Baselworld 2016: LVCEA INFUSES LIGHT WITH NEW COLOURS
Baselworld 2016: LVCEA INFUSES LIGHT WITH NEW COLOURS
From haute horlogerie to jewellery via new dial colours, the iconic model enters a whole new dimension
Lucea establishes a direct connection between light and time. This self-evident relationship has earned it a place of its own in the field of feminine watches. Bulgari infuses light with new colours with its many inspired creations. They give pride of place to shimmering shades, expressed through gemset Haute Horlogerie creations as well as pure jewellery models.
Year after year, interpretations highlighting artistic crafts reinterpret the inexhaustible Artistic Garden theme. In 2016, Lucea is perpetuating the saga that began in 2013 and adopts precious ornamentation representing a distinctly horological echo of the jewellery collections from the Maison. Il Giardino Paradiso – in the form of two precious watches graced with finely and elaborately decorated dials – evokes luxuriant fauna and flora with an exotic and vibrantly colourful bird of paradise motif.
The complex and sophisticated dials of both versions pay tribute to the talent of the artisans and their ability to gracefully marry attractively balanced materials and colours so as to achieve a final result radiating perfect thematic and chromatic balance. Blue mother-of-pearl depicts the sky background enlivened by a bird of paradise and a motif composed of flowers and foliage. This tableau springs to life through meticulously hand-crafted miniature painting accentuated by brilliant-cut diamonds and complemented by the same gems set on the bezel and the bracelet lugs.
These creations merge Bulgari’s natural twin territories of jewellery and watchmaking: the two interpretations of Il Giardino Paradiso are enriched with the Swiss Haute Horlogerie expertise cultivated by Bulgari, since they beat to the rhythm of Manufacture Tourbillon Calibre BVL 263.
In parallel with these two dreamily romantic visions and in the domain of pure Haute Joaillerie, Bulgari also offers a remarkable entirely snow-set version of Lucea this year. This 18-carat pink gold watch is entirely set with diamonds adorning the case and dial as well as the bracelet with its famous articulated links symbolising the Lucea collection. 1,859 gems totalling 10.9 carats and 117 grams of 18-carat pink gold. The resulting intensely luminous and supremely pure timepiece is fitted with the mechanical self-winding B77 calibre, powering the hours, minutes and seconds. It has a 42-hour power reserve.
Piccola Lucea: a dainty diameter. Lucea also proves itself capable of renewal by playing with the case size. The Rome-based Maison thus offers active women an appealing new model named Piccola Lucea. This new version has been redesigned in a daintier diameter providing a very contemporary response to the growing demand for ever-smaller ladies’ watches. Like all Bulgari creations, this timepiece designed for daily wear is also at home in its evening role as jewellery.
Bulgari’s creative approach is resolutely geared towards modernity. Lucea is thus now reinterpreted in a slimmer, smaller size to broaden this highly successful range. The 23 mm case is as ever teamed with its highly inventive bracelet in this ‘little sister’ already clearly on a par with its radiant family. Piccola Lucea is above all a tribute to light: a 21st century sundial evoking the culture of Ancient Rome designed to grace the wrist of urban women in tune with their times through a chic and discreet watch.
Understated and contemporary elegance. These important notions lie at the core of the creative approach cultivated by the Maison. The Lucea family bears all the distinctive Bulgari hallmarks. For example, the baton-type hour-markers and Roman numerals marking 12 and 6 o’clock are immediately recognisable. Nonetheless, Lucea continues to display an understated form of contemporary elegance, on the one hand through a unique and instantly recognisable shape, and on the other by the absence of an overly visible logo.
Another means of creating reflective light effects on the Lucea watch is to create colour variations for the dial. Blue and purple are the two shades of the year. They are complemented and reinforced by an additional version of the mother-of-pearl dial, and will be available as of Spring. Each comes with an alligator leather strap matching the dial colour, or with the collection’s dedicated stainless steel bracelet featuring structured, articulated links.
With Lucea, the art of the watch bracelet has indeed found a whole new expression, particularly thanks to the links’ extremely ingenious fastening and articulation system. One of the key challenges lay in striking the perfect balance between suppleness and rigidity, so as to ensure that the bracelet composed of highly technical links would ensure both a firm hold and ideal comfort on the wrist. This was essential because Lucea is not “jewellery that tells the time”, but definitely a watch that women love to wear in every circumstance of their active days, while also keeping it on for more festive occasions. This joyful, delectable dimension is asserted by the pink-toned cabochon that gives the crown a special sparkle while reflecting the radiance of the round case. The change of size naturally implied a more restrained dial in order to ensure that its pure design and subtle reflections keep the time perfectly legible in every situation. In parallel, the greatest creative effort was of course focused on the watch itself. Bulgari has clearly revelled in taming the play of light and shade across the case, dial, bracelet lugs and the shimmering links.
Light and shade. It is in fact the contrasts between light and shade that trace the volumes while hollowing or exalting the shapes. Finding the right directions in which to guide the light is a truly fascinating task.
Born of a love of light and time, Lucea is entirely dedicated to seduction – a magnetism reinforced by its new universally graceful proportions that can be appreciated around the world for their beauty and sensuality, as well as their smooth, easily flowing fee