Bulgari has just updated the 1990s-inspired Aluminium lineup with three new releases for the summer. We start with the Aluminium Chronograph, which features a brand new movement Caliber B381 and is also newly available in a very sleek all-black design.
The more classic black-and-white chrono, originally reissued back in 2020 as part of the aluminum and rubber comeback trio has also been fitted with the new mechanical self-winding movement B381.
Both models have gone up a fraction in diameter and now sport a 41mm case, up from 40mm. The chronographs feature an aluminium case (duh!) with titanium caseback, treated with DLC for added durability and scratch resistance.
The watches are also water resistant up to 100m with luminescent hands and indexes, which basically means you can do just about anything from BASE jumping to rafting to nightclubbing with peace of mind.
And of course both watches sport a black rubber bezel with the double logo and proprietary black rubber bracelet, with aluminium links and aluminium pin buckle.
The blue Capri edition, delivered just in time for all of your sporty coastal summer needs, or Blue Man group fetish, comes in both a chronograph equipped with Caliber B130 or time-only version equipped with Caliber B77; both of which are existing calibers, carried over from the previous Aluminium models.
The new Capri models are limited to 1,000 pieces each, and if you’re romantic about the Mediterranean and would like a soothing memento to remind you of more relaxing, negroni-soaked summers when you’re back on your city grind, then you can admire the little engraving depicting Capri’s Faraglioni on the caseback.
The blue Solotempo and chronograph are both 40mm in diameter; the chrono has pretty much all the same material specs as its black-and-white cousins minus 1mm in case size and its coloring of course.
The Capri Solotempo model features a date display with more space for the very striking gradated blue dial. For the final Bulgari summer hurrah, we have the green Match Point Edition for tennis fiends, or people like me who just quite like the color green.
The watch (equipped with caliber B77) comes in a limited edition of 800 pieces and is supposed to be worn both on and off the court thanks to its velcro strap and left-handed crown. The white dial is accented with green luminescent hands little luminescent tennis-yellow dots above each index.
What We Think
When I think of Bulgari I can’t help but immediately picture Serpentis and vintage Monete and high jewelry necklaces dripping in multi-colored cabochon stones. My mind just doesn’t go straight to sporty.
But these models are legitimately fun and easy to wear; plus they have that sporty 1990s nostalgia that makes them perfectly au courant.
Bulgari is now firmly and confidently in the swing of repackaging its hits from the past, which totally works given what they are doing on the other more serious side of the technical spectrum with the Octo Finissimo.
It’s awesome to see the brand nailing each strata of the Bulgari layer cake, which, in my mind, goes something like this: Sporty and easy Bulgari Bulgari at the base, serious and sophisticated Octo Finissimo sandwiched in the middle, and drippy diamond high-jewelry watches shining brightly on the top tier. Feel free to reorganize this hierarchy to suit your own personal wants/needs.
The new black chrono with the updated B130 caliber is cool but I will never be one of those people who can pull off wearing all-black outfits. If I could wear head-to-toe Rick Owens à la Michèle Lamy then I would, and then I would top it off with a new all-black Bulgari chrono. But I belong to the eclectic more-is-more camp: where color is my friend. And that match point green is looking pretty alluring to me right now.
-Hodinkee
