Bulgari Shows That They Are A Complex Brand With New Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon

As a fully integrated manufacture, Bulgari is not only capable of making record-breaking ultra-slim watches but also other impressive complications. With the new Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, they show once more that they are a brand that can harmonically combine great aesthetics with a technically very advanced movement, doing justice to their mixed Italian/Swiss heritage. They achieve this by applying focus because everything about this watch is dedicated to creating the best and loudest sound.

As its name already indicates is the new Octo Roma fitted with a carillon. This means that the watch can play three tones, instead of the more common two, when its minute repeater is activated. Bulgari put a lot of effort into making this watch not only sound very clear but also loud. A key ingredient to achieving the first is the wire gongs, which are folded around the movement itself. They are formed by hand before being hardened in an oven at 900 degrees Celcius. After this, they get cleaned and go into the oven again, now at 500 degrees Celcius. As a result, the gongs give off a crystal clear sound when the hammer hits them.

Customary with watches that are this complex, and therefore expensive, is that their case is crafted from precious metal. Why understandable, platinum and gold dull the sound. This is why Bulgari opted for titanium and gave the 44mm large case a special design, complete with openings to amplify the sound as much as possible. Even the dial got this treatment. By finishing it with a black DLC-coating, the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon gets a distinctly modern character, despite housing two very traditional complications; a minute repeater and a tourbillon. Bulgari also flexes its considerable ‘horological muscles’ in terms of thickness, as the movement is only 8.35mm high. This is quite slender, given its complexity, even more so as it features two mainspring barrels. One is dedicated to the chiming function, while the other gives the time-keeping part of the watch a power reserve of 75 hours. To ensure its exclusivity, Bulgari will only make 15 pieces of the Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon.