Bulgari

The Bulgari watch collection encompasses a wide range of tourbillons including the Octo Tourbillon Retro, Daniel Roth Tourbillon 8 Jours, Sotirio Tourbillon Perpetual, and my personal favorite the futuristic looking Gerald Genta Toubillon Sapphire.  During my recent visit to the Bulgari Boutique in Las Vegas, I had a chance to handle another tourbillon: The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon in platinum.  I have to admit that I tend to gravitate towards the more sporty looking watches but the elegant lines and heavy weight felt on the wrist of the Diagono Tourbillon made me take a second look. 

The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon is 42mm in diameter with angled lugs which made it very comfortable on my small wrist.  The case and deployant clasp is made of platinum and even though it was on a crocodile strap it still had a hefty and solid feel to it.  The Diagono case is slightly thicker than the regular BULGARI-BULGARI case ( I don't have the exact measurements) but it easily fit underneath my shirt cuffs without snagging. 

The dial is very legible with a large '12' indicator at the 12 o'clock position.  The hands are broad and taper out toward the tips but are skeletonized. 





One of the most recognizable features of the Diagono line is the signature BVLGARI-BVLGARI logo on the bezel.  The quality of work on this bezel is something to take note of.  The BVLGARI logo is not engraved or laser etched.  Its actually made by stamping and achieved over several steps in the manufacturing process. I found this amazing that Bulgari is able to create sharp and clear lines in the definition of the bezel logo.  The bezel also reminds me of the finish on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak since the Bulgari has an alternating brushed and polished finish around the edges.

(A little interesting fact regarding the logo on the bezel.  Bulgari had originally made a limited series of only 100 gold quartz watches in 1975 intended as gifts for Bulgari clients.  And it was the first time that a watch with a bold BVLGARI logo was placed on the bezel.  This special edition had the bezel had a relief inscription of BVLGARI ROMA.  Only two years later in 1977, Bulgari launched the BVLGARI-BVLGARI line of watches.  As many may already know, the bezel was the work of renowned designer Gerald Genta who had also designed the legendary Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Nautilus, IWC Ingenieur and several other iconic watches.  It was an immediate success since the beginning and has continued to be one of Bulgari's iconic timepieces.)

Another nice touch that highlights the quality of the case are the lugs.  The caseband and lugs are two pieces, and Bulgari applies a brush finish separately then joins the round lugs to the case.

Some subtle features that I noticed that dial really 'pops' out and really shows a three dimensional depth.  The base layer of the dial is engraved with a sunburst guilloche pattern.  The hours and minute track is has a bushed finish with chamfered edges.  And even the Bulgari logo has the same treatment a plate of metal that has been brushed finished and chamfered as well.  I wish more watches would feature this type of logo instead of simple printing.

The carriage of the tourbillon is made of 56 individual parts.  The tourbillon bridge is brightly polished and chamfered on the edges. 

The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon houses the BVL200 manual wind movement which consists of 200 parts, with 20 jewels and beats at 21,600vph.    The caseback is fitted with a transparent sapphire glass to show the movement.  In addition to the clear view of the tourbillon, there is a power reserve indicator with up to 64 hours of reserve when fully wound.  The signature BVLGARI-BVLGARI logo frames the movement.

I just noticed that after posting the pictures that I didn't remove the plastic protective sticker that was on the caseback (well actually I'm glad I didn't remove the sticker so that the lucky new owner can have the pleasure of doing this when he or she picks up the watch ).  So all the little specs and dark spots are from the air pockets in the plastic sticker, so rest assured that the finishing is of high quality.  Anyway, you can see that there are nice little details in the finishing of the movement parts.  For example, the wheels have a satine soleil sunburst pattern on them.  The power reserve has a cloud de Paris guilloche pattern on the inner section of the scale.  The main plate surface is not the typical Cote de Geneve, but a hand applied finish called Traits-tires. 

Even with the case crown protectors protruding more than half way to cover the crown, the crown was easy to activate.  I don't have that much experience gauging the quality of the movement by turning the crown, but it felt very smooth.

This was the first piece in a limited edition of 30 watches.  The series numbers were engraved on the 9 o'clock side opposite of the crown.  It's a minor detail but I would have preferred to have this somewhere more discreet like on the caseback instead of the side of the case. 

The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon comes with a crocodile strap with brownish stitching. In most pictures I've seen of this watch and one Bulgari website it is usually paired with a black strap.  The deployant buckle is also in platinum and has a brushed finish on the flat surfaces and highly polished finish on the side edges. 

Regards,
ED-209

thanks for sharing the photos!  Did it feel top heavy since it's made of platinum?

-MW

Surprisingly it wasn't top heavy, I think it was because the angled lugs help make for a better fit without flopping around.

Regards,
ED-209

Here's a video of the Buglari Diagono Tourbillon

Regards,
ED-209

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Thanks for reading the report and viewing the video.  Which is your favorite tourbillon in the Bulgari collection?  I love the GG Tourbillon Sapphire.

Regards,
ED-209

thanks for the succint observations

J

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