“Bulgari Aluminium GMT Amerigo Vespucci Special Edition ref. 103702” that’s a mouthful. A watch, in a long line of Bulgari Aluminiums, previously known as the Bulgari Diagano around the early 90s-00s, that continues an iconic design unique to Bulgari. They nailed the brief on this design, much like any Cartier watch, remove the branding and you’ll know who made this watch at any given time. The same can’t be said for the endless hordes of stainless steel circular watches out there.

Like all its cousins, the Bulgari Aluminium GMT 103702 is a wondrous marriage of rubber, aluminium and… titanium, the latter being the primary metal in its creation, yet it’s called the “aluminium”. Its dial bears the trade mark “6” and “12” characteristic of most of its horological family, framed by a black and gold (which shimmers) 24-hour inclining chapter ring building up to a lightly stepped sapphire crystal, framed by an aluminium ring, enclosed by a rubber bezel. There are five circles in total, expanding from the dial, with distinct breaks, contradicting glosses and mattes, defining distinct sectors. Between the matte aluminium, gloss sapphire, within a matte bezel, peering at the dial feels as if you’re looking through the porthole of a ship. The sectors also make a 40mm watch feel as if it were 38mm or smaller, though the nature of the short lug-to-lug plays a hand in this perception too.

The case of the Bulgari Aluminium GMT 103702 is stepped and seats the rubber bezel, recessed within it, as a puzzle piece. The “lugs”, though I hesitate to call them that given their peculiar design, protrude from the case as two swiveling canisters that secure a bespoke rubber strap via a large, framed metal screw. It’s forgivable that most would prefer more traditional designs for watch straps, however, in this case, I can’t imagine any strap or design matching this watch as perfectly. The strap is as much a calling card of the watch as is the case, its segmented rubber sections linked by similar canisters as those of the lugs. It continues the Bulgari language throughout the entirety of the watch, where as the watch straps and bracelets of most other brands are an afterthought, a separate entity. Remove the brand from the dial and you’ll still know it’s a Bulgari Aluminium. Remove the strap from the watch and you’ll still know it came from a Bulgari Aluminium.

It’s a design that speaks to me and one that I was likely to miss, only ever seeing it in publications. It was when I first saw a Bulgari Aluminium on the wrist of a friend that I said “woah, let me see that… I’ve got to have this”. I was smitten, it was so unique, versatile and more. Wear it in a suit and it’s art nouveau, in a blue jean jacket and it’s chic, for a swim to the beach follow by drinks at the bar without looking like a tool…watch. The Bulgari Aluminium GMT 103702 is a watch that will garner you attention when you want it (sharing with enthusiasts) and none when you don’t. It’s a watch I wear daily even when in less scrupulous environments. Other people pay it no attention at a glance, appearing as a gshock or any other plastic toy watch. The Bulgari branding on black matte rubber isn’t evident unless you stop and stare at the watch up close, something noticed by a housemate of mine after living and dining together for months, “wait, is that a Bulgari?” Subtle, and I like that. It’s a watch for me to enjoy, not to broadcast.

And I wish Bulgari would just take comfort in that fact, that there’s a whole catalog (of used and new) Aluminiums to suit anyone’s style, as I chose this colour scheme to suit mine. There’s no need for the whole “Bulgari Aluminium GMT Amerigo Vespucci Special Edition ref. 103702” to commemorate the “first person to discover America”, cause wasn’t it the Vikings, or even the Native Americans who found the place first? Just keep producing great designs Bulgari and the people will come.