Luke Benedictus
Editor’s note:?We get that this LVMH Watch Week there is a ton of ground to cover, with four brands all releasing a?range of novelties to kick off the year. So, for your?convenience, we’re offering a quick overview of each brand’s new novelties – touching on each new reference or collection and their headlining points. Stay tuned throughout the week for deeper coverage, some of which will include live pics and our hands-on perspective. But for now let’s run through each of the new watches?– here are the Bulgari 2022 novelties of LVMH Watch Week.Octo Roma Blue Carillon TourbillonThis year Bulgari expands the orchestra of the Sinfonia della Meccanica, with two special watches that allow the wearer to experience the mechanical heart of a timepiece through the medium of sound. The first of these is the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon blue edition that’s available in a limited 30-piece run.It combines two traditional high-end complications – the tourbillon and the?Grande Sonnerie striking mechanism that sounds the hours, quarters and minutes?– in a strikingly modernist approach. Inside its platinum case, the watch features a graphic skeletonised movement with blue bridges, the colour echoed in the blued titanium caseband and blue alligator-leather strap secured by a platinum triple-blade folding clasp.To make the most of its striking mechanism, the case has been designed to amplify sound rendition and clarity. That's the reason behind its generous 44m diameter proportions that enable increased torque and sound power production from the three hammers in the hand-wound calibre BVL428. Cavities have also been inserted into the caseband to help the sound from leaving the chamber.Available in a 30-piece limited edition, the watch has a transparent sapphire crystal caseback and is guaranteed to be a singular piece in any collection. Prices haven't yet been announced at the time of writing, but we'll bring you all the info and a full review soon.Case MaterialPlatinum case; openworked titanium middle-caseCase Dimensions44mm in diameter, 12.83mm thickWater-Resistance30mDialBlue, OpenworkedMovementBVL428 calibrePower Reserve75 hoursComplicationsMinute repeater, three-hammer carillon tourbillon and power-reserve indicatorStrapBlue alligator strap with platinum triple-blade folding claspAvailability30 pcs. Limited EditionOcto Roma Emerald Grande SonnerieA piece unique should always be special and Bulgari emphatically delivers on that brief. Yes, the Octo Roma Emerald Grande Sonnerie includes Bulgari's?Grande Sonnerie striking mechanism that is impressive enough in itself (the Maison is amongst only a handful of Swiss watchmakers capable of producing this mechanism that sounds the hours, quarters and minutes). But it's permissible to be distracted from all that as Bulgari turn the volume up to 11 to showcase their fabled skill in gem-setting.The watch is set with 446 baguette-cut Zambian emeralds and diamonds totalling over 30 carats. Crafted in white gold with a sapphire crystal case-back, it's presented on a bright green alligator strap to match the emerald-set bezel. It's a watch that you ensures you'll never forget that, despite Bulgari's horological achievements in recent years, the brand is still a jeweller at heart.Case MaterialWhite GoldCase Dimensions44mm in diameter, 15.42mm thickWater-Resistance30mDialDiamond-setGemsettingCase, bezel and lugs set with 72 baguette-cut emeralds (~ 7.28 cts) and 374 baguette-cut diamonds (~22.86 cts), 15.42 mm thick, transparent case-back, white gold crown set with baguette-cut diamonds and 1 round rose-cut diamond, baguette-cut diamonds on the dialMovementBVL703 calibrePower Reserve75 hoursComplicationsGrande and Petite Sonnerie, 4-hammer Westminster chime, Minute Repeater and power-reserve indicator for the striking mechanism: 24 hours in Grande Sonnerie mode, 28 hours in Petite Sonnerie modeStrapGreen alligator strap with white gold folding claspAvailabilityPiece Unique, 1/1LuceaBulgari's Lucea timepieces are all about the language of light and evoking a sense of the Roman sky. The new 2022 models add fresh colours to the palette, with their dials crafted in pink mother-of-pearl and aventurine Each of the dials is assembled using the marquetry technique in a pattern called “Intarsio” in which the 37 micro-elements are cut and then faceted by hand before being assembled according to a precise and regular geometry to form the three-dimensional surface of the dial. Diamond bezels and hour markers add further