Bulgari the Company
Bulgari is a unique combination of Italian/Roman heritage and design with Swiss watchmaking know-how and attention to detail. Bulgari was founded in 1884 in Rome as a jewelry brand, and the company has been mining the rich history of Roman design and aesthetic ever since, expanding into watches, leather goods, fragrances, hotels and more.
“Bulgari, being the Roman jeweler, inherits in its style the strength and volumes of the Roman architecture,” explains Babin. “Nothing was big enough for the Romans. They are always larger than life. We inherit this larger than life attitude in our products, our events.
“When we came into the watches, on the ladies side, it was obvious, extract from our best jewelry,” he continues. “For men, it was a different game. Men in ancient times didn’t wear much jewelry, and modern men don’t wear much jewelry either. Men’s watches were born from women shopping for jewelry and the men were bored, so it was a risk of losing the sale, so in 1975 Mr. Bulgari had the wonderful idea of creating a watch to keep the men in the story longer, first as a gift, to thank them for their patience, then in 1977 as a commercial venture. Now, our watches embody strength, boldness, volumes, a monument in watches that mirror the monuments that inspired our jewelry. The Octagon has been famous for centuries, it’s the most famous geometrical shape, and the Octo was born in 2012 as a monumental watch, 110 facets, strong, a Roman monument on the wrist. This attracted men right away, it had high watchmaking in it, but it has an aesthetic that was powerful, and it had a design never seen before.”