On the occasion of Singapore’s 60th birthday, Bvlgari has a special treat for local collectors and connoisseurs, the Octo Roma Worldtimer SG60 Edition. The watch will make its physical debut at the Beyond Time pop-up exhibition at the Paragon mall in Singapore, which runs from July 18 to August 10 this year. The brand tells us that this exhibition covers the breadth and depth of its watchmaking know-how, including its record-breaking ultra-thin watches.
Not only will the watches be present but the calibres will too, which is a rare and unusual treat. While the exhibition is open to the public, invited guests will have their own special sessions, including a watchmaking experience. If you are a Bvlgari collector, ask your retailer about this, if you have not already heard – boutique customers should already have their invites sorted out. We have seen a preview of the show and it looks very promising, taking up the main space of the mall’s atrium.
The broader collecting world should take note of the limited status of the Octo Roma Worldtimer SG60 Edition (only 60 will be made, because of course) and the intriguing execution as some future appeal is almost certainly assured. Bvlgari says the 41mm DLC-treated steel watch is “crafted for the modern explorer,” but, as a worldtimer, it will also appeal to people with global financial interests and anyone who appreciates the magic of living in a world where time is relative.
The watch manages this with the 24-hour ring that you see here, with your home city positioned at 12 o’clock guiding the eye. For reference, in this watch, it is obviously 10:10 but the 24-hour ring also shows that this is PM not AM. Time in all other cities can be seen clearly and at once, in relation to this reference city’s time zone. We will return to practical matters shortly, but likely you are already well-versed in how such watches work.
To begin with, the Octo Roma Worldtimer is distinguished by its specialised aesthetic cues for the anniversary this year, and so it is appropriate to consider Singapore’s position on the world stage. This has symbolic weight in any sort of worldtimer, depending on whether your time zone is listed specifically. Singapore usually gets the short end of the stick because it is in the same time zone as China; in the Octo Roma Worldtimer SG60 Edition, Singapore takes the place of Beijing. For those who appreciate the amazing success of the world’s only true city-state, a watch like this one takes on greater emotional resonance.
Bvlgari likens the journey of the brand, from its inception with founder Sotirio Bulgari, to that of Singapore, and some of those parallels are not unreasonable. Of particular relevance is the founder’s status as an immigrant (he was Greek, and his birth name was Sotirios Voulgaris) who found success in Rome when he set up shop there in 1881. This immigrant story mirrors the circumstances of many Singapore pioneers, so the appeal will be strong – provided you also like Bvlgari and worldtimer watches.
Returning to the Octo Roma Worldtimer SG60 Edition properly, the watch is powered by the in-house automatic calibre BVL 257, with 42 hours of power reserve. This calibre is not one of the ultra-thin ones but is nevertheless relatively slim at 6.03mm. The case is not so slim, at 11.35mm, but that is down to the water-resistance of 100 metres; the Octo Roma is a good bit more sporty than the Octo Finissimo. Matching the look are the polished brass hour and minute hands, with black PVD and white SuperLuminova (the central seconds hand is lacquered in red). The dial is matte black with a PVD treatment, with the city ring in black (PVD) and cities in white; Singapore marked out in red. Straps are in rubber, either black or red.
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