The New Bulgari Lucea Models With Mother-of-Pearl and Malachite Dials

While not many of us can pull off one of Bulgari’s spectacular high jewellery watches like those presented in the Garden of Eden collection with opulent gemstone flowers winding up the arm, take heart because there are other women’s collections designed for everyday wear. One of these is the best-selling Lucea collection launched by Bulgari in 2014. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Lucea gets a stylish makeover just in time for the LVMH Watch Week.

From the Latin ‘lux’ for light, Lucea is a collection of round watches with fascinating details like the bright pink cabochon-cut stone crown set with a diamond that belies the hand of Bulgari’s master designer, Fabrizio Buonamassa. Benefitting from the subtle design tweaks for its tenth anniversary, the case has been refined, and the V-shaped links of the slinky bracelet have been softened and rounded. The idea behind the remodelling of the bracelet was to capture the sensuality of the Serpenti and the flexibility of the fluid links of the Octo Finissimo.

The two new Lucea models come in dainty 33mm two-tone steel and rose gold cases with a height of 9.16mm. Part of the design tweaks included slimming down the bezel that is presented here in polished rose gold and set with brilliant-cut diamonds. The redesigned bracelet continues with the two-tone steel and rose gold theme of the case; the central link is crafted in satin-finished rose gold flanked by polished H-shaped stainless steel links that taper slightly as they reach the folding clasp.

Unlike conventional mother-of-pearl dials, the dial of the Lucea is created using the intarsia technique. The first step involves artisans cutting the brittle mother-of-pearl into elongated triangles to simulate the sun’s rays. These slivers are then arranged on the dial to create a sunburst pattern with three-dimensional pleats that play beautifully with the light.

The impressive green malachite dial captures Bulgari’s predilection for brightly coloured gemstones. Using stone marquetry, small pieces of the grained mineral are cut by hand and assembled like a Roman mosaic on the dial. Round brilliant-cut diamonds represent the hour markers and are claw-set in gold square appliques. The automatic movement powering the new Lucea models has an ETA 2892 base and delivers a 42-hour power reserve.

The mother-of-pearl Bulgari Lucea retails for EUR 17,200, while the green malachite version has a price tag of EUR 19,200. For more details, please visit bulgari.com.