Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

1 0 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Swiss watch designer and artist Gérald Charles Genta was a painter who happened to be exceptionally gifted at designing timepieces. As well as creating his own line of watches, Genta forged a peerless career conceiving timepieces for the elite in the watchmaking world – he created enduring icons such as the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, the Nautilus for Patek Philippe and the Ingenieur for IWC, amongst many more. Genta is also revered for his eponymous line of timepieces. Bvlgari bought the Gérald Genta brand from The Hour Glass in 2000, along with sister company Daniel Roth. In 2010, the two companies stopped existing as standalone brands and now all the knowledge and skills acquired in the art haute horlogerie has been assimilated into the Bvlgari movement manufacture in the Vallee de Joux. This year, Bvlgari was another prize winner at the 15th edition of the prestigious Middle East Watch & Jewellery of the Year Awards. With a distinguished panel of experts including collectors HE Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Ahmed Al Yousuf, Yousef Al Nowais and Sotheby’s Specialist Sophie Stevens amongst others, with results independently audited by the leading global law firm DLA Piper, Bvlgari took home the award for Best Classical Watch. Bvlgari celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Gerald Genta Brand with this exquisite jumping hours platinum edition, celebrating half a century of watchmaking genius and expertise. The watch is a beautiful new version of one of the Genta’s iconic creations – the Arena Bi-Retro and the blue, lacquered dial bears the original Gérald Genta logo on the dial. The 41mm case is fashioned out of platinum and it features a smooth, rounded bezel, coined edges and straight lugs. At the heart of this special anniversary Arena Bi-retro watch is a mechanical manufacture movement, the Bi- retro BVL 300 calibre with bidirectional automatic winding, jumping hours, retrograde minutes (210°) and date (180°), and 42 hours of power reserve. This stunning award-winner is presented on a blue alligator strap and platinum folding clasp and is certain to be highly sought after by collectors and watch lovers alike.