The New Bulgari Aluminium Sorayama Special Edition

August 30, 2022

Geneva Watch Days?takes place in the Swiss cultural capital from Monday, August 29, to Thursday, September 1, 2022, so stay tuned to HODINKEE in the days ahead for detailed coverage of all the top releases, from brands such as Bulgari, MB&F, Oris, Urwerk, and many more. It would seem that Bulgari considers the Aluminum line ripe for collaboration. It seems like only yesterday that the rubber-bezel watch was given the Ducati treatment. But time marches ever onward and so do the folks at Bulgari, so here we are with a new collaboration that brings together the time-and-date Aluminum watch with the chrome-heavy aesthetics of Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama.? The watch features a silver-toned dial and "propeller-shaped" hour-markers that are designed to recall Sorayama's work that channels the design of cars and planes from the '30s and '40s. Sorayama's signature can be found on the DLC-coated titanium caseback and the dial layout leans into the artist's lucky number which, according to Bulgari, is two. The only numeral visible on the dial is two, placed just above the date window at three. Dial text reads "Bulgari" in the top half and "Sorayama" at the bottom half to ward off any confusion as to whether or not this is indeed a collaboration.? Sorayama said of the watch, "When I was asked to be part of this collaboration, I developed three main design elements. The first consists of circular pattern swirls on a dial inspired by the surface of Spirit of St. Louis, which made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The second was to put an actual number 2 at two o'clock only, because two is my lucky number: I was born on February 22 in the twenty-second year of the Japanese Shwa era. The third is my SORAYAMA logo. I entrusted Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, who has always professed to love my work, with the mechanical side of things. It is my wish that those who see the watch will experience the same joy as me in the beauty of its metal finishes and the curves that are prominent in its design." The 40mm case is aluminum and rubber, hallmarks of the Aluminum line, and the crown is made of reinforced black titanium. Sorayama's dream-come-true watch is powered by caliber BVL 192, a mechanical self-winding caliber found in the Aluminum GMT. The watch is water resistant to a respectable 100 meters and offers up to 42 hours of power reserve.? What We Think I have to admit I'm not really all that familiar with Sorayama's work outside of the sexy robots. But the sort of streamline moderne approach to the dial does make sense both philosophically (nodding at how people in the past imagined the future) and concretely (it looks nice).? Though the collection is known for being an innovator when it came to bringing aluminum into the horological spotlight, it has always seemed like the Bulgari watch most restricted by its own design language. How far can you really take the hyper-sporty look? This particular collaboration looks to me to be an attempt at breaking away from the familiar. Compare it to the Ducati LE. Rubber and motorcycles? *Meryl Streep voice*: Groundbreaking.? Whether or not this is your cup of tea, you have to admit that the chrome-y dial is evocative of an era pretty far away from the late '90s. The texture of the dial gives a sense of grace to the watch that is hard to come by in the other watches in the line, which skew toward primary colors and flat matte dials. The wheel isn't being reinvented here, especially not from a technical perspective, but it is being given a little bit of character development. I think the focus on two as the only numeral, especially since it's basically resting atop the date window, detracts from the intention of the design, but I can't fault the man for committing to an idea. All told, it will set you back $3,300 (I'm a little disappointed it isn't priced at $2,200), basically right in line with the rest of the Aluminum range. Sorayama super fans better act fast as there will only be 1,000 of these watches made.?Hope you've got your lucky number twos ready to go.? The Basics Brand: Bulgari Model: Aluminum Sorayama Special EditionReference Number: 103703Diameter: 40mmCase Material: Aluminum, DLC-coated titanium casebackDial Color: Silver-toned aluminum Lume: Indexes, hours and minute hands filled with Super-LumiNovaWater Resistance: 100mStrap/Bracelet: Rubber strap with aluminum links and pin buckle.? The Movement Caliber: BVL 192Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date Power Reserve: 42 hoursWinding: Mechanical self-windingFrequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz) Pricing & Availability Price: $3,300Limited Edition: Yes, 1,000 pieces Shop this story The HODINKEE Shop is an Authorized Dealer for Bulgari watches; explore our collection?here. For more information about Bulgari, visit their?website.Bulgari is part of the LVMH group. Although LVMH Luxury Ventures is a minority investor in HODINKEE, we maintain complete editorial independence.