Picture an era when luxury was a concept, and Bvlgari found its vessel in the Bvlgari Aluminium. A seismic shift unfolded in 1998 when Bvlgari’s unlikely source of inspiration, the automotive industry and high-octane cars, birthed an icon in the making. The Bvlgari Aluminium embraced aluminium and rubber, materials that captured the very essence of automotive allure but were frowned upon, given Bvlgari’s status as an esteemed jeweller maker.
Aluminium and rubber, two essential components of the Bvlgari Aluminium
Despite the pushback the Bvlgari Aluminium faced, the enfant terrible unfurled a narrative that resonated with the heartbeats of visionaries — a striking, non-gendered sport-chic watch. Its popularity grew exponentially over the years, and the resonance of this chronicle was recognised when the Bvlgari Aluminium was conferred the Red Dot Design Best of the Best Award 2023 — a laurel that cemented its status as an icon.
Fabrizio Buonamassa, Bvlgari Product Creation Executive Director and Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of Gran Turismo
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Bvlgari Aluminium, and in true unconventional fashion, Bvlgari turned to the famed racing simulation video game Gran Turismo for a pair of high-octane special releases as a fitting tribute to the asphalt. Crafted under the banners of precision and innovation, hallmarks of watchmaking and video game realism, the Bvlgari Aluminium x Gran Turismo Special Editions 2023 is the embodiment of both worlds. The release is headlined by two limited edition pieces referencing the dashboard of a legendary Italian Gran Turismo car from the 1990s.
A varnished yellow dial version (limited to 500 pieces) with black indices and counters takes direct inspiration from the car dashboard, while an inverted colour option featuring a brushed anthracite dial (limited to 1200 pieces) is available too. Despite the adrenaline-rushing executions, a sense of familiarity encapsulates the watches with aluminium (watch case) and rubber (bezel), reprising their roles to offer a blend of sports-cool sleekness. Other features, such as the black DLC-treated titanium crown and case back with a “GT Vision 10th Anniversary” engraving and rubber articulated bracelet links, further solidify the ties that Bvlgari Aluminium shares with the automotive industry. Bvlgari’s new manufacture movement, Calibre B381, ensures the pair of limited releases operate at the highest level.