100% Swiss, 100% security, 0% gadget: the Diagono Magnesium concept launched by Bulgari as an exclusive world première is the complete opposite of everything the world of so-called connected watches is able to offer. A self-winding mechanical watch incorporating all the codes of luxury, as well as an electronic passport connected to the watch and its wearer, whose confidential data now enjoys total protection. This veritable intelligent “wrist-vault” is the result of a partnership between the luxury brand and WISeKey, a leading Swiss company in digital security and data storage.

With a historical tradition of daring, Bulgari has always operated in sharp contrast to established codes and ambient conformity. Once again, the luxury brand affirms its difference in an exciting watchmaking debate around the theme of the so-called “connected” watch. All the brands involved in this play with product types hovering somewhere between multi-functional gadgets lacking any real added value, and objects more like a games console than a luxury watch. In contrast to this, Diagono Magnesium makes a clean break and positions Bulgari where one least expects it. This pioneering, tangible product meets the needs of the contemporary everyday wear of tomorrow, in a connected world with increasingly blurred boundaries.

First Intelligent luxury watch. This first proposal for an intelligent luxury watch – the concept of which is being presented at Baselworld – is the result of a major technological and completely new transformation of the interaction between the individual and the watch. While preserving the values and codes of the luxury watch, this is the key that unlocks the door to the functionalities of the age of digital technology and the physical life of the 21st century. Diagono Magnesium has a cryptographic chip and invisible antenna which, using NFC technology (Near Field Communication) enables the watch to transmit a digital certificate to the Bvlgari Vault application that is already downloaded and set up on the telephone (iOS and Android systems). The watch simply has to be placed near the smartphone which itself is equipped with an NFC chip for the application to be activated. Only the owner of the watch has access to the confidential content that is recorded here with banking level security. To date, NFC technology is the most secure in the realm of data transmission to the extent that it requires that the two devices be very close together in order for them to connect, in contrast to Bluetooth or other wireless technologies.

The applications of this technology are potentially just as vast as the digital universe can be, in other words, unlimited: serving to store different codes obviously, make payments and transmit direct marketing, opening doors and car doors, automatic calls, data transfer, transport tickets, etc. The list is far from exhaustive.

TOTAL SECURITY. Diagono Magnesium and Bvlgari Vault propose a unique experience in terms of security while simplifying the user experience. The encrypted information is stored on a cloud buried in a Swiss military bunker, somewhere in the Alps. And in the event of loss or theft of the telephone, the parameters of the Bvlgari Vault application will prompt the destruction of the data, making it inaccessible to a third party. It can subsequently be restored using the encrypted backup activated via the Diagono Magnesium.

The possibilities proposed by this concept offer boundless value to members of the Bvlgari ecosystem. In the near future, the cryptographic key will be able to unlock the doors to the car or the house, activate the alarm system of the apartment, or make payments in total security. And in the case of a luxury brand like Bulgari, the application will enable clients and distributors to enjoy a great many advantages: the technical information pertaining to the watch and user manual, certificate of authenticity, activation of the guarantee, automatic registration with the Leonardo da Vinci Club, traceability of all operations conducted on the watch. 

SUSTAINABILITY RATHER THAN OBSOLESCENCE. “The new Diagono Magnesium perfectly represents the duality of Bulgari. A luxury watch brand with Italian origins symbolized by the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, artist and scientist, it has a unique manner of melding contemporary design with the best of Swiss watchmaking expertise and the most advanced Swiss technologies such as WISekey. While certain brands offer watches subject to rapid obsolescence, we are offering a self-winding, sustainable luxury watch like all Bulgari luxury watches!” notes Jean-Christophe Babin, President of the Bulgari Group. 

DISPLACED CENTRE OF GRAVITY. A Swiss company based in Geneva, WISeKey presented the concept at the World Economic Forum in Davos. It responds to a trend that will see an application like the Diagono Magnesium shift the centre of gravity of the object from applications to the individual, who will control their own personal data. This type of innovative project is plainly part of the framework of the new “internet of things” era.

“The age of using lots of physical and digital keys to gain access is behind us. Diagono Magnesium is the key, and it is always with its owner. Bulgari Vault is a version that was specially developed based on WISeID Personal Clouds, designed to develop Bulgari Trusted Ecosystem” declares Carlos Moreira, founder and CEO of WISEKey.