Borna Bosnjak
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Bulgari flexes their haute horlogerie muscles with four high-end tourbillon-equipped piecesThe Precious Naturalia and Precious Tourbillon Lumiere show off natural gemstone beauty in rose gold casesCombining titanium and sapphire, the Striking Tourbillon Sapphire and Striking Papillon Tourbillon go for a futuristic lookCementing themselves as an unquestionable champion of fashion-brand-turned-high-end-watchmakers, Bulgari has been a consistently strong player in the luxury watch space. Whether it be an entry-level Roma Chronograph or Finissimo, with its brutalist corners and media-blasted finish, or the high-end Roma pieces we’ve become accustomed to over the years, the Octo line has enjoyed undoubted success. With two rose gold pieces sporting precious stones and two titanium and sapphire creations with modern green accents, Bulgari is showing off their high-end savoir-faire.Precious Naturalia and Precious Tourbillon LumiereThe headlining piece of this launch is the Octo Roma Precious Tourbillon Lumiere. Though targeted towards women, its 38mm case size and bundles of presence make it suitable for any wrist. Its the amalgamation of everything that Bulgari is known for – well-finished angular cases, gemsetting, engraving and skeletonisation are all present, lest we mention the tourbillon with its beauty of a bridge at 6 o’clock. The Lumiere is set with a total diamond weight exceeding 5 carats, with an additional cabochon-cut ruby set into the crown, and 9 more brilliant-cut rubies serving as hour markers. Powered by the BVL 208 calibre, it features a 64-hour power – the barrel and mainspring visible through the extensive skeletonisation at 2 o’clock.Toning down the diamonds and upping the size to an impressive 44mm, the Octo Roma Precious Naturalia introduces a unique use of a precious stone. The tiger’s eye is used for indices, movement main plate and decoration of the mid-case, blending in with the warm brushed rose gold finish. Once again, Bulgari skeletonises the BVL 206 calibre, the tourbillon this time unobstructed by a second bridge. The watch is mounted on a brown alligator leather strap with a folding buckle matching the rose gold of the case.Striking Papillon Tourbillon and Striking Tourbillon SapphireWhere the Octo Roma Precious tourbillons applied traditional materials to a contemporary aesthetic, the Striking Tourbillon Sapphire and Papillon Tourbillon change those up, too. The domed sapphire crystals combine with a transparent sapphire midcase, giving an improved view of the movement in both of these models, sandwiched between matte-finished titanium. The octagonal crowns are in DLC titanium with a shiny ceramic insert, while all other highlights come in form of the bright green colour used for the indices and printing. Even though their names may suggest so, neither of the Striking Tourbillons actually feature a chiming complication, rather named so for their distinct colouration.The Striking Papillon Tourbillon is especially notable for its unique time display, with two rotating papillon hands that point to the minute track in the lower portion of the dial, circling a central tourbillon. Once no longer pointing at the display, the hand rotates out of the way, while a jumping hour indicator at 12, well, indicates hours. On the other hand, Striking Tourbillon Sapphire takes the BVL 206 calibre and exposes it even more via the sapphire case components and even more extreme skeletonisation.Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon 2023 novelties pricing and availability:The Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon models are available now from Bulgari. Price: 85,000 (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire), 130,000 (Striking Papillon Tourbillon), 165,000 (Precious Naturalia), 190,000 (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)BrandBulgariModelOcto Roma Striking Tourbillon SapphireOcto Roma Striking Papillon TourbillonOcto Roma Precious NaturaliaOcto Roma Precious Tourbillon LumiereReference Number103914103748103675103751Case Dimensions44mm (D) x 11.65mm (T) (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire)44mm (D) x 11.9mm (T) (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)44mm (D) x 11.35mm (T) (Precious Naturalia)38mm (D) (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)Case MaterialTitanium and sapphire (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire, Striking Papillon Tourbillon)Rose gold (Precious Naturalia, Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)Water Resistance5 ATM3 ATM (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)DialSkeletonised (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire)Black and green papillon (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)Partially skeletonised with tiger’s eye indices (Precious Naturalia)Rose gold skeletonised with diamonds and rubies (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)Crystal(s)Sapphire on both sidesStrapRubberised black alligator (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire, Striking Papillon Tourbillon)Brown alligator leather (Precious Naturalia)Red alligator leather (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)MovementCalibre BVL 206 (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire, Precious Naturalia)Calibre BVL 348 (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)Calibre BVL 208 (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)Power Reserve60 hours (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)64 hours (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire, Precious Naturalia, Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)FunctionsFlying tourbillon, hours, minutes (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire)Central flying tourbillon, jump hour, papillon minutes (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)Flying tourbillon, hours, minutes (Precious Naturalia)Tourbillon, hours, minutes (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)AvailabilityNowPrice85,000 (Striking Tourbillon Sapphire)130,000 (Striking Papillon Tourbillon)165,000 (Precious Naturalia)190,000 (Precious Tourbillon Lumiere)
03.04.23