Bulgari
- Founded
- 1884
- Based in
- Rome, Italy (watches made in Neuchâtel, Switzerland)
- In our catalog
- 5 watches from $4,600 to $16,500
Bulgari (written Bvlgari on its logos, in the Roman style) began as a jeweler, and its watches have always carried that sense of design. But over the past decade it has also become a technical leader, setting record after record for thin watches with the Octo Finissimo, a collection that even skeptics of jewelry-brand watches admire.
History
Sotirios Voulgaris, a Greek silversmith, opened his first shop in Rome in 1884. His sons built the company into one of the great jewelry houses, known for bold color and Roman-inspired shapes. Bulgari made jewelry watches in the 1940s, including the first Serpenti, which wraps around the wrist like a snake.
In 1975 it launched the Bvlgari Bvlgari, with the brand's name engraved twice around the bezel like the inscriptions on ancient Roman coins. Serious watchmaking came later. In 2000 Bulgari bought the Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth workshops, giving it complication expertise and access to Genta's design archive. The Octo, launched in 2012, comes out of that heritage. LVMH acquired Bulgari in 2011.
Signature models
- Octo Finissimo Automatic: An integrated-bracelet steel or titanium watch that's remarkably thin, part of a family that has set several world records.
- Octo Roma: A more classical, rounder variant of the Octo design.
- Bvlgari Bvlgari: The 1975 design with the double-engraved bezel.
- Serpenti Tubogas: The snake-inspired jewelry watch, with a flexible gold or steel coil.
- Aluminium Chronograph: A lighter, sporty watch in aluminium and rubber, first launched in 1998 and revived recently.
What it's known for
Bulgari's Octo Finissimo has broken records for the thinnest tourbillon, minute repeater, automatic watch and chronograph, among others. Bulgari makes its own movements, cases and dials in Switzerland. On the jewelry side, the Serpenti is one of the most recognizable women's watches in the world.
Price and positioning
An Aluminium chronograph starts around $4,500, an Octo Finissimo in steel or titanium around $15,000, and jeweled or record-setting pieces go far beyond that. On the jewelry side Cartier is the natural comparison. On the Octo side, people cross-shop AP's Royal Oak and Vacheron's Overseas, and the Finissimo usually costs less and wears thinner.
Bulgari watches in our library
- Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph ($4,600 to $5,200)
- Bulgari Bvlgari Bvlgari ($6,000 to $6,800)
- Bulgari Octo Roma ($6,500 to $7,000)
- Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas ($7,000 to $9,500)
- Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic ($15,000 to $16,500)