Bulgari - Octo Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon

The new Bulgari Octo Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon 103627 is a 30-piece limited edition with a price of €262,000

Bulgari presented a special blue edition of its Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, a timepiece that combines a three-hammer chime and a tourbillon regulator.

The watch features a highly graphic skeletonised movement with blue bridges. Encircled by a blued titanium caseband, the imposing 44 mm x 12.83 mm platinum case was specifically designed to enhance sound performances, the primary parameter governing the construction of a striking watch. 

In particular, the caseband maximises sound allowing it to spread as much as possible. It has cavities inside the design to reduce the amount of metal between the inside and outside, and three openings that correspond to the three gongs of the striking mechanism, thus allowing the sound to exit the chamber. 

The gongs are attached directly to the body of the case for the most efficient sound transmission and the middle-case is made of titanium, a material that ensures the clearest possible sound diffusion. 

The back is also hollowed out and redesigned with a titanium grid that protects this resonant area and enables outward transmission of the sound. 

The gongs on the watch are hand-crafted in several stages. They are bent and formed by hand before being annealed, or hardened, at a temperature of 900 degrees Celsius, then cleaned before being reheated in a 500-degree kiln, a process that endows the metal with its crystal-clear resonance. 

Like some components of the striking mechanism, they are drawn out with a file, in order to refine the chords of the chime. The melodic sequence of this chime with three hammers striking three tones plays the note C (Do) for the hours, the notes E D C (Mi Re Do) for the quarters and the note E (Mi) for the minutes. The mechanism is activated by a pusher on the left side of the caseband. 

Comprised of a total of 432 components and entirely manufactured in-house, the 3 Hz (21,600 vph) hand-wound calibre BVL428 is equipped with one classical barrel ensuring the power reserve of at least 75 hours for the movement at full charge. The functioning of the sound mechanism is ensured by a spring which is contained in a barrel-shaped container drilled directly in the bridge.

The hammers, gongs, tourbillon cage and perforated surfaces are made of alternating polished steels, while the finely worked mainplate and bridges feature an ALD treatment in an elegant deep blue. 

Water-resistant up to a pressure of 3 ATM (approximately 30 metres / 100 feet) and matched to a blue alligator leather strap secured by a platinum triple-blade folding clasp, the new Bulgari Octo Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon ref. 103627 is a 30-piece limited edition with an indicative price of Euro 262,000 (excluding sales taxes). bulgari.com

Suggested reading:

- The history of Bulgari in watchmaking