SimplyAbuDhabi XV

9 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Bulgari Berries – The non-forbidden fruit D evotees of Bulgari’s fine watchmaking and lovers of its elegant high jewellery never know what is in store for them. After springing a surprise in 2013 with two complex and sophisticated timepieces – the Berries Tourbillon Retrograde Hours and the Berries Jumping Hours and Retrograde Minutes models – Bulgari once again wows admirers this year with brand new colour variations. The Berries Jumping Hours and Retrograde Minutes now comes dressed in emeralds, while the Berries Tourbillon appears clad in emeralds or rubies, with both versions retaining the delightful stones of the Berries collection. A highlight is the opulent coil of brilliant-cut diamonds that winds over a white mother-of-pearl dial. Each of these rare watches embodies a refined association between the technically unrivalled watchmaking complications and exquisite gemstone craftsmanship. These pieces are as much about watchmaking as jewellery; the creative result is made possible by the rich legacy of Bulgari. The jeweller’s art lends colour to the watchmaker’s technique. Both the visually harmonious Berries Jumping Hours and Retrograde Minutes celebrate the marriage of mineral purity and mechanical sophistication. In particular, the emerald – whose Persian name, zamarat, means ‘heart of stone’ – is truly fascinating. Its naturally green colour was an enduring symbol of luxury and power, of pageantry and distinction, from the Middle Ages through to the Enlightenment. Often used inBulgari’s high jewellery creations, the gem is prized for its luminosity, exoticism and exclusivity. So much so that in the Berries watches, emeralds appear seven times on the 40mm case in 18K white gold: a 1.63-carat treasure flanked by 129 cut diamonds. The result is a colourful burst that lends a bright touch to the surprising architecture of the jumping hours movement. The spherical motif, the signature of the Berries collection, provides a display window for the Jumping Hours at 12 o’clock on the one, and embraces the Tourbillon at 6 o’clock on the other. This surprising system, invented by the French watchmaker Blondeau around 1830, does not display the hours with a hand. Instead, the watch dial features a small aperture through which the hour numeral appears. With each change of hour, the displayed number gives way to the following one. JumpingHours watches are often of a mixed time, with the hours being displayed by a numeral, while minutes and seconds are indicated by classic hands. Meanwhile, the precious Berries Tourbillon Retrograde Hours model, also adorned with emeralds, shifts the colour palette to vivid red. A highly sought-after variety of corundum, rubies have adorned the most spectacular jewellery since antiquity. It is also a gem intimately associated with the world of fine watchmaking. For almost two centuries, it has been used first in its natural form and more recently as a synthetic mineral to make the jewel bearings that hold, with reduced friction, the steel gear-wheel pivots. For the Berries Tourbillon Retrograde Hours model, genuine round or oval-cut rubies totalling around 2.27 carats are set into a 40mm polished white gold case that, itself, is set with 63 brilliant- cut diamonds. The tourbillon is a horological masterpiece that improves the accuracy of mechanical watches by counter-balancing the disturbances of balance-wheel isochronism caused by gravity. Protected by its finely crafted carriage, the tourbillon defies gravity with each of its rotations to create a rigorously precise movement. To fully understand its complexity, turn over the jewellery-like case of the Berries Tourbillon Retrograde Hours watch to reveal, through the sapphire back, the mechanism so skilfully and creatively devised by Bulgari. This also affords a fascinating view of the regulator, which ensures the smooth running of the self-winding movement via an oscillating weight hand-crafted in 22K gold, and guarantees a 64-hour power reserve. The seamless fusion between Bulgari’s extraordinary expertise in the complementary fields of high jewellery and fine watchmaking, as embodied by the Berries models, is an apt expression of the brand’s endless passion for exquisite creations.