Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC in titanium ($529,000) and platinum ($546,000), restricted to twenty items.
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Earlier this week, Bulgari unveiled the thinnest watch on the planet. Attendees at Watches and Wonders Geneva (until April 15), who’ve tried on the brand new Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC spotlight its strong high quality regardless of its 1.7 mm thickness. One well-liked reviewer likens it to a strand of spaghetti and others have been pulling cash or bank cards out of their pockets for comparability. It’s a well timed reminder of Jean-Christophe Babin’s favorite line: “Innovation by no means ends at Bulgari.”
The brand new Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC has 1.7 mm thickness
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Final month, once I met the Italian luxurious group’s CEO in Mumbai, Babin was within the midst of a number of issues, as regular. He had simply flown in from Seoul, from the launch of Bulgari Studio, a brand new platform to encourage artistic collaboration amongst artists. Bulgari had additionally up to date the Octo Finissimo Automated Sketch Dial in time for the model’s one hundred and fortieth anniversary and the compliments had been nonetheless pouring in. There was a spanking new Bulgari retailer to have a good time, positioned in Mumbai’s luxurious mall, Jio World Plaza. And later that night time, a ‘Roman Holi’ bash and high-jewellery showcase with world ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas at Antilia, the Ambani residence.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Aditi Rao Hydari and Ayushmann Khurrana at Bulgari Holi occasion at Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai
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But Babin discovered the time to sprint off fast messages to his groups, his movie star ambassadors and maybe replace his 195k Instagram followers. “Even when I’m going off for a two-week vacation, I’m related and monitoring our gross sales on-line,” he mentioned. “My spouse (designer and architect Marzia Babin) is used to it. I don’t see a line dividing my skilled and private life, it’s intertwined.” Excerpts from our interview:
Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin
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Thinness is very regarded by collectors and watchmakers. Have you ever reached the zenith with these information?
You’re pushing the boundaries and it’s at all times stimulating internally as a result of it may take you to new fields with different purposes. With out Finissimo we couldn’t have gotten to the Piccolissimo (the tiny watch motion seen within the Serpenti Misteriosi excessive jewelry watches). As a substitute of constructing it extremely skinny, we made the diameter extremely small. The first motivation is at all times to advance watchmaking applied sciences. If we go thinner or have a smaller diameter, it should be business and useful. We don’t wish to simply do an idea look ahead to the media that everybody calls extraordinary. That’s not a watch however a technological showcase. We make 30 Ultras a yr and it takes 1000’s of hours. The parts are too small for the bare eye and every part has to suit collectively. It has to provide time precisely with the facility reserve of about 50 hours.
In an age when there are heated debates about retiring outdated gender norms, Bulgari has distinct watches for women and men.
As a jeweller, we’re primarily a female model with a legacy of ladies’s watches. If it had been left to the classical Swiss watchmakers, you’ll have principally masculine watches in small sizes for girls. They’ll begin with a males’s watch after which shrink it, add diamonds. However our Serpenti, Lucea and Diva’s Dream watches had been born for girls. The Octo Finissimo, in the meantime, doesn’t exist for girls. Not but.
You may have addressed the ceremonial worth of jewelry in India, with the ₹12 lakh Bulgari Kada for males launched earlier this yr, and the Mangalsutra in 2021.
The error many Western luxurious corporations make, as a result of many Indians communicate fluent English and have studied overseas, is pondering [potential clients] are absolutely westernised. However Indian tradition and traditions are deep-rooted. We take note of what Indians like that respect custom and we herald our experience with jewelry. The shop additionally has a unisex counter with the B.zero1 line. Quickly we could have a full assortment for males however we’d like this unisex ‘step’. We have to be agile and give attention to the native clientele.
You may have mentioned that 2023 was one of the best yr for Bulgari in India. How is that this completely different from China?
Whereas we’re current solely in Delhi and Mumbai for now, there are various prospects. We even have quite a lot of Indian purchasers in Dubai, London, Paris and Rome. The Chinese language are nonetheless all in favour of luxurious however they’re cautious and take longer to make up their thoughts. They have an inclination to journey brief distances, maybe to Japan or Korea, the place hospitality is less expensive than in Europe or North America. Subsequently it’s now not a world luxurious market however a luxurious market with completely different speeds.
Geneva Watch Days, the choice watch truthful you launched in 2020, could have over 50 manufacturers this August. How do you keep forward of all of it as a CEO? Do you ever sleep?
It’s a enormous privilege for me to have the prospect to leap from a brand new lodge challenge to Watches and Wonders to the opening of a brand new flagship in India to launching a brand new perfume. I’m in 5 completely different corporations, all in in the future! However I take holidays, and most of my weekends I’m with my household. One of many causes is that I’m surrounded by the proper individuals which are gifted, decided, dedicated and accountable. I sleep the same old six hours (laughs). I’m advised the older you get, the much less you sleep. You understand why? As a result of you recognize you will die. I’m not being morbid however optimistic. You understand you need to get probably the most out of your time.
Serpenti X Tadao Ando assortment
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A Bulgari lodge for India?
You spent 18 months backpacking in India once you had been younger. Ideally, which metropolis right here works greatest for a Bulgari lodge?
We might like to have a Bulgari lodge right here and if we had one it could be in Mumbai. Most of our initiatives are in fashionable cities. However then we now have to discover a ‘wow’ location.
The Octo Finissimo Sketch
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“We spend a full week in Geneva however not on the expo. We determined a number of years in the past to go together with our personal lodge. We weren’t born as watchmakers even when we do make quite a lot of watches, and it’s troublesome to understand our watches with out pure gentle. Within the night we wish to obtain our buddies and companions as late as we will with out being kicked out at 7 pm!”Jean-Christophe Babin
Bulgari lineup
Along with the record-breaking Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC, different novelties at Watches and Wonders from Bulgari embody the Octo Finissimo Sketch, with an illustrated dial from artistic director Fabrizio Buonamassa. For Serpenti followers, the Serpenti X Tadao Ando assortment options 4 seasonal watches with completely different dial supplies, together with white and pink mom of pearl, tiger eye and inexperienced aventurine.
QR codes and an artwork prize
Not like the primary Octo Finissimo Extremely, the Extremely Mark II has a novel QR code on its case again, with a hyperlink to what Bulgari is looking a Datamatrix. It’s a product guide particular to the person watch. “We’re nonetheless doing NFTs as distinctive items of digital modern artwork,” mentioned Babin. “When the precise items are within the vault, you’ll be able to have an inventive interpretation of your necklace or watch in your excessive definition display, a ravishing piece of contemporary artwork. It’s related and certain within the blockchain. You can’t promote one or the opposite, you need to promote each.” In continuation of this, Bulgari is launching the primary artwork prize with the MAXXI Museum in Rome, which is a laboratory of contemporary artwork. They’re calling it the world’s first ever digital artwork exhibition.
Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC in titanium ($529,000) and platinum ($546,000), restricted to twenty items.
