon window, and a power reserve indicator for the movement. All necessary things, and laid out well, in a logical, user friendly way. Though. when it comes down to it, this is a watch almost exclusively for collectors. The pool of people that need a very expensive watch that gives most of the dial real estate to a split second chronograph is minimal.

Tags: bulgari, bvlgari, chrono, chronograph, daniel roth, rattrapante, tourbillon, watch

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Bulgari Sotirio Bulgari Watch Collection For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Bulgari has had my eye for a while because the company has been making some bold moves. This year it "ate" sub-brands Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta, and last year it started released much more "powerful" designs. That doesn't mean you have to love the designs, but they are certainly strong in the "brand DNA" department. A lot of their new watches for 2010 were actually re-branded, face-lifted Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta watches. Though a few new models did come out and this Bulgari Sotirio Bulgari watch for 2010. Sotirio was the founder of the brand, and in the last couple of years the brand has been releasing watches with his name. Here is a Sotirio Bulgari watch from last year that I talked about. The new watch collection for 2010 changes things up a bit with a more straight forward dial and design. The most interesting elements are in the case design as well as the available metal and gold bracelet.

The case is 43mm wide in steel with some gold or in all 18k gold. Sapphire crystal over the dial and caseback. Inside the watch is an in-house made Bulgari Caliber 168 automatic movement. The movement has a unique Bulgari shaped automatic rotor, and some perlage decoration, but otherwise nothing too special other than the fact that it is in-house made. In addition to the time, it has a date complication that displayed the date around the periphery of the watch. I personally don't like reading the date this way as I find it distracting when attempting to read the time. The prior Sotirio Bulgari watch did have the date on a disc though. For me, the style of the watch is held back, but in a good way. Bulgari was making some wild looking watches for a while that I didn't see too many people buying. While this watch has a lot of Bulgari DNA and a quirky style, it is relatively held back. Part of the reason for this is likely due to Bulgari's cost cutting needs as the brand hasn't been fiscally outstanding lately. Look for the new Sotirio Bulgari watches in Bulgari stores soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, Baselworld, Bulgari, Bvlgari, Sotirio, watch

Matthew Williamson To Create Handbags For Bulgari

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Bulgari has designed ultra-pricey handbags for a while but they haven't had an official designer at the helm. Vogue UK reports that the Italian jewelry brand has tapped British fashion designer Matthew Williamson to design a handbag collection for spring/summer 2011. The capsule collection will be shown during Milan Fashion Week in September. Williamson is known for his exuberant sense of color which eventually led to his stint as creative director at Pucci. In a press release Bulgari's CEO Francesco Trapani commented: "We chose Matthew Williamson for the great sense of color and design he brings to his work which resonates with our brand's rich history".

Tags: bulgari, bvlgari, handbags, matthew williamson, milan fashion week

Bulgari Serpenti Watch For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Right out of house Bulgari continues to slither new Serpenti models, the collection of watches and jewelry for (mainly) women. I reported on the collection last year here, and above you will see a new model in the snake inspired collection. Snake-like? Worm-like? Feminine-look? Sometimes your guess is as good as mine. The watches clearly are based on animals with segmented bodies, but this newest version could be an Earthworm and I wouldn't know the difference. The complex segmented gold body of the watch (in 18k gold or steel) is cambered, and done in a way to wrap around your wrist like an Egyptian style upper arm adornment. In typical Bulgari fashion the piece can be have with or without diamonds on the case (if you opt for the stones you'll find 38 of them on bezel). The face of the watch takes the form of the serpent's head, though here in a less dangerous "clock face form." The dial is pretty easy to read being in black or silver, with a Bulgari B033 quartz movement inside to power it. The dial is covered with a sapphire crystal, and the little crown has a pink rubellite cabochon placed in it. It is certainly an interesting piece with a design finish worthy of the brand - but a fan base that will be no doubt niche.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, bulgari, bvlgari, gold, serpenti, watch

Bulgari Gerald Genta Octo Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I can't wait to see the whole line of new Bulgari version Gerald Genta watches at Basel. To explain what I mean by Bulgari Gerald Genta watches read here. One of the higher-end high-end watch will be this new Octo Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon. This is going to be one very expensive watch, though the dial is surprisingly simple - at least compared to the last watch that I believe had the same, or slightly different movement. That was the Gerald Genta Arena Metasonic watch that goes for $900,000. Given the almost identical features between the two watches, it is more than likely that they share movements. Small differences involve the display of the time, and the dials on the dial. Bulgari gave this Octo Grand Sonnerie a retrograde hour dial and the minutes on a disc. Looks cool, but might prove a pain to read. Then you have four subdials on the face that look like automobile gauges (purposefully done that way). These include power reserve indicators for the watch and the sonnerie (chiming mechanism). Whether you have a grand or petite ("little" as seen on this dial) sonnerie (sort of a volume control), as well as a "chimes" or "silence" indicator (basically an on or off function for the sonnerie).

