Watch & Jewelry
March 30, 2015
BVLGARI | Sotirio Bulgari BVL168
BVLGARI
With Specifications That Impress Even Watchmakers
BVLGARI's New Generation Premium Watch
By Yasuto Shibuya
Sotirio Bulgari BVL 168
The fully in-house developed movement "BVL 168" has been refined in its fundamentals. It features nickel silver, a robust material, instead of common brass for the mainplate where the gear train is mounted, the bridges supporting the escapement, and the rotor for winding the mainspring, ensuring mechanical rigidity. Furthermore, it incorporates a split gear system in the bidirectional automatic winding mechanism to reduce gear wear and allow for worry-free manual winding. This movement's first model, equipped with this in-house caliber, offers high torque for stable and reliable operation even when additional function modules are added. The date display is a classic pointer date type using a hand on the same axis as the hour, minute, and second hands, and it features an instant jump that switches precisely at midnight. Its design, which fits perfectly into any scene from formal to casual, is another significant appeal.
Automatic, stainless steel case, alligator strap, 43mm case diameter, sapphire crystal case back, ¥609,000, scheduled for September release.
BRAND HISTORY
Founded in 1884, BVLGARI is a world-renowned Italian top jeweler, but it is also an extremely important brand in the watchmaking world.BVLGARIbegan designing watches in 1940, and in 1977, it unveiled the "Bulgari Bulgari," featuring two brand logos engraved side-by-side on a round bezel. Following the global success of this model, the company established a specialized watchmaking group in the 1980s, making a full-fledged entry into the watch industry, where it continues to maintain significant influence today.
In the 1990s,chronographwatches (1990), followed by grand complications featuring tourbillons (1994) and minute repeaters, and then a split-seconds chronograph (1996).tourbillonThese successive releases of complex timepieces demonstrated not only the brand's high design aesthetic but also its technical prowess.
Entering the 21st century, BVLGARI expanded into a major watch group by acquiring brands renowned for their complex watch manufacturing, such as Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth. In 2006, the company also launched its own in-house developed complication watch, further solidifying its momentum.
Founded in: 1884
Place of Foundation: Rome, Italy
Main Series Names: Diagono, Assioma, Bulgari Bulgari, Ergon
Contact: BVLGARI Japan 03-6362-0100
Official Website: http://www.bulgari.com/