dazzle to these watches that will be available in both quartz and automatic configurations.Case MaterialPolished stainless steelCase Dimensions28mm (quartz), 33mm (automatic)Bezels28mm (polished steel), 33mm (diamond-set)DialAventurine or Mother of Pearl dial featuring Intarsio marquetry set diamond markersMovement28mm (quartz), 33mm (B77 automatic calibre)Power Reserve42 hours (B77 calibre)ComplicationsHours and minutes (quartz), hours, minutes, date (automatic)StrapBlue or red alligator strap with steel pin buckleSerpenti Misteriosi High JewelleryAfter exploring the limits of ultra-thin mechanical watchmaking in the Octo Finissomo, Bulgari now lays a new milestone in the field of ultra-small with Piccolissimo, the Italian for very small. This year, they're introducing four new Serpenti watches, upgrading the iconic design from the 1950s with the new Piccolissimo mechanical movement, one of the smallest in the world.The new Serpenti Misteriosi timepieces are opulent, colourful and designed to showcase the brand's jewellery virtuosity.?Masterpieces of goldsmithing, their constituent parts are individually shaped before being decorated, gem-set and assembled. Particular attention has been paid to the overall design of the precious metal structure forming the bracelet and the head to ensure that it is comfortable and light to wear.Hewn in yellow and white gold: the snake wraps itself around the wrist with a double-tour yellow gold bracelet entirely adorned with brilliant-cut diamonds on the white gold head and tail. The animal's head is then graced with round-cut diamonds. But that’s not all. In a charming trick, press the snake's tongue on the?Serpenti Misteriosi to?open the reptile’s head to reveal the watch. A bidirectional crown located on the caseback enables manual winding and time-setting. Oh, and when it comes to your “snake eyes”, you’ve got a bunch of options, too, as you can choose between?rubellite, emerald and diamond peepers.Case MaterialsBlack-lacquered rose gold, green-lacquered white gold set with diamonds, rose gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds and turquoise inserts, white gold case and head set with 626 round brilliant-cut diamonds. 2 pear-cut rubellites, emeralds, or diamonds for the eyes.Case Diameter40mmDialSecret DialMovementBVL 100 Piccolissimo manual-wind calibrePower Reserve30 hoursComplicationsHours and minutesStrapDouble Tour Bracelet with varying precious metals, lacquers, and diamond-settingsSerpenti Misteriosi RomaniCase & Bracelet MaterialsSerpenti Misteriosi Romani High Jewellery secret watch in 18kt white gold set with 1 cushion-cut sapphire (~10.83 cts), 674 buff-top cut sapphires (~32.49 cts), baguette and pave-set diamonds (~63.33 cts) on the case, bracelet and dial. Pear-shaped sapphire eyes (~0.70 ct)DialPave-set diamond dialMovementQuartzComplicationsHours and minutesAvailabilityPiece Unique, 1/1Serpenti SeduttoriJust as snake sheds its skin, Bulgari has chosen to broaden the Seduttori’s impact by adding a new bracelet.?Its construction is based on a slinky jigsaw of hexagonal motifs that enable it to?flow sinuously over the wrist. This bracelet?forms one with the case, which represents the head of the snake. The case and bracelet now come in steel, rose gold or a mix of the two. We’ll bring you images and a full review of the new watches as they drop.Case & Bracelet33 mm case with bracelet featuring a hexagonal stylised pattern and folding clasp, bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.38 ct), crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite.MaterialsAvailable in steel, steel/rose gold, rose goldWater-Resistance30mDialBlack-lacquered dialMovementBulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movementComplicationsHours and minutesSerpenti TubogasThe Tubogas is now available in a bi-metal combine of yellow gold and steel, or exclusively in ?yellow gold set with diamonds on either side of the reptile’s head, embellished with a white opaline guilloche dial. Again, we’ll bring?you images and a full review of the new watch as they drop.Case & Bracelet35 mm curved case set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.29 ct), paired with a Tubogas bracelet, crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite.MaterialsAvailable in steel/yellow gold, yellow goldWater-Resistance30mDialSunburst white opaline guilloche dialMovementBulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movementComplicationsHours and minutes
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