DESIGN AND DOLCE VITA

For the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Bulgari has unveiled two Octo Retro Maserati watches featuring retrograde indications and jumping hours.

The fruits of a partnership begun in 2012, the two new Bulgari Octo Retro Maserati watches, the GranSport and the GranLusso, symbolise the excellence of Italian-style luxury products. The two timepieces, one with a sports feel and the other in refined style, combine features from watchmaking and top-of-the-range cars. The point they share? An original way of reading the time. On the black grained or sunburst grey dials, depending on the model, markers run from 0 to 6, recalling the design of an analog rev counter on a GT Maserati. The indication “MIN x10” at the bottom shows the time scale. A large hand points towards the minutes in a retrograde display. When the hand reaches the 6, it instantly returns to zero and begins the process again. In a counter at 3 o’clock, a jumping hours mechanism rounds off the time information. Except for the Bulgari logo, only the Italian luxury carmaker’s famous trident symbol is included in a very simple design.

The GranSport combines a 41.5mm, DLC-coated steel Octo case with a perforated black strap with blue stitching. The more refined GranLusso brings together a rose gold case with a brown leather strap.

Price: €12,500 (Octo Gransport) – €29,900 (Octo Granlusso)

By Dan Diaconu