Not Who Starts But Who Perseveres: Bulgari Aluminium GMT Amerigo Vespucci

Uncategorized, 2022 Novelties

Benedetta Valcastelli

DATE

17 June 2022

The School-ship Amerigo Vespucci

With a length (at buoyancy) of 82 m and a height of trees above sea level of more than 50 meters, the Amerigo Vespucci Training Ship is the pride and joy of the Italian navy.

This incredible ship is dedicated to Amerigo Vespucci, the famous explorer and the first who, in 1501, realized that the lands discovered by Columbus were not part of Asia, as was initially thought, but of a new continent, which then in his honor was called America.

Launched in 1931 in the shipyards of Castellammare di Stabia, it is considered the most beautiful ship in the world.

https://marinecue.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/polena-di-nave-vespucci_15804494557_o-1024x768.jpg — The figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci, which depicts the explorer Amerigo Vespucci in gilded bronze. Photos from the www.marina.difesa.it website

It dates back to 1962, in fact, the episode that consecrated the myth: the American aircraft carrier USS Independence crossed the route of this splendid ship in the Mediterranean and asked it to identify itself: to the answer “Training ship Amerigo Vespucci – Italian Navy”, the Americans replied: “you are the most beautiful ship in the world”.

On September 1, history repeats itself: another American aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, crossing the route of the Vespucci Ship in the Adriatic, asked by radio “Are you the sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci of the Italian Navy?”; after the affirmative answer, he reiterated “After 60 years you’re still the most beautiful ship in the world”!

The Ship carries out training activities (with the exception of 1940, for the war, and the years 1964, 1973 and 1997, for extraordinary work), mainly in favor of the students of the Naval Academy and the students of the Naval College, as well as young people belonging to sailing associations.

It is a sailing ship with engine; from the point of view of sailing equipment it is “armed with a ship”, therefore with three vertical masts, trench, maestra and mezzana, all equipped with flagpoles and square sails, plus the bowsprit protruding to the bow, to all intents and purposes a fourth mast. The unit is also equipped with cutting sails: the bows, at the bow, between the bowsprit and the trinchetto, the stralli, between trinchetto and maestra and between maestra and mezzana, and the main sail, equipped with boom and peak, on the mezzana.

The real “engine” of the Amerigo Vespucci, however, is its crew, consisting of 264 soldiers.

Bulgari Amerigo Vespucci Aluminium GMT

This model, in a limited edition of 1000 pieces, pays tribute in every detail to the Amerigo Vespucci School Ship, while remaining faithful to the iconic DNA of Bulgari Aluminium.

They recall the famous sailing ship, first of all, the colors of the dial. The latter plays on the combination of yellow and black. Certainly distinctive is the yellow one, which appears alive in an elegant golden nuance, to recall the bronze details of the prestigious sailing ship and the wooden friezes covered with pure gold leaf, which triumph over the figurehead and on the outside, as well as in the interior of the ship.

It is a GMT, it could not be otherwise, in homage to the ship that embodies the spirit of travel and adventure: this function allows the wearer to always have an eye on the time of home, even when he is traveling. The outer ring of the dial shows the 24 hours of the day divided into a golden part (the day) and a black part (the night).

Also in yellow, the minute rail, the arrow of the GMT hand and the final details of the second hand.

The local time is indicated by the hour and minute hands while the time of the home location is marked by the GMT hand which, as mentioned, has the arrowhead with a yellow border and adjusts independently through the crown.

A peculiarity of this model is also the titanium caseback, in which stands out – after the logo of the Maison and the name of the Amerigo Vespucci School Ship – the motto of the crew, namely “non chi comincia ma chi persevera” (“Not who starts but who perseveres”): a philosophy summarizing the spirit of the tenacious and indomitable strength and desire to explore that animates those who board the ship.

Of course, the features that have made aluminium a cornerstone of Bulgari design are also present: the 40 mm aluminium case and the bezel with the BVLGARI rubber logo. The strap is also made of rubber and aluminum. At 3 o’ clock we can see the date window.

The tribute to Made in Italy continues at 6 o’clock, where the tricolor (whose white part is composed of the GMT inscription) stands out, under the indication “Aluminium”. The hands and indexes stand out on the black of the dial thanks to the SuperLuminova coating.

Questo modello è equipaggiato con movimento automatico BVL 192, con frequenza di 28.800 alternanze orarie. La riserva di carica è di 50 ore.

To go with the watch, an exclusive (and beautiful) mahogany package, the main material of Amerigo Vespucci, built with many types of wood (in addition to mahogany, teak, holy wood, ash, oak and walnut).