If you blinked around the end of June you might have missed a rather interesting watch at Goodwood. Customers ordering the latest iteration of Maserati’s GranTurismo and GranCabrio models during the famed Festival of Speed were presented with an exclusive limited edition Octo GranTurismo from Bulgari, Maserati’s watch partner since 2012.
The black DLC watch, limited to 30 pieces, brought together two signature Bulgari elements, namely a retrograde minute scale and jumping hours – themselves vestiges of the house style of Daniel Roth which Bulgari acquired along with sister brand Gerald Genta in 2000. The watch clearly set out to imitate the Maserati’s rev counter and gear selection displays.
A zero to six retrograde minutes scale (complete with a rev-counter style ‘min x10’ annotation) ran clockwise from the traditional six o’clock to one o’clock positions, whilst a jumping hour numeral was displayed within a round aperture at the three o’clock above a Maserati Trident applique.
The watch was badged as an exclusive, and as a limited edition it was, but no-one develops an entirely new mechanical platform for a promotional giveaway, even if the cost of entry (for the Maserati) starts at £91,000. So now Bulgari has revealed two new watches based around this design with two distinctly different aesthetics.
While the Octo Maserati GranLusso and GranSport are ostensibly the same 41mm watch, powered by the same 28,800vph Retro BVL 262 in-house calibre movement with 42-hour power reserve, the two versions offer both opulent and sporty options.
On first glance the authentic rendering of Maserati’s aesthetic code on the dial using the famed marque’s own typeface for its applique numerals is anything but subtle, but it possesses more than enough Italian flair to carry off such a bold choice.
The two designs sit at opposite ends of the spectrum, one inspired by performance and best suited to casual everyday wear, the other distinctly more luxury leaning.
The GranLusso is a tribute to satin-brushed 18ct pink gold which helps show off each and every one of the Octo case’s 110 facets while the matched pink gold applique numerals really leap out of the black sunray brushed dial. The design is neatly set off against a padded, perforated and stitched brown leather strap.
Wisely for its more casual model, the GranSport, Bulgari has opted against the rather tired black and red go-to colour scheme employed by most ‘motoring’ watches. Instead it has plumped for highlights in Maserati’s Blu Inchiostro, which is as much a part of Maserati as Rosso Corsa is to Ferrari.
The stainless steel case is DLC-treated in black while the dial is coated in a heavily textured black finish that allows those blue highlights to sing.
Now for the rub, unfortunately both the GranLusso and GranSport are Bulgari boutique exclusives and the house claims they are reserved solely for Maserati owners. Time to start hunting down a set of Maserati keys on eBay.
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