You have to admit this this is one of the most logical, user friendly dials that you've ever seen a grand (grande) sonnerie watch. The other side of the 43mm wide 18k white gold watch case (not visible in this dial) liked has a series of pushers (or alike) on it. This is a pretty neat looking watch in the Octo watch line with lots of nice details and an open caseback that is sure to reveal the ultra complex manually wound mechanical watch movement. Price will easily be in the astronomical range, and no doubt that this watch will be part of a very limited edition.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, Bulgari, Bvlgari, Gerald Genta, GeraldGenta, Grand Sonnerie, GrandSonnerie, Octo, watch

Bulgari Diagono Calibro 303 Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Bulgari is getting serious again about making its own watch movements. With ETA cracking down on handing certain movements to competitors and complex movement makers shutting down, all the important watch brands known that they need to have the ability to make their own movements in the future. Flexing their mechanical muscles, brands need to assert that they have what it takes to make complex to basic movements that are reliable and relatively affordable. Having said that Bulgari is due to release is new Diagono Calibro 303 watch that features the in-house made BVL caliber 303 movement. Why is it called that? Because it is made of 303 parts. The movement is an automatic chronograph with the date.

The case is 42mm wide in steel with an 18k white gold bezel (with the needed BVLGARI BVLGARI text). The dial has applied rose gold indexes and hands with a mostly blue half and a silver tone half. Lots of signature texturing and cotes de geneve polish on the dial as well. Nothing super new, but a nice refresh of the design. The watch is matched to a blue toned alligator strap. Price is about 11,800 Swiss Francs.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, 303, Bulgari, Bvlgari, Calibro, Diagono, watch

Bulgari To Engulf Daniel Roth And Gerald Genta For Unifed Watch Brand

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

In what feels like a strange turn of events, watch brands Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta will no longer be independent brands operating under the ownership of the Bulgari Group. Bulgari has been having financial difficulties for a while. Part of the problem relates to redundancy. Each of the brands that it owns is more or less independent - at least that was the case until now. That meant that they each had their own manufacturing, marketing, administrative, and design arms. This related to how the watch industry tends to prefer to run things. As a solution to the problem, Bulgari is taking a bold step to consolidate its main Bulgari brand with luxury brands Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth. Note that the actual watch designers Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth no longer have a stake in these brands and are not connected to the project.

The future is one consolidated effort for marketing, design, sales, distribution, and manufacture. Meaning that each of the brands will coexist. The reality of course is that they will really cease to be three separate brands with the Bulgari name more or less taking over. The image is of an early Gerald Genta Octa watch branded Bulgari, with the Gerald Genta name sitting demurely at the bottom. This is going to be "new way" for the brands in the foreseeable future. Whether or not this experiment will work to keep Bulgari profitable is unknown. The likely outcome in the elimination of the other two brand names over time as Bulgari assimilates their character, movement complication, and popular models for its own.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: Bulgari, Bvlgari, consolidation, Daniel Roth, DanielRoth, Gerald Genta, GeraldGenta, watch

Julianne Moore Newest Bulgari Brand Ambassador

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

In what is actually a highly anticipated ad campaign, Julianne Moore will soon debut as Bulgari's new leading lady. The popular Hollywood actress will be working closely with the well-known watch and jewelry brand (who actually produce quite a few other times as well) in a variety of planned advertising campaigns. The first of which will be the "Eccentric Charisma" campaign where Moore models nude or otherwise promoting the Bulgari Serpenti line among others. One series of images has the actress wearing an 115 carats of Colombian emeralds. These are in the form of a pair of earrings (that look like that have the power to pull ear lobes to the floor) See images of the earrings as well as a teaser video to the campaign here.

The award winning actress will likely help stimulate the brand that is need of such vitalization. As for me, I don't know what Moore is promoting for Bulgari in the above image, but strangely I want one... One of the new collections that Moore will be modeling are the Bulgari Serpenti collection items that I previously discussed here. The Serpenti collection is themed on snakes and scales. Adding an a degree of Egyptian exoticism to the watch, jewelry, and other accessory items. Bulgari touts the new collection as a return to the design aesthetic that made the brand famous to begin with. Plus, the connection with leading beautiful women of the world (such as the always charming and attractive Julianne Moore - the image here reminds me of Boogie Nights, I wonder why...) is a strong tactic in reaffirming the Bulgari brand as a beautiful brand, instead of just an opulent or trendy brand that has become more Bulgari's image as of late. Look for the "Eccentric Charisma" ads to appear beginning in February 2010.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: ad, ambassador, bulgari, bvlgari, campaign, Julianne Moore, JulianneMoore

Julianne Moore Fronts New Bvlgari Campaign

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Design

I've always envied pale redheads and their ability to look so showstopping in green. I think my envy just hit a new level with a look at the Colombian emerald pendant earrings that are being worn by Julianne Moore in Bvlgari's Spring/Summer 2010 advertising campaign. The earrings feature detachable Colombian pear-shaped emeralds, weighing 52.86 and 62.32 carats. The emeralds are exceptional for their size, uniform color and perfect match. They were part of Bvlgari's first retrospective exhibition at Il Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome from May through September 2009.

