BULGARI CREATED THE BULGARI ROMA watch in 1975. It combined quartz technology, which at that time was making its presence felt, with classic references. The round case resembled a stratum cut into the marble of a Pantheon column or the peristyle of a Roman monument.The inscriptions `Bulgari’ and `Roma’ were engraved on its bezel. It marked a turning point in watchmaking trends at that time. It was designed as a very limited series for the great house founded in Rome in 1884 by Sotirio Boulgaris and as a gift for his hundred best clients, as well as in tribute to the beauty and influence of Rome. 1977 saw the launch of the Bulgari Bulgari collection, the natural evolution from Bulgari Roma. Simultaneously classical and modern, this watch came in a gold case and the dial was equipped with a central seconds hand and a date window. It came in four different sizes and was offered in both quartz and mechanical movement options.

The Bulgari Bulgari inscription on the bezel was directly inspired by the mark of sovereignty on ancient coins. The key aspect of the watches in the 1980, particularly those for women was the famous Turbogas bracelet. Coiled like an ancient snake around the wrist, the gold bracelet was a subtle reference to the exhaust pipes of cars from the roaring 1920s. In 1993 came a watch that had simple aesthetics, yet was revolutionary in terms of the materials used. The case combined gold and composite materials. The 1996 version featured a mechanical movement with a skeleton dial. In 1997, for the 20th anniversary celebration of Bulgari Blugari, a new watch was launched that bore a dial featuring the anniversary number. In 2001, the introduction of the chronograph brought an element of sportiness to the collection. And in 2004, with a tourbillion, Bulgari finally joined the ranks of the great watchmaking houses. In 2013 a new expanded collection included a new case and new automatic in-house manufactured movement, the Solotempo Calibre. Also rolled out was an exclusive capsule collection that revived the Bulgari Roma name.