Q&AIn Conversation With Jean-Christophe Babin, Group CEO, Bulgari—Watches, Jewellery And More
The Bulgari chief, who’s helped put the brand on the map as a serious watchmaking maison, spoke to us about how the brand has evolved, the integration of their various divisions (jewellery included), the recent watch novelties and the record-breaking Octo Finissimo. Here are excerpts from the interview
May We Recommend
You’ve been with Bulgari for over a decade now, before which you were with TAG Heuer. What are the key differences between working with TAG Heuer and Bulgari?
There are two major differences between the two brands. One is that TAG Heuer are a pure Swiss watch brand. Bulgari are a multi-faceted Roman-Italian brand—primarily a jewellery label that diversified into watches as the first other category, with high-jewellery watches as well. In the 70s, there were daily-wear watches, with the Bulgari Bulgari collection. Around the 90s, there were fragrances, and then in the 2000s, there were accessories. The differences between the two brands are cultural on the one hand, and sectorial on the other. Bulgari combine several different categories, so the challenge is to find a signature strength and consistency to bind all the categories into one single desirable company narrative, despite the fact that Bulgari is a perfume, a bag, a watch, and jewellery as well…which are all so diverse.
Do you think Bulgari watches would have been on a very different trajectory if you had not been from a watch background when you took over as CEO?
This we’ll never know, because it’s difficult to say, “What if…!” Having said that, it has been easier for me to dive into Bulgari watches, with my prior experience at TAG Heuer, knowing the watch market, and understanding watchmaking. It has also been quicker for me to understand the mission and positioning of Bulgari watches. It was a no-brainer that for jewellery watches, there was going to be more attention on the Serpenti Tubogas and the Diva’s Dream and so on. We also created Lvcea, which translated from jewellery to watches really well. Even with the more ‘masculine’ lines, the focus was more on elegance, rather than creating a movement that could measure 1,000th of a second and so on. That is more of TAG Heuer’s territory. As a jeweller, providing jewels to a lady is just about enhancing the elegance of a lady. And the question was how to do the same for men as well. The answer was to make slimly-fitting watches, as is the requirement for dressy fashion. Therefore we decided to bring the watch industry into the style of slim watches that would fit perfectly into the wardrobe of a corporate gentleman. This was the birth of the Finissimo really. So yes, the fact that I came from the watch industry really helped me to reflect on what role Bulgari watches were going to play for the brand, and also what would add value for the brand’s clientele.
With such a distinctive personality, through icons such as Serpenti and Octo that must always remain recognisable, how much of a challenge is it to innovate and be fresh with the watches?
The key challenge is to have the right people, whether it’s internal—like Fabrizio Buonomassa Stigliani [creative director at Bulgari] and his team—and at the same time, people on the outside, like Sejima, to have the right collaborations. The external talent is very important. It can be designers, artists, or architects, who can have their interpretations of existing designs, without compromising on the Octo shape, for instance, or the slimness, but bringing added value with their own style to the pieces. Like [Kyuzo] Sejima, the architect… We all know that she is very minimalistic, and she likes the purity of shapes, and she applied exactly that philosophy, with a dial [of the Sejima Finissimo watch] that may look just like a polished mineral. But when you look closer, you see that it’s not a mineral, but it’s a plate made of hundreds of different components. So you can see a mirror finish, but you can also see much more than that. It’s very futuristic. These subtle details, which can’t be seen, but you know exist—that is luxury. So yes, to answer your question, it’s important to stimulate the internal team to push their boundaries, but also to collaborate with the right people who will bring their own interpretation. This was specifically about the Finissimo line, but it could be true for any product from any line for that matter. Combining the strengths of internal and external talent helps to shake the Bulgari tree to make new ideas fall into our portfolio. Some are rejected, some are postponed. Some are immediately developed, like the Sejima. We decided to develop it as soon as we got the idea from her. Because we felt that this piece was really probably worth entering the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, even more so than the Finissimo Skeleton, which is more of an horological achievement than an artistic one.
