This is the second Aiguille d’Or for Bulgari Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin.
At the recently concluded Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), Bulgari walked away with the most prestigious prize of all. The luxury house had four watches nominated at the event, but won the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix for its Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar.
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The award is a “best in show” prize rewarding the finest watch across all categories, and which is also deemed the most representative of the industry. From this perspective, the Octo Finissimo–seventh in an unbroken line of world records since 2014—tells a story that has reshaped the watchmaking landscape in recent years.
The Finissimo line has profoundly disrupted the codes of classicism by demonstrating that it is possible to reinterpret classic and traditional watch complications through a resolutely innovative and contemporary approach.
Bulgari has revisited the entire range of the finest and most complicated watchmaking while moving in one sole direction: ultra-thinness.
This approach has involved entirely rewriting the rules of watchmaking construction, pushing Bulgari and its teams to reinvent concepts and find innovative technical solutions. It has also radically renewed the genre, leading several Haute Horlogerie brands to follow suit.
Second honor
In this sense, the reach of the Octo Finissimo collection has not only demonstrated that Bulgari is now definitively playing in the big league, but also that its impact is taking on a dimension that impacts the entire industry.
This is the 14th GPHG award for Bulgari Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, who is actually the only CEO of the watchmaking industry to have won two Aiguilles d’Or for two different major companies.
The first one was in 2012 for the TAG Heuer Mikrogirder, and the second one this year for the Octo Finissimo. This is quite an achievement that demonstrates his continuous engagement for innovation and rules breaking.
“This prestigious Award rewards the in-depth work initiated by Bulgari to redefine the fundamentals of Haute Horlogerie in terms of Art of Miniaturization,” Babin says. “It rewards finally Bulgari’s spirit: boldness, disruptive and innovative.”
Banner Photo from @Bulgari on IG