The campaign, scheduled to debut in February 2010, depicts a lifestyle that they are calling Eccentric Charisma. Each image features items from several of Bvlgari's jewelry, watches and accessories collections. Moore was chosen for her combination of beauty, intelligence and confidence. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot photographed the campaign at Tony Duquette's Dawnridge house in Beverly Hills. Moore is shown lounging about in an exotic and opulent salon decorated in rich brocades, sumptuous jewel tone satins and plush peacock feathers. Check out a sneak peek video after the jump.

Tags: bulgari, bvlgari, emeralds, jewelry, julianne moore, JulianneMoore

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Bvlgari Auctions Off Rare Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions, Charity

Bvlgari finished off its 125th anniversary year in style at Christie's New York with an auction to benefit Save the Children. To close out its 125th anniversary year, the jeweler hosted a star-studded crowd at the auction house and put 11 incredible jewelry lots and seven timepieces up for sale. Stars in attendance included Morgan Fairchild, Rose Byrne, Jessica Lange and Ricky Martin, who posed with model Esther Canadas. Bvlgari raised a total of $1,546,500 including $270,000 for the diamond Lucea choker seen in the gallery below. The company will be working with Save the Children again next year.

Gallery: Bulgari Save The Children Auction

Multi-Colored Sapphire and Diamond Necklace:

Color change Star Sapphire and Diamond Ring

Source

Tags: auction, bulgari, bvlgari, christies, rewrite the future, RewriteTheFuture, save the children, SaveTheChildren

Bvlgari Save The Children Auction At Christie's

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions, Charity

Bvlgari's work with Save the Children takes center stage at Christie's New York during a special auction to benefit the Rewrite the Future campaign. The campaign has a mission of providing quality education for 8 million children living in conflict-affected areas. To celebrate their 125 year anniversary, Bvlgari will auction an extraordinary collection of 11 one-of- a-kind jewelry creations and 7 limited edition timepieces. The jewels' overall value is estimated at around $4 million and all proceeds will be donated the campaign.

The collection was officially presented to the public on May 20, 2009 at a private celebration inaugurating Bulgari's first-ever retrospective museum exhibition at the prestigious Il Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. From June until November 2009 the collection will tour the world's greatest cities, where they will be presented at a series of high-profile events. The international tour will culminate with the New York auction in December when the pieces will be sold at Christie's.

You can also still participate in this important campaign by buying the Bvlgari Save the Children ring which is on sale until the end of the year.

Gallery: Bulgari Save The Children Auction

Source

Tags: bulgari, bvlgari, christies new york, ChristiesNewYork, rewrite the future, RewriteTheFuture, save the children, SaveTheChildren

Sotheby's to Auction 29.53 Carat Flawless Diamond

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

sothebys diamond

On October 19th, Sotheby's will auction off a dazzling array of jewels, from a 29.53 carat flawless pear-shaped diamond ring to exquisite pieces designed by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Webb and Tiffany & Co. The sale, which will take place at Sotheby's New York headquarters, will feature jewels from private American collections, as well as a selection of high quality white diamonds and signed and period pieces.

The 29.53 carat pear-shaped diamond is the centerpiece of the auction. The D color, internally flawless stone has been recently determined to be both potentially flawless and type IIa by the Gemological Institute of America. The ring has an estimate of $1.8 million to $2.2 million or $61,000 per carat.

Another stunning piece is a fancy vivid yellow diamond ring by Tiffany & Co., which is set with a potentially flawless emerald-cut stone of 9.55 carats in a diamond crossover mounting. Its estimate is $250,000 to $350,000.

Also featured at the sale will be an 18 Karat gold, diamond and amethyst "Botticelli" necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Designed with a foliate motif, it has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000.

A diamond butterfly brooch by Bulgari, which is set with over 24 carats of diamonds, has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000, while a David Webb-designed abstract star-shaped Abalone Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Diamond and Emerald Brooch has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.

The jewels will be on exhibition at Sotheby's New York showroom beginning on October 14th, 2009. An online catalogue is available to preview at Sotheby's website.