How closely do the watch and jewellery divisions (or even leather accessories for that matter) work together in developing products? How do the brand’s collections turn out to be so well integrated?
This is a pretty informal process. It’s mostly steered by the CEO. Presently, it’s me. But before me, it was someone else. Because all the divisions are independent—the product development, the workshops, the production, the marketing, etc. And eventually, the meeting point of all divisions is at the CEO level. So I participate in all product categories—from watches to bags to hotels. So I’m the one in charge of product consistency across the board, and I’ve been promoting the intensifying of cross-category codes to allow for a consistent reading of the Bulgari narrative that we present to the world. If you can have the same codes even with different executions—from the neck of a perfume bottle to the closing of a Serpenti bag, a Serpenti Tubogas watch or high-jewellery Serpenti necklace—you build consistency, you build a signature, and you bring forward one single brand narrative. In terms of clients, you know, one of the biggest differences between us and one of our competitors, is that they tend to bring out very different designs in their watches as compared with their jewellery. Whereas, we have very similar designs between categories, because we believe that the cross-category usage of codes facilitates what Bulgari stands for. We believe that we need to use symbols and motifs more than brand logos across categories. Symbols are visually stronger than brand logos, and more interesting, creatively.
What are your thoughts on the chances of Bulgari becoming more gender-neutral in a world where gender norms are becoming less relevant? Could you imagine a brand that promotes Serpenti for men?
I was in New York last week, in our flagship store on Fifth Avenue. There, on the men’s counter, we’ve put together some Serpenti and B.zero1 jewellery pieces that we deem as unisex. I think B.zero1 is a perfect example of a unisex ring; even the Serpenti bracelet is quite suitable for men even. We are measuring the impact and it makes a lot of sense to present pieces as unisex. I imagine that there will be more unisex counters in other stores. There may be a day when there will be purely masculine jewellery offered by Bulgari, but it would be a little premature to do that today. So right now, the focus is on ladies, for jewellery at least. The first priority is to become more of a leader in women’s jewellery. A couple of our competitors are still bigger than us, so we need to get there first. Our women clientele’s needs are already quite complex, so we need to address them first. We must consider the different cultures and the different age groups that we cater to. That’s why we also have so many different brand ambassadors—such as Priyanka Chopra, Zendaya and Anne Hathaway—who are themselves from different cultures and origins. The gentlemen’s market is much simpler to cater to in comparison. We’ll get to it. First, we need to be recognised as the benchmark for jewellery in the 21st century.
Click here to explore Bulgari jewellery
The Serpenti Seduttori in black seems like a very natural progression for the series. It looks familiar and yet very fresh. How do you decide when it’s the right time to bring out such expansions of the brand’s key collections?
First, we want that the existing products—Tubogas or Seduttori in steel and/or gold—are strongly established and are selling well. The moment you go ceramic, black DLC, or something else, you start catering to smaller niches. And if the base is not big enough, the niche will not be big enough. We need to establish a line using mainstream materials of the market first, and then go more niche with materials. If the niche is too small, it won’t be profitable. And when we’ve reached an adequate mass with the mainstream, then, based on recommendations from our partners, we might introduce newer materials in a collection. Black happens to be something that people like most, after steel or gold. And the fact that you have black and rose gold in this Seduttori makes it even more appealing to more people.
Even the Seduttori Tourbillon is more modern for breaking the diamond monotony. Breaking the diamond sparkle with the black spinel makes it a little younger and more dynamic than the traditional full-diamond watch, which already existed.
In 2022, Bulgari celebrated 10 years of the Octo Finissimo. What does this mean for the brand?
