“You have to respect the brand. Authenticity is what everybody is looking for in the end”

GT: I joined Bulgari in the year 2000. I was a product manager for watches, and I was a different person— almost half of my age and my weight [ chuckles]. But I had a lot to learn. In the world of watches, you have to have passion. It took easily five to six years to really understand all the aspects of the business. If I look back now, I would love to have learned all that in a much shorter time. But you can’t go quicker than the music, as you say in French.

I have to say that when I first took the managing director position, I wasn’t as confident as I am today. I also thought it was enough to have a nice and catchy design for the watches. Now, it’s not enough anymore. You have to have credibility and competency, even for women’s watches. So, it is something that evolves very quickly in the market. I have had the privilege to go through two revolutions as well throughout my time in Bulgari. The first was the merger with Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta, which was quite a tough job to do and very challenging. The second was the launch of the Serpenti for women and the Octo for men. This was done with great success. Now, I’m hoping the same for the Lucea watches. DA: What is the most important thing you’ve learned from Bulgari? GT: I think the most important you’d learn from a brand like this is to be humble toward the brand. You have to put the brand first before everything, before your personal ambition, your own interpretation. The brand will survive me, so I will have to keep it in a better shape than when I was first entrusted with it. It is also a huge responsibility, knowing that reputation is hard to improve but easy to go down. So, you have to do things that truly respect the brand, that Bulgari should truly be nothing else but Bulgari. Authenticity is what everybody is looking for in the end.