Bulgari Just Unveiled a Trio of Minute Repeater Watches

The minute repeater is considered by many to be the most challenging of all the complications to create, so when Bulgari announced the release of three at the same time, the Italian brand immediately had our attention.

In terms of watchmaking expertise, we often hear about Bulgari’s numerous record-breaking ultra-thin Octo Finissimo timepieces on the one hand, and mesmerizing high-jewelry Serpenti creations on the other, but Bulgari also masters the gamut of chiming horological instruments. This brand-new trio of minute repeaters is proof itself of the Roman Maison’s musical prowess with an Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie presenting four gongs, an Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon with three, and an Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon featuring two.

For the Price of a Tiny N.YC. Apartment, You Could Snag a Sprawling Villa in Calabria, Italy

The Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon is powered by the caliber BVL800 and automatically chimes the hours and quarters as they pass, while also repeating the hour every hour. It can also chime the hours, quarters, and minutes on demand with its four gongs and hammers. The Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, however, differs in that it chimes the hours, quarters, and minutes (striking the quarters on three notes) thanks to a newly modified carillon caliber BVL428. Last but not least, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon—a model that currently holds the record for being the thinnest minute repeater in the world—chimes two notes thanks to its manual winding caliber BVL262 that measures just 3.12mm thick.

This is already an impressive line-up of acoustic horology, but there is more. For the Octo Roma Grand Sonnerie Tourbillon and the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, Bulgari has called upon the Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti to shake things up a bit. A friend of the brand, Viotti has worked on a new kind of chime that features a tritone. Often referred to as the “Devil’s Interval” the tritone is also known as a flatted fifth, bringing dissonance and tension to the ears of Western listeners. Its nickname is believed to come from its somewhat disturbing nature that upset those used to the harmony of the religious canon.

The creative disruption of this trio of minute repeaters continues with the choice of materials. The Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon is housed in a 45mm satin-polished titanium case, while the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon comes in a 44mm 18-karat rose gold case, and the 40mm Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater case is crafted from an avant-garde, multi-layered Carbon Thin Ply (CTP) that is not only tough and lightweight, but carries the tonal nuances to the ear.

Laurent Ferrier's New Watch Is a Masterpiece of Understatement

Continuing the musical theme, albeit in a completely different register, Bulgari will also be introducing a brand-new collaborative timepiece this week with the legendary guitar maker Fender . This Bulgari Aluminium GMT X Fender timepiece will drop on August 30th at 2 pm CET and 70 handcrafted custom guitars will be available to order from the Fender Custom Shop. The 40mm timepiece comes in an aluminum and titanium case with a brown rubber bezel and is fitted with a smoky dial in shades of cream and brown. Thanks to its automatic caliber B192, this timepiece also features the brand’s advanced GMT functionality, which could come in handy for all those guitarists on the road.

7 Hotels Where You Can Set Sail on a Private Yacht