Half a century after the Bvlgari Bvlgari was conceived by Gianni Bulgari and then redesigned by Gerald Genta, the Bulgari is making the occasion with Italian marble dials – without a date window – in both large and small sizes. This is the first instance the model sports a stone dial, which is paired with an in-house movement for the large mechanical model.

Initial Thoughts

In 50 years, the Bvlgari Bvlgari has gone through innumerable permutations in design and materials while retaining its key design element of a flat, engraved bezel. The 50th anniversary edition is mostly faithful to the original, with only one minor misstep: the bezel engraving is done by machine and lacks the character of the hand-engraved original.

The addition of a seconds hand and display back to the automatic version will likely bolster sales, but detracts from the simplicity and refinement of the design. I do appreciate the unsigned crown and dropping the date. Also in its favor is pricing, which is reasonable for a solid gold watch from a major brand.

Marbleous New Dials

Initially conceived by Gianni Bulgari in 1975 as a digital watch gifted to top clients, the Bvlgari Bvlgari was subject to a 1977 redesign by the prolific Gerald Genta that made it a breakout success for the Roman jeweller. The case design was inspired by coins minted by the Roman Empire, which were struck with the current Emperor’s name along the perimeter.

Genta’s 1977 Bvlgari Bvlgari of 1977 (left), and the original digital watch from 1975.

The anniversary edition debuts in two sizes: 38 mm with a sweep-seconds Solotempo automatic movement, and a 26 mm two-hand quartz model. The overall design is the same, except for the brilliant cut diamond indices on the 26 mm model. All are delivered with color-matched alligator straps.

Both sizes are offered in yellow gold with “Verde Alpi” green marble from the Italian Alps. Italian marble in general is widely used across Bulgari’s stores and resorts, and Alpine green marble in particular was also used in the unique Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Marble made for Only Watch 2023.

The yellow gold models are engraved “BVLGARI ROMA” rather than the modern “BVLGARI BVLGARI” as a callback to the original 1970s models. Both are limited to 150 pieces each.

The rose gold models diverge in dial material and are regular production.

The 26 mm is fitted with a sky blue “Azzurro Infinito” dial, and the 38 mm with an enchanting “Blu Incanto” marble dial.

The Bvlgari Bvlgari jewelry collection hasn’t been forgotten, and the watches can be matched with a yellow gold necklace and bracelet with jet-black onyx on one side, and mother-of-pearl, the other. A pair of wire bracelets, yellow gold with black onyx and rose gold with mother of pearl make for supporting acts to the necklace.

Key facts and price

Bulgari Bulgari 38 mm
Ref. 104112 (yellow gold)
Ref. 104113 (rose gold)

Diameter: 38 mm
Height: Unavailable
Material: 18k yellow or rose gold
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: BVL 191 Automatic
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Limited edition: Yellow gold limited to 150 pieces, rose gold is regular production
Availability: At Bulgari boutiques and retailers
Price: US$17,000

Bulgari Bulgari 26 mm
Ref. 104111 (yellow gold)
Ref. 104191 (rose gold)

Diameter: 26 mm
Height: Unavailable
Material: 18k yellow or rose gold
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Quartz
Functions: Hours, minutes

Limited edition: Yellow gold limited to 150 pieces, rose gold is regular production
Availability: At Bulgari boutiques and retailers
Price: US$13,200

For more, visit Bulgari.com.

Greubel Forsey has refined its GMT Balancier Convexe with improved wearability due to a slightly smaller case, while maintaining the model’s trademark three-dimensional rotating globe. This is paired with some subtle, but interesting tweaks to the movement itself, including a new, and more elaborately decorated, escape wheel.

Initial Thoughts

Since the original GMT in 2011, the three-dimensional globe has become a Grebuel Forsey signature. Time zone-related complications are a natural fit for a sports watch, so much so that the brand’s first sports watch was a GMT. The brand has built on the GMT concept through multiple iterations, but the current version is arguably the most focused, without a tourbillon (or four), to distract from the core idea.

The latest GMT Balancier Convexe is essentially the same as the previous model, but more wearable. It’s still a large watch, but scaled down and also might lightweight.

The added power reserve indicator is also appreciated, and in hindsight, it’s odd that the function was absent in the first place given the utility of a power reserve display on a manual-wind travel watch.

The World on Your Wrist

Grebuel Forsey’s sporty Convexe cases have always worn somewhat smaller than specifications suggest due to the lug-less design, and the curved sapphire crystal back, which allows the watch to hug the wrist.

However, a large watch that wears well is still a large watch. For the new GMT, Grendel Forsey has trimmed the case diameter down from 43.5 mm across to 42.9 mm at the case band. More significantly, the span across the wrist – the bezel is wider than the case middle – has been reduced from 46.5 mm to 44.9 mm.

The height has also been reduced, though only marginally. Unfortunately, water resistance was sacrificed to achieve the new dimensions. It’s now rated to 50 m, against the previous 100 m. That’s arguably irrelevant for the average wearer, and still more than enough for swimming and recreational diving.

The watch’s most important element, the globe, remains just as large, preserving the incredible three-dimensionality. The miniature Earth revolves in real time, and is encircled by indications for universal, or GMT, time and local time. The 12-hour sub-dial to the side accommodates a second timezone, which is adjusted with the pusher in the case band.

While the globe can be used as a world-timer, a more traditional arrangement can be found on the back, which uses a while background to call out cities that observe daylight saving, and gives a separate time scale for use during the summer.

Movement

Movement decoration is exceptionally good; many things could be finished differently, accounting for taste, but nothing could be done better. That was also the case in the previous incarnation.

The most notable change is the addition of a power-reserve indicator, which keeps track of the watch’s 72-hour power reserve.

The bridges and plates are made of grained titanium or nickel-silver, with a few key exceptions. The 30° inclined escapement plate is flat polished steel, reflecting the underside of the polished and rounded steel balance bridge. The inclination is accomplished using a bevel gear for the fourth wheel and a bevel pinion on the escape wheel.

Interestingly, the escape wheel looks noticeably different from those found on most other Grebuel Forsey watches, which are flat and entirely black polished. The new escape wheel appears to have thinner spokes that have a contrasting grained finish. The wheel still has the conventional club-tooth profile for its teeth, but excess material has been removed from the base, likely reducing weight. The escape wheel is very similar to the those used on the “Hand Made” series of watches, though probably not hand made.

Key facts and price

Greubel Forsey GMT Balancier Convexe
Ref.

Diameter: 42.90 mm (case middle),  44.90 mm (bezel)
Height: 15.10 mm (17.60 mm including crystal)
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: GMT Balancier Convexe
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve, second time zone, GMT, rotating globe with day and night
Winding: Manual wind
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 80 hours

Strap: Rubber with titanium folding clasp

Limited edition:
Availability: At Greubel Forsey retailers and direct from the brand
Price: US$

For more, visit Greubel Forsey.