Bulgari is getting more aggressive in watchmaking, not just with its in-house movements but also the design and styling.

Bulgari has become a synonym for luxury jewellery, and the brand has recently set up a factory for producing its in-house movements and parts in Switzerland. When Italian fashion sense is combined with Swiss craftsmanship, the result is, predictably, exquisite mechanical pieces such as the much-loved Octo Ultranero.

The greatest feature of the Octo series is the octagonal case with round bezel. The steel case of the latest model, the Ultranero, has been treated with black ‘Diamond Like Carbon’. D.L.C. was first developed for high tech components such as parts in space vehicles and engines. In recent years it has been used in watchmaking to provide extra hardness for the case, as it is more rust-resistant, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant than the usual PVD plating. The all-black version features black hands and hour-markers on a black dial, which might slightly affect the legibility, though the watch is reminiscent of a stealth bomber, giving it a subtle and masculine military touch. The version with red hands and hour-markers on black dial offers nice contrasting colours for readability and getting others’ attention.

The bidirectional mechanical self-winding movement, Calibre BVL 193, has twin barrels and 50-hours of power reserve, and is finished with Cotes de Geneve motif, circular graining and chamfering. The case is 41 mm in diameter and paired with a rubber strap with black D.L.C.-treated steel pin buckle. The watch is water-resistant to 100 m.