Simply launched as a part of LVMH Watch Week 2021 is the Bulgari Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, the most recent haute horlogerie halo piece demonstrating the model enjoying on the absolute prime ranges of watchmaking. And this one isn’t almost as difficult as its 1,200+ part Grande Sonnerie items, both. The Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon does take a decidedly modern design flip with not only a black DLC-coated titanium case however a brand new motion with skeletonized bridges completed in black titanium, as nicely.
Two issues I need to point out earlier than persevering with. First, as soon as there’s a video of the chime in motion, I’ll embed it right here. Second, I’m pretty sure these photographs by Bulgari had been edited in a approach that removes some coloration, so simply hold that in thoughts.
In contrast to minute repeaters with two gongs, the Octa Roma Carillon Tourbillon makes use of three, which permits for a 3rd larger word. When you’ll recall, the Bulgari Daniel Roth Carrillon Tourbillon Minute-Repeater had an identical setup albeit with the oblong-shaped Bulgari DR 3300 caliber. The brand new round in-house manual-wind BVL 428 consists of 432 components (the DR 3300 was solely 327, although I can’t for sure give a motive) and is not any much less spectacular on this Octa Roma case. This new handbook caliber measures eight.35mm-thick together with two barrels, one devoted to offering the 75-hour energy reserve and one devoted to the chiming mechanism and winds robotically when the chime is activated.
The gongs and hammers, Tourbillon cage, and “perforated surfaces” are carried out in alternating polished metal, with the mainplate and cut-out bridges handled with PVD. This isn’t your basic haute horlegerie ending, and Bulgari clearly needed nothing to do with “conventional” within the design and end.
The chimes are fastened onto the physique of the titanium case, which has as a lot metallic shaved away as potential to permit the chiming to ring clearly from its three openings. The gongs are being folded and shaped by hand, then hardened at 900 levels, adopted by cleansing after which ironing in a 500-degree oven (this offers them their “crystalline resonance,” in Bulgari’s phrases). In contrast to a minute repeater that has low notes for hours and excessive notes for minutes, the three gongs right here permits for the word C for hours, mid-re-C in sequence for quarters, and mid-C for minutes.
The matte-black DLC-coated titanium case measures 44mm-wide (case thickness but to be confirmed) with an open-worked center case that was designed to boost the sound. You’ll be able to see the gongs on the 10 o’clock place on the dial, with the third smaller gong for the upper pitches up prime. Skeletonized hour and minute arms, and even the tourbillon bridge, are stark and in addition carried out in black DLC. Lastly, the crown is completed in white gold with a ceramic insert, and the chime pusher can also be carried out in white gold.
The Bulgari Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon comes on a black rubberized alligator strap with a black DLC-coated titanium Three-blade folding buckle. Restricted to 15 items, it’s priced at CHF 255,000. You’ll be able to be taught extra at bulgari.com.
