Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Eclectic Bulgari Maglia Milanese Monete Secret Watch
A secret watch shielded by an imperial coin with an octagonal bezel, a supple gold Milanese mesh bracelet and a miniature mechanical movement.
Bulgari unites its rich heritage of goldsmithing and expertise in watchmaking with the Maglia Milanese Monete. A fabulous secret watch hidden by an ancient Roman coin, the Maglia Milanese Monete features a beautifully woven gold Milanese mesh strap and is powered by Bulgari’s miniature in-house Piccolissimo BVP 100 calibre. Unveiled during LVMH’s Watch Week in Milan, the Milanese bracelet marks a first for Bulgari.
Proudly Roman and fascinated by ancient history, Bulgari began producing coin-set Monete jewellery and watches in 1966. Using ancient Roman and Greek coins set in necklaces, chokers, earrings, and rings, Bulgari’s Monete pieces, featuring emperors’ profiles, names, and dates, were a huge success. The emblematic Monete remains one of Bulgari’s most enduring lines, and today, Monete watches use antique coins to hide the dial/movement of its high-end models, such as the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon or the Octo Roma Monete Skeleton Tourbillon.
Somewhat similar to the Monete Catene secret watch of 2023, the Maglia Milanese Monete inaugurates the brand’s first Milanese mesh bracelet. Set in a rectangular rose gold case with a slightly Art Deco air, the centre is crowned by an authentic ancient Roman silver coin featuring the profile of Emperor Caracalla (dating from 198-297 AD). Playing with different shapes, the round coin sits inside a raised octagonal diamond-set frame. Fitted with a hinge, the coin can be lifted to reveal a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond indices and a series of sunbeams radiating from the bezel to the case’s edges. Matching the diamond-set octagonal bezel, the rose gold crown is also octagonal, set with diamonds and a diamond cabochon on its tip.
Fitted with two rounded and polished gold bar lugs, the novelty here is the rose gold Milanese mesh bracelet. Inspired by the interlaced gold thread structures developed by Milanese goldsmiths in the Renaissance, Bulgari has created its first mesh bracelet. An extraordinary, supple, and beautiful bracelet, it is secured to the wrist with a pin buckle – also a first for Bulgari.
A small porthole on the caseback reveals the miniature marvel known as the Piccolissimo, the smallest round mechanical movement ever created. Produced in Bulgari’s manufacture in Le Sentier, Switzerland, the 102-component BVP 100 calibre has a diameter of 13.5mm, a thickness of just 2.5mm, weighs 1.9 grams, beats at 21,600vph and can store up to 30 hours of power reserve. In a departure from earlier models, this calibre can be wound by the crown.
The Bulgari Maglia Milanese Monete retails for EUR 157,000. More information at bulgari.com.