Gallery: Sotheby's Jewelry Auction

Spectacular pear-shaped 29.53 carat diamond

Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Ring by Tiffany & Co.

David Webb Pink Enamel, Colored Stone and Diamond Elephant

Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond and Amethyst Botticelli Neclace

Tags: accessories-award, bulgari, david webb, DavidWebb, diamonds, entertainment-awards, jewelry, sothebys, van cleef arpels, VanCleefArpels

Bulgari Group To Lay-Off 50 Employees From Gerald Genta And Daniel Roth Watch Makers

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The last few months have seen a series of bad-news stories regarding Bulgari and its attempts to survive and adapt to the change in economic times. When things were good, Bulgari started to snatch up other watch makers such as Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta. As I feel the need to be clear, the men themselves Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta are not in some state of bondage, but rather that Bulgari owns the rights to the brands (the trademarks). I've mentioned this before, but I still find it odd that the namesakes of these brands no longer have a place at the brands - and perhaps only a small stake in the success thereof. Nevertheless, if the brand releases a bad product, it will still effect the men negatively from a PR standpoint.

Well, the brands have fine products, but are about to lose 50 employees between them. Some one out there is bound to get pissed at Gerald and Daniel even though they have no part in this. We go back to Bulgari who is attempting to stay afloat by terminating the employment of 50 out of just 130 employees. Over 40 percent of the work force. There will likely be a consolidation of efforts and less redundancy of roles between Bulgari, Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth. As the demand for luxury watches is currently low, this makes sense. Even though this is bad news for fans of the brands as well as the employees of the companies (especially those losing their jobs), Bulgari isn't in a significantly worse position than other luxury brands these days.

Via World Tempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: bulgari, bvlgari, daniel roth, DanielRoth, firings, gerald genta, GeraldGenta, group, lay-offs, watch

Bulgari Serpenti Watch Collection

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

To most people in the industry, it is obvious that Bulgari is having problems. Sales are hurting and although the economy seems to be rebounding a bit, the recovery of the luxury market usually sits impatiently at the end of the line. To help remedy things, Bulgari has been looking to its past for inspiration on what it can release that will be irresistible to fans of the brand. A new collection looks back to what helped make Bulgari the well known luxury name that it is. This watch is part of the Serpenti collection which is going to be a whole line of watches and jewelry. For women only I believe.

The watch face sits at the end of a wrist wrapping bracelet that is shaped like a series of reptilian scales while the bracelet itself is meant to resemble a serpent. The face has an almost arrow-head style triangular look to with while gold and diamonds make up the hour markers. Inside the watch is a small quartz movement. The Serpenti watches are available in a number of styles and materials. Each made of 18k white or rose gold. Onyx, diamonds, pink coral, and jade all all available as decorations on the pieces. The is certainly retro hearkening back to eras in the 20th century when luxury houses worked to emulate the decadent style of civilizations long past. This could easily be seen as some manner of Egyptian or Babylonian revival series. The Serpenti collection is a stylish and unabashedly bold luxury line from hopeful Bulgari - available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2009, bulgari, collection, serpent, serpenti, timepiece, watch

Barbie Gets A Bulgari Makeover And Endorses Save The Children Charity

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches, Charity

Apparently Barbie (yes the Mattel doll) chooses endorsements like other celebrities (pseudo celebrity? 10 year old girl icon?). Currently she is supporting Bulgari's support of Save the Children International's "Rewrite the Future" campaign to fund education efforts for children in poverty stricken areas of the world.

In addition to a 1 million euro donation to the Rewrite the Future campaign, Bulgari has created a line of 11 jewelry pieces and 7 timepieces whose sales will help fund their dedication of 10 million euros to Save the Children by the end of 2009. One of the jewelry pieces is a signed silver Bulgari ring with a Save the Children inscription engraved inside the band. The ring will retail for $555. Barbie is modeling the ring - though I don't think you can get that particular size at your local Bulgari boutique.

As a guy I've never played with Barbie dolls, but it looks like she got a bit of a makeover for this Bulgari marketing image as one of the celebrities the endorse the campaign. Or maybe her hair looks like that right out of the box? You can see Barbie showing off her Bulgari ring, which might be one of the most expensive Barbie accessories available. Other celebrities (I am not really sold on the fact that Barbie is a celebrity at all, more like a piece of pop culture) that support the Bulgari Save the Children Rewrite the Future campaign so far include: Julianne Moore, Benicio Del Toro, Ben Stiller, Sally Field, Sting, Willem Dafoe, Rosario Fiorello, Gabriele Muccino, Jason Lewis, Andy Garcia, Valeria Golino, Isabella Rossellini and Debra Messing.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Bulgari Save the Children Ring