When it comes to Italian fashion as a whole, not many are capable of being in the same stead as Bulgari. The Italian fashion and jewellery conglomerate has been around since the late 1800s and has since built up its repertoire of being a master of jewellery and mechanical craftsmanship. Being one of the six founding members of Geneva Watch Days, it only made sense for Bulgari to go all out in its creations for this year as it introduced the best of Swiss watchmaking to pair with Italian aesthetics.

One of its biggest releases for Geneva Watch Days includes a collaboration with the creator of the Stratocaster for the Bulgari Aluminium GMT x Fender Limited Edition. Bulgari and Fender Custom specifically created this to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the legendary electric guitar that has strapped the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Yngwie Malmsteen, to name a few.

Bulgari has also released a slew of Octo watches in conjunction with Geneva Watch Days. These include the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie, the most complex creation from Bulgari; the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, which features a minute repeater with three hammers to complement a tourbillon; and, lastly, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon, which blends the design of the Finissimo with an extraordinarily complex minute repeater calibre.

Being an Italian fashion conglomerate, Bulgari also has plenty of expertise when it comes to jewellery and gem-setting. The introduction of a new Serpenti Pallini High Jewellery features three different variations with the use of materials like yellow, rose, and white gold to go with a canopy of diamonds.

Touted as the most complex creation from Bulgari, the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon features the very best between Swiss watchmaking and Italian aesthetics. At the heart of the watch is the BVV800 manual-winding mechanical movement that comes equipped with a grand and petite sonnerie to go with a minute repeater. However, what makes the watch truly sing is through the use of four hammers within the watch that chimes to the tune composed by conductor Lorenzo Viotti.

The melody of the gongs within the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon has also been reinvented to feature the 'tritone', a musical interval that invokes a different feeling when chimed. All this can be viewed through its open-worked dial, which will also showcase the power reserve indicator alongside the chime mechanisms as well as the tourbillon. The watch also comes with a power reserve of up to 72 hours.

Housing Bulgari's most complex watch is its 43 mm titanium case to match its crown set with a black ceramic insert and push button, all of which are satin-polished. Not only is there a transparent case back, the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon also has an open-worked sandblasted dial in brass with grey DLC treatment. Even the hour and minute hands are made of brass with a rhodium-finish and satin-polished for good measure. To top it all off, it also comes with a black alligator strap and a satin-polished titanium folding buckle.

The other watch that's also fitted into Bulgari's Octo Roma is the Carillon Tourbillon, which also comes with a minute repeater to go with its three-hammer carillon. This allows the watch to chime the hours, minutes, and quarters, which strikes the quarters on three notes. This is also partly due to the modified BVL 428 manual-winding mechanical movement. You can also spot both the tourbillon and power reserve indicator right on the dial of the watch.

Now you check out the inner workings through its 44 mm satin-polished rose gold case that features the tourbillon at 6 o'clock as opposed to the other Octo Roma, which was at 10 o'clock. There's also the matching rose gold push button to go with its rose gold crown set that includes a black ceramic insert, all of which are also satin-polished.

Aside from the transparent case back, the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon also has a sandblasted, openworked dial in brass and black DLC to go with its rose gold-plated hands and indexes. Much like the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon, the watch will also come with a black alligator strap alongside a satin-polished rose gold folding buckle.

The Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater first made its debut back in 2016 before it received an upgrade in 2018. And now, we have the latest version of the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon that features multi-layered CPT in all avenues of the watch. This ranges from the case as well as the bezel, dial, and even the bracelet. But what truly makes the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon truly stand out is the minute repeater calibre.

The watch houses the ultra-thin BVL 362 manual-winding mechanical movement to go with a tourbillon and the world's thinnest minute repeater. It will chime the hour, minute, and quarter in two tones on demand, much like the other two Octo Roma watches. There is also a power reserve of 42 hours for the watch that also features a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o'clock.

The fully carbon watch is fitted in a 40 mm case with a polished titanium crown set with a black ceramic insert as well as a titanium push button, all of which are satin-polished. You can also check out the inner workings of the watch through its transparent case back. On the dial, you'll find satin-polish, rhodium-finished brass hands that will tick over the carbon dial with openings that form the hour indexes.

The entire theme of Bulgari's release of new watches showcased plenty of musical connotations with the different chimes of the Octo Roma and the Finissimo. For its limited-edition release, the Bulgari Aluminium GMT riffs with the Fender Stratocaster, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Taking in the watch at face value, you'll instantly notice the dial design resembles the iconic Stratocaster livery with a sunburst finish and a creamy-white hue.

Surrounding the dial is a brown and cream GMT inner dial, which pairs perfectly with the 40 mm aluminium case with a DLC-coated back case and a dark brown rubber bezel. Beneath its iconic exterior, the Bulgari Aluminium GMT x Fender is powered by the B192 mechanical movement with automatic winding that has a power reserve of 42 hours as well as a water resistance of up to 100 m.

For greater readability, the dial of the watch features Super-LumiNova coatings on the rhodium-plated hands as well as the 24-hour hand. It also sports a date window at 3 o'clock while its GMT features all 24-hours on its wheel. Secure the watch on one's wrist with its dark brown articulated rubber bracelet with aluminium links and a velcro strap.

The Bulgari Serpenti has been one of the brand's staple jewellery pieces, which has taken the shape of bracelets, necklaces, and rings since its inception in 1948. For Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari decided to include the miniature Piccolissimo calibre into its high-jewellery pieces, giving birth to the Serpenti Pallini. This new creation drew inspiration from the first Pallini bracelet watch that came out in 1955 but this time, it'll feature yellow, rose, and white-gold with diamonds and emeralds galore.

There are three distinctive variations for the Serpenti Pallini, which will now carry one of the world's smallest calibres in the Piccolissimo. Created by Bvlgari's Manufacture in Le Sentier, Switzerland, it's currently the smallest round mechanical movement on the market. The mechanics of the movement also enhances the charm of the Serpenti Pallini, giving you multiple ways of wearing it.

It can be easily removed or even rotated by half a turn to adapt to the dial's reading angle. This allows the watch to be worn in a myriad of ways, giving it a perfect expression of playfulness with just a hint of surrealism. The three variations of the Serpenti Pallini can be found in white gold with a diamond set, white gold with rose gold, and even yellow gold alongside white gold. This marks the first contemporary interpretation of Serpenti Pallini in yellow gold.

Want to discover more from Bulgari and its collections? Check out our catalogue to learn more about the Manufacture or drop us a message to enquire further.