“Where we going, man?” “I don’t know, but we gotta go”. This was Jack Kerouac’s motto as he set off on a never-ending journey in search of oneself in “On the Road”.
The excitement of travel is also the hallmark of the new Octo Roma WorldTimer – Bulgari’s highly anticipated new entry in the Octo Roma collection, presented at Geneva Watch Days.
Never have we truly appreciated the value of travelling as we have during these times of pandemic, marked by border closures and travel restrictions.
This activity has always been a symbol of research, knowledge and in many cases, self-discovery: from Dante to Phileas Fogg (the latter is the protagonist of Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in 80 Days”). Travel – whether it be for business or pleasure – represents freedom and luxury: two important pillars when it comes to Bulgari’s style.
This wonderful timepiece combines the complication of the World Timer – usually linked to classic and conservative design lines – with the modern design of the Octo, creating the perfect watch for the modern-day Ulysses.
Thanks to its ability to switch from one time zone to another in a single instant, this watch allows the wearer to truly feel like a world citizen, on the hunt for their ubi consistam in corner of the globe.
The main feature of this timepiece is the World Timer complication: a staple of sophisticated watchmaking. Although here, it has been executed in typical luxurious Bulgari style.
This is immediately obvious through the maison’s choice of cities on the dial: for example, the main Caribbean city is not Bermuda (as is the case for nearly all World Timer watches), but Saint Barths – a far more exclusive, jet-setter destination which better represents the region’s luxurious offerings. In fact, all the other cities on the dial are ones in which Bulgari has a hotel in, or where they are planning to have one.
Octo Roma Worldtimer è dotato di un nuovo movimento integrato composto da 261 componenti, sviluppato e prodotto presso la Manifattura di Le Sentier.
The Octo Roma Worldtimer is equipped with a new, 261-component movement, developed and manufactured at Bulgari’s facilities in Le Sentier. The arrangement of the information on the dial provides a central display of the hours, minutes and seconds, combined with a double rotating disc on the outer edge: one for the 24 reference cities, and another with a graduated scale of 24 hours.
On the whole, it plays a perfectly concentric game, allowing for a simple and clear reading of each aspect.
The functions are adjusted using the crown: first set the city of the chosen time zone at 12 o’clock, then set the time until the hour and minute hands indicate the exact time in the selected time zone – all the while taking care to match the 24-hour indicator to the chosen time zone. Once completed, these quick operations allow you to read the time in all time zones.
The overall look of the watch is compact and elegant: the Octo Roma Worldtimer features the (now) classic forms of the Octo, with an instantly recognizable 41 mm case.
As we said: this watch is what the modern-day Ulysses would wear… but which model? You can choose between two configurations: a blue dial version in brushed and polished steel, or a more sporty and aggressive black, sandblasted one..
Anywhere, but with class: Octo Roma Worldtimer blue in steel
The one pictured above, the ref. 103481, immediately catches your eye by way of that brilliant blue: a reference to the Oceans you will travel across to get to each of the places on the dial.
The movement is a high-quality mechanical self-winding cal. BVL257, allowing for the display of hours, minutes, seconds, and most importantly, the World Timer complication. It has a power reserve of 42 hours and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations / hour (4Hz).
The movement’s diameter is of 33 mm and measures 6.03 mm thick.
The 41 mm case of this model is made of 904L steel and is equipped with a satin/polished finish – as is its bezel – and measures only 11.35 mm thick. This slim figure comes as no surprise, as “ultra-thin” is basically Bulgari’s bread and butter by now. The visual effect is very bright and elegant, in full continuity with all the models in the Octo line. The caseback is transparent.
The largely imposing crown has been adorned with a stylish ceramic decoration. As mentioned earlier, this component is used to set the time and the indication of the cities.
The World Timer boasts a water resistance of up to 100m.
The sunburst dial and blue indicators complete the look, with applied indices in brushed rhodium-plated gold (only 12 and 6 o’clock are in Roman numerals – an unmistakable Bulgari trait).
The bracelet, with a distinctively “mythological” Octo line design, is also in brushed/polished steel, with a three-blade folding clasp.
List price is €8.600,00
A black beacon that illuminates the journey: Octo Roma World Timer in black
For those traveling knowing that they are venturing into the unknown, the sportier black version of the World Timer is the perfect companion. The ref. 103486 is a more aggressive configuration, sporting a sophisticated black steel with sandblasted surfaces and a rubber strap.
The movement is still a cal. BVL257 mechanical self-winding, and features all the same characteristics as the blue version.
The diameter and thickness are always 33.00 mm and 6.03 mm respectively.
The 904L steel case, 41 mm in diameter, characterized by a precious black sandblasted DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) finish, is extremely elegant as it is rugged – somewhat of a best-of-both-worlds. The thickness is 11.35 mm, with transparent caseback, screw-down crown in DLC steel set with ceramic decoration and used to set the time and the indication of the city.
The high-impact matte black sandblasting also covers the dial and indices. The hour markers, however, are embellished with Super-LumiNova® (SLN), as are the hour and minute hands, allowing them to be read in the complete darkness: an invaluable feature for exploration.
The black textured rubber strap with DLC steel pin buckle completes this superb timepiece.
List price, as with the previous version, is €8.600,00
For more information check out the official Bulgari website
Conclusioni
Traveling around the world has just been that much more fascinating now that you can do it with an Octo Roma World Timer on your wrist.
With the two new entries, Bulgari shows once again that it deserves all the success that has reached so far in the watch industry.
The World Timers enrich their Octo Roma collection with an amazingly crafted and useful complication. Who knows… maybe we will see this complication on an Octo Finissimo one day.
Author: Benedetta Valcastelli
Translated by: Enrico Della Guerra and Patrick Romano
