SpotlightLVMH Watch Week 2024: Bulgari Present Their New Lucea Timepieces On A Redesigned Bracelet
Among Bulgari’s new Lucea timepieces is a gorgeous malachite marquetry dial against a softer, more fluid bracelet, showcased at the LVMH Watch Week in Miami
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For the 10th anniversary of Bulgari’s Lucea collection, the brand released new timepieces at the LVMH Watch Week in Miami this week. The Lucea collection essentially features jewelled timepieces crafted for glamorous everyday wear. These latest Lucea dials include one with a green malachite pattern, and others with shades of mother-of-pearl decorated to resemble a sunray finish. Redesigned V-shaped metal bracelet links with a softer aesthetic were inspired by the brand’s Octo Finissimo’s and make the watch just right for everyday use. And yet, the fluidity offered by this new bracelet still evokes the sensuous nature of Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti coil.
Lucea And The Lustre Of Gems
One striking characteristic of a Lucea timepiece is the cabochon-cut sapphire crown set with a smaller diamond. The collection’s sundial-inspired watch face was a nod to time and Roman history. Over time, the brand have created various versions of the sunray pattern on the dial, intricately assembling mother-of-pearl ‘rays’ to give the watch a three-dimensional finish.
Six of the seven timepieces showcased in Miami feature mother-of-pearl intarsia dials in shades of white and a light, mint green. Of these, four Lucea timepieces feature 33mm cases with an automatic mechanical movement housed within, while the remaining two watches are in a smaller 28mm case size. The cases are made from steel, with the white mother-of-pearl dial in both case sizes offered in a dual-toned steel and rose gold case.
Diamonds decorate the bezel of one 33mm watch with a dual-toned case, and white mother-of-pearl sunray-patterned dial, taking the total carat weight to 1.3 carats on this timepiece. Twelve diamonds serve as hour markers on all the dials. These watches are the first omission of the date window at three o’clock on a mother-of-pearl dial in a 33mm timepiece. Sword-shaped hour and minute hands are either in rose gold or rhodium-plated to match the colour of the bezel.
Lucea And Malachite Marquetry
The green mineral timepiece is the most gorgeous, its beautiful pattern painstakingly created with pieces of malachite assembled on the dial. One wouldn’t think that bits of the mineral were upcycled to create this beautiful marquetry on the dial. This also makes each of the malachite dials unique. The green dial is housed in a 33mm case made from steel and rose gold. The rose gold bezel is set with 43 diamonds.
Lucea And A Fluid New Bracelet
The V-shaped metal bracelets on the Lucea collection were initially inspired by the Serpenti’s seemingly fused coils. The brand have redesigned the links to look softer and rounder. In doing so, the V-shape of the links still retain the Serpenti elegance, but also lend the watch a more wearable, everyday aesthetic. Dual-toned bracelets, with central links in rose gold, look especially elegant.
As Bulgari celebrate their 140th anniversary, the brand continue to create beautiful watches that “express the essence of our jeweller’s soul,” as Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin puts it, “because Bulgari’s heritage is rooted in the art of bringing gold and precious stones together, with extreme precision, to create exceptional pieces.”
Shine on, Lucea, shine on!
