Bulgari - Trendsetter in Timekeeping
 Sotirio Bulgari moved his small silver workshop from Greece to Italy in 1884. He opened his first store in Rome, at No 10 Via Condotti. The company's flagship store is still located there. Today Bulgari represents the third largest luxury retail jeweler in the world, going after Tiffany and Cartier. The Company creates a great variety of products, including jewelry items, fragrances, eyewear, and porcelain. The first Bulgari watch that made quite a stir in the world of watchmaking appeared in the 1940s. The brand unveiled a one-of-a-kind snake-style watch. The 'creature' was winding its body a few times around its wearer's wrist. Its head faced the wearer, while the watch itself was found in the mouth of the snake. The company introduced different designs of the timepiece, with the last version designed in the 1970s. The snake watch was created with the bracelet winding around a wrist and the snake's head was replaced by the watch itself. Following the success of the snake-like timepiece, the Bulgari brothers approached famous Swiss designer Gerald Genta and asked him to develop a timepiece in distinctively Italian style and features of a trendsetter. Gerald Genta came up with the idea of designing a slimly cut cylinder with two flat surfaces and 'Bvlgari' inscribed twice around the bezel. First shocked by the bold idea, the brothers were convinced by the designer the timepiece would enjoy remarkable success. Thus, Gerald Genta gave birth to the brand's iconic 'Bulgari-Bulgari' watch. The Bvlgari- Bvlgari logo is presently featured by other products developed by the company. The idea of showing off the brand's way in such way has been adopted by many luxury giants. Inspired by the success of 'Bulgari-Bulgari' watch, the company concentrated at developing its watchmaking department. As a result, it purchased a factory in Neuchatel, Switzerland, with an ambitious idea to mark its timepieces with the Swiss-made designation and reach the level of quality that would correspond to strict Swiss standards. Nowadays, Bulgari Time SA has about 500 employees, occupying an old six-story building that was reconstructed according to the needs of a watchmaking company. Bulgari Time SA develops has much invested in Swiss companies. In 2000 it acquired Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta that formally belonged to The Hourglass Group, a big wholesaler/retailer in Singapore. In 2005 the company managed to purchase 51 percent of the shares of Prestige D'Or, bracelets' producer, as well as 50 percent of Cadrans Design, a company producing high-end dials. Today the Bulgari group manages a respectable watchmaking company able to produce almost every watch component independently. Having experience of watch designers, now Bulgari may proudly call themselves true professionals in the high-end Swiss watchmaking industry. Bulgari-Bulgari, Assioma, Ergon Diagono, and Rettangolo are the most popular names highlighted by the Bulgari watch collection that is characterized by a wide range of designs, styles and functions. Bulgari fans are happy to choose between luxurious ladies' watches, boldly styled men's and sports timepieces. These include traditional three-handed watches, and timepieces equipped with a range of complications. About twenty years ago the Bulgari company established a joint venture with Girard-Perregaux that became the company's supplier of the movements developed for complicated timepieces. Since 1994, Bulgari provided some of round-shaped Anfitheatro timepieces with tourbillon- and minute-repeater-movements manufactured by Girard-Perregaux. with the desire of reaching more independence and experience in the field of hautte haurologie, Bulgari acquired the Roth and Genta company and successfully produced its first highly complicated timepieces. At BaselWorld 2006 the Company was really proud to present its Assioma Multi Complication, timekeeping creation with tourbillon, perpetual calendar and second time zone. |