Looking back, it’s unbelievable that in such a short period of time, we have managed to build an icon (based on what specialists, retailers and clients are telling us). There are a few icons in the watch industry, which are usually successful over time. A brand that seriously wants to compete in the watch market needs to have clear icons. With Bulgari, between the Serpenti Tubogas of 2010 and Octo in 2012, in just 12 years to have given birth to two icons—both recognised as highly, highly contemporary, relevant, and totally Bulgari—it gives us a sense of accomplishment. From the snake arriving in Rome, 2,000 years ago, around Cleopatra’s wrist, to the octagon of the Octo that has been inspired by the ceilings of Roman temples and churches—a shape that was seen in most such structures—there is something intrinsically Roman about these pieces too. The fact that we have been consistent and passionate, and accepting that the business will develop slowly, has also been good. We recognised that not everyone is ready to wear a snake-shaped watch or an octagonal watch immediately. People prefer round watches usually; and if we wanted to focus on a round watch, there has to be a strong enough argument for it. Yes, there’s the Bulgari Bulgari—which is probably the only watch with the brand monogram on the bezel—and it’s not just done as a fashionable thing. Even this is inspired by Roman coins, wherein the ‘brand’ was the emperor’s name, engraved on the periphery of the coin. Today, the emperor is Buglari! But this watch is not a ‘logo watch’ for the sake of the logo. It’s a tribute to those imperial Roman coins, and it’s also as a sign of respect to the brand’s background itself.
In the Octo series, the development has been so amazing that we’ve had a chance to go from titanium cases—which are highly differentiated, not just for the records in slimness—to gold in the last three years. And even with steel, we could reach out to more clients. And gold works better in some markets, like India, so you cannot have an icon without a gold version. Yellow gold is particularly better to sell in India and in the United States. If someone has more yellow gold in their jewellery, they would want yellow gold on their watch as well, and that makes a difference I believe.
How important are these records in slim timekeeping? How thin can Bulgari or any brand go really?
Richard Mille tried to give an answer, which a half answer really. [Richard Mille’s watch that became the slimmest mechanical ever] is just slightly slimmer than the Finissimo Ultra, but it’s not a watch that you can use easily. Because you need tools for adjusting and winding. It’s not a self-sustaining watch. You need some support, like in a Formula One pit, where you need external support to change or repower the engine. It’s a special watch, but it doesn’t follow the same philosophy as Finissimo. The Ultra remains the world record as a daily, easy-to-use watch, where, without the intervention of external tools, you can set the time and recharge the power reserve. And last, but not the least, this Ultra is perfectly consistent with the brand’s look, and the picture is self-explanatory. Two, it follows the Finissimo saga’s style and DNA. The other watch has nothing that refers to the brand’s other offerings or relates with anything else that they manufacture. It’s a kind of a strange animal, without father or mother.
Is eight days the highest power reserve ever for a Finissimo? What went behind the open-worked display of the new Octo Finissimo Skeleton in gold?
The Skeleton has been, for a few years already, a very strong-selling Finissimo. It had a power reserve of 52 hours, which is quite basic. We sought to increase the power reserve, for which the movement had to be redesigned. Hence, we decided to develop a new skeleton display also. The design is far more geometrical, much sharper, and much more in line with the indexes. The bridges almost fuse with the indexes. Plus it has an eight-day power reserve, which allows you to even set it aside for a few days, and wear it again with the movement still running. And so we are happy with it. In terms of aesthetics, it’s the most accomplished skeleton we’ve every crafted. Even in terms of functionality, it’s the most functional—for daily use even—manual-winding watch that we’ve ever done. If you look at the dial, indexes and the plate, it’s a very strong statement as a very slim record, even as a world record, but we don’t count it, because it already existed as a regular titanium manual watch. We count only the first one. But if we were to consider the gold aspect or the skeleton aspect, it could be another world record. However, since we are purists about the world records in slimness, we’re only counting the first one.
Shop The Story
-
BVLGARI Serpenti
103250
-
BVLGARI Serpenti
103252
-
BVLGARI Lvcea
103340
-
BVLGARI Divas' Dream
102561
-
BVLGARI Serpenti
103054
-
BVLGARI Serpenti
103706
-
BVLGARI Serpenti
103704
-
BVLGARI BVLGARI BVLGARI
103445
-
BVLGARI BVLGARI BVLGARI
103383
-
BVLGARI BVLGARI BVLGARI
103539
-
BVLGARI Octo
103431
-
BVLGARI Octo
103297
-
BVLGARI Octo
103637
-
BVLGARI Octo
103667
