The Future Is Bright; The Future Is Bvlgari — The Roman Revolution Is In Full Swing

I’ve always been a fan of Bvlgari, but in the last year, my fandom has changed significantly. Once upon a time, I was attracted to this roguish Roman revolutionary because of the fashion-first aesthetic. The watches were loud. The watches were proud. Crucially, however, they were cool. That was enough for me. In the past five years, Bvlgari’s investment in manufacturing techniques has snowballed. Consequently, show-stoppers like the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo, which we’ve covered extensively on Fratello have become the norm. But all this research and development got me thinking…

…where could this lead? It would seem that Bvlgari’s potential is now limitless. The brand always had the style, but now it’s got the substance to back it up. Could we, therefore, be about to see a full-blooded fusion of the two? Before Bvlgari became such a serious player in the realms of Haute Horlogerie, the brand made waves by being stylistically bold. Bezels dripping with wordmarks, materials other brands wouldn’t dare touch with a ten-foot barge pole, vibrant, summery colors that looked more at home in a perfume ad than they did on a luxury watch were commonplace.

That all took a bit of a backseat when the industry (and Bvlgari itself) started to take the new Bvlgari seriously. Here was a brand transformed: no longer was it necessary to make noise; the echoing euphoria of the watch community was noise enough. Since things got serious for Bvlgari, we’ve noticed the color palette become more somber, more mature. And that’s no bad thing. Muted shades are more timeless, after all. But the message has been delivered and the message has been received: Bvlgari is here to stay. So just how far could the Italian incendiary push the envelope of design?

My Bvlgari fever dreams

In the wake of a truly stunning 2020 from Bvlgari, I’ve been inspired to let my imagination run riot. Looking at what Bvlgari has already achieved and what we know to be within the brand’s capabilities, I decided to list the three things I would like to see the brand attempt in the future. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, or perhaps I’ve been in lockdown too long for my own good, but I think all three are within the realms of possibility. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below which of my ideas you love or loathe, and let us know what you’d like to see Bvlgari do next with all its glorious tech in tow.

Yellow, blue, and red ceramic Octo Finissimo models

Color has always been a big deal for Bvlgari. Few brands were as willing to deploy it on their models as Bvlgari was. There aren’t enough truly ridiculous colorways in Bvlgari’s catalog right now, but the Octo Finissimo Ceramic, which we reviewed here, is the perfect canvas upon which to unleash the primary trio.

Its models are not in the least bit mainstream, but they are both wild and memorable.

Remember, as distinct an entity as it seems, Bvlgari is part of the LVMH group. As such, it isn’t beyond the realms of reason to assume Bvlgari might be able to call-up another LVMH brand with significant experience in the field of colored ceramics and ask for a leg up when it comes to this idea. Hublot has experimented with bright ceramics in the past. Its models are not in the least bit mainstream, but they are both wild and memorable.

I’m not saying a bright yellow Bvlgari Octo Finissimo ceramic would become a best-seller, but it would be an awesome eye-catcher that would likely return the investment made in its production simply by the number of heads it turned towards the billboards I could see it adorning throughout high summer. Mad? Of course. Majestically so? You know I think so…

Time for the Scuba Finissimo… Wait… What?

The Bvlgari Scuba is my favorite Bvlgari design of all time. I know, I know: it isn’t the best thing the brand has ever done. I’m not going to stand here and tell you it is “better” than the Octo Finissimo. It isn’t. However, I love dive watches, so this preference makes at least a modicum of sense.

How about bringing the industry’s best slimline automatic movement and the Scuba aesthetic together…

But what about bringing the two together? The dive watch aesthetic has its fans beyond the world of diving, but many dive tools are simply too big and bulky for the many would-be-wearers to countenance. How about bringing the industry’s best slimline automatic movement and the Scuba aesthetic together, to create a totally new, ultra-modern, horologically ground-breaking skin diver?

Am I crazy? Yes. I am crazy in love with this idea. In fact, the more I think about it, the more this seems likely to happen. I’m probably kidding myself, but if it comes to pass, remember: you heard it here first.

Aluminum takes Magnesium’s place

Prior to the rebirth of the aluminum range in 2020, Bvlgari had been wowing us with its Magnesium range for a few years. I was (and still am) a huge fan of that case shape and the bright colors we saw in that line-up. I think Magnesium cases was a hard concept to sell to the Bvlgari faithful at the time, though. Perhaps it came too soon. Perhaps it seemed too out there technically speaking for a brand that hadn’t really finished its metamorphosis from a fashion/jewelry brand into a fully-fledged major player on the watchmaking landscape.

Best of all, the patient development of this new era has bought Bvlgari a lot of breathing space and a lot of freedom to really take the gloves off.

The Magnesium collection had some interesting tech on top of its case material. There was the NFC chip era, which seems distant now, but still has a bit of life left in it. There’s no reason why the colors and the chips of the Magnesium watches couldn’t resurface with the Aluminum family, which looks like it’s here to stay.

In summary, it is my opinion that Bvlgari has done everything it needed to do to justify a period of wild expression. The foundations of this brand have never been more solid. The technical prowess of the movements is beyond reproach. Best of all, the patient development of this new era has bought Bvlgari a lot of breathing space and a lot of freedom to really take the gloves off. It is far ahead of the pack right now. Thus, taking a few flyers on ambitious visuals is less scary than it has ever been before. Thankfully, for those of us that get to watch this brand’s growth from afar, that bodes very well indeed. Learn more about Bvlgari here.

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