‘ Rome influences my design ’
Octo is one of the most impressive design launches I have seen in the past one decade. Would you call Octo a designer’s watch because the watch’s case manufacturing truly takes centrestage, even more than the movement?
For me, the word ‘design’ has a lot of meanings. It’s not only beautiful shapes. Design is something that comes from an idea and a different approach taken according to the project. When we talk about inspiration in Bulgari, we talk about architectural elements of Rome. But my idea is not to have a Colosseum on the wrist because it doesn’t make sense. My idea is to get the proportion and the shape which comes from the amazing monuments that we have in Rome.
What are the influences from physical architecture of buildings, of structures in Rome?
When you see the buildings in Rome, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, you see amazing shapes with a large scale, and you have to be able to get the details, the proportion. I have spent a lot of years in Rome, 38 years more or less. The light is important in Rome, because when the sun goes down, you see a very special colour. Often in the Italian design culture, the constraint becomes the turning point of the product and drives the aesthetics.
Do you subscribe to the philosophy of design which states that simplicity is most difficult?
Yes, absolutely, 100 per cent. It’s easy to put a lot of elements on your object because in this way you have a lot of focus and you don’t have a main element. You have the Octo which is very clear in design code, you have Lucea which is very, very clear. Then, you have the Serpenti which is exactly identifiable from a distance. Over the years we have developed very strong design codes.
Is Bulgari minimalist in its design or is it opulent?
Bulgari is minimalist with the shapes, but is opulent with the treatment. Bulgari is Roman, it has the essence of the Roman emperors. When you see the Colosseum, the Pantheon or Via dei Fori Imperiali, all are opulent. And Octo is opulent but it’s simple at the same time. The bracelet of Lucea is absolutely simple — the shape is rich and opulent and simple at the same time, but Bulgari is not minimalist, because I think that we need space and shape to talk about the brand to you.
How do you approach a lady or a man’s watch in terms of design?
Bulgari uses geometrical and pure shapes. Often for the ladies, it’s too sharp. Lucea is pure in terms of shape and proportion but is more soft and rounded. When you see this and when you see the bracelet on the Octo, you see the same approach. But the idea is to use the same design code, the same attention to detail, and the same sense of proportion with different executions.
Interview by Mitrajit Bhatacharya & Hiren Kumar Bose
