Bulgari Aluminium GMT
The Bulgari Aluminium GMT builds on the success of the Aluminium Watch released in 2020. However, unlike the existing three-hander and chronograph options, this latest model, intended for frequent flyers, eschews grey and black tones, in favour of blue and red hues. The luxury marque has, once again, created an attractively appointed watch for a remarkably affordable sum.
Last year (2020), Bulgari unveiled its ‘Aluminium Watch’, a reinterpretation of a model from 1998. The watch was unusual for the period as it was composed of aluminium and rubber elements. Moreover, it embraced a monochrome palette. As part of a promotional campaign at the time, the watch was depicted in large form on the fuselage of an Alitalia Boeing 747, crisscrossing the globe.
When the Maison released the Aluminium Watch in 2020, it unveiled three variants, a couple of three-hander options in black or grey as well as a chronograph. Each of these ownership propositions measured 40mm in diameter and contained a third party movement. This latter characteristic allowed the Roman brand to offer all three models at remarkably keen prices (£2430 for the three-hander and £3500 for the chronograph – RRP as at 27.8.2021).
Now the venerable brand has unveiled a new addition to its family of aluminium cased timepieces, the new Bulgari Aluminium GMT. This watch is endowed with an additional hand used for indicating the prevailing hour at ‘home’. The dominant hour and minute hands indicate the ‘local time’. A two-tone 24-hour track is presented on the flange encircling the dial, providing a useful means of indicating whether the displayed home time is day or night. Despite this model being accessibly priced, more on that later, the watch features some charming details.
The bezel is presented in blue rubber and features the iconic ‘Bvlgari Bvlgari’ typography. A red, openworked, circular counterweight adorns the central sweep seconds. Bulgari has fitted the watch with a titanium caseback, a hypoallergenic metal that is particularly relevant to would-be wearers with a nickel allergy. The luxury marque has positioned the crown between the robust shoulders of a crown protector. Clearly, there are few signs of penny-pinching and a plethora of features that will enrich the overall wearer experience.
In this instance, Bulgari has employed blue and red shades, hues that are widely employed on many GMT models and that look perfectly at ease on this horological ensemble. The Maison has once again refrained from using its ultra-refined Manufacture calibres, preferring to employ a third-party movement. This has allowed the Roman marque to deliver an attractive watch for the comparatively modest sum of £2890 – RRP as at 27.8.2021).
The Bulgari Aluminium GMT makes a strong case for itself and with keen pricing, it demonstrates that luxury doesn’t always need to be prohibitively expensive.
The brand’s press release (August 2021)
Travelling… Crossing time zones, getting away from it all.
For a year and a half, this reality has also been on lockdown, but not for long now. The end of summer signals a return to travel, thereby perfectly coinciding with the September launch of the Bulgari Aluminium GMT!
Bulgari Aluminium needs no introduction. The first luxury watch made of aluminium and topped by a rubber bezel, this timepiece that became a legend in the late 1990s has maintained its original spirit: urban, disruptive, and imbued with the kind of ‘cool attitude’ that makes such a perfect match with special and distinctive moments.
In this respect, Bulgari Alvminium GMT (standing for Greenwich Mean Time, previously known as Universal Time and now renamed UTC for Coordinated Universal Time) is a worthy heir to the modern and graphic original model. It has retained the essential attributes – aluminium case, blue bezel and rubber strap – forming the basis of its identity. It has however been given an additional, contemporary function conveying the dreams naturally arising from a taste for travel: namely crossing the 24 time zones. A nod to the model that was flaunted at the time of its 1998 launch on the livery of an Alitalia Boeing 747 jumbo jet regularly criss-crossing the continents.
Easy to use and perfectly readable, the Bulgari Aluminium GMT serves to read both home time and local time. The former is conventionally indicated via hours and minutes hands pointing to the markings on the inner dial zone; while the latter is displayed by a red-tipped hand positioned on the 24-hour outer scale of the dial. It is divided into two different coloured zones of 12 hours each. The circular track serves to adjust and distinguish between day and night according to the time zone where the wearer finds himself. All settings are simple to perform using the crown.
Bulgari Aluminium GMT is obviously intended to be functional, yet its nature goes beyond that: it speaks a universal language, regardless of the time zone. The stars are aligning and Bulgari Aluminium GMT will be the perfect companion for the new sesame, the Covid passport!
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