Super-slim supremacy
CEO of Bulgari, Jean-Christophe Babin, says the race for the world’s thinnest mechanical watch is also a service to the industry
Earlier this week, Bulgari unveiled the thinnest watch on the planet. Attendees at Watches and Wonders Geneva, which ends on April 15, who have tried on the new Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, highlight its robust quality despite its 1.7 mm thickness. One popular reviewer likens it to a strand of spaghetti and others have been pulling out coins or credit cards for comparison. It underlines what JeanChristophe Babin, 65, CEO of the Roman jeweller and watchmaker, has often repeated: “Innovation never ends at Bulgari.”
Last month, when we met at the launch of the flagship Bulgari store in Mumbai’s new luxury mall, Jio World Plaza, Babin was upbeat about the strides taken during his 11 years at the helm of the luxury group.
Look up his Instagram or LinkedIn accounts and you will find him in Seoul presenting Bulgari Studio, a new platform to encourage creative collaboration among artists on one day, and showcasing high jewellery with global ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas at a Holi party at Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai the next.
While 2023 was “the best year for Bulgari” in India, he seems to have every intention of making 2024, Bulgari’s 140th anniversary year, unforgettable.
Excerpts from our interview:
Question: Thinness is highly regarded by collectors and watchmakers. Have you reached the zenith with these records?
Answer: You are pushing the limits and it is always stimulating internally because it can take you to new fields with other applications. Without Finissimo we could not have got to the Piccolissimo (the tiny watch movement seen in the Serpenti Misteriosi high jewellery watches). Instead of making it ultra thin, we made the diameter ultra small. The primary motivation is always to advance watchmaking technologies. If we go thinner or have a smaller diameter, it must be commercial and functional. We don’t want to just do a concept watch for the media that everyone calls extraordinary. That is not a watch but a technological showcase! We make 30 Ultras a year and it takes thousands of hours.
Q: In an age when there are heated debates about retiring outdated gender norms, Bulgari has distinct watches for men and women.
A: As a jeweller, we are primarily a feminine brand with a legacy of women’s watches. If it were left to the classical Swiss watchmakers, you would have mostly masculine watches in small sizes for ladies. They will start with a men’s watch and then shrink it, add diamonds. But our Serpenti, Lucea and Diva’s Dream watches were born for women. The Octo Finissimo, meanwhile, doesn’t exist for ladies. Not yet.
Q: You have addressed the ceremonial value of jewellery in India, having launched the ₹12 lakh Bulgari Kada for men earlier this year, following the Mangalsutra in 2021. A: The mistake many Western luxury companies make, because many Indians speak fluent English or have studied abroad, is thinking they are fully westernised. But
Indian culture and traditions are deeprooted. We pay attention to what Indians like that respect tradition and we bring in our expertise with jewellery. The store also has a unisex counter. Soon we will have a full collection for men but we need this unisex ‘step’. We need to be agile and focus on the local clientele.
Q: You have said that 2023 was the best year for Bulgari in India. How is this different from China?
A: While we are present only in Delhi and Mumbai for now, there are many possibilities. We also have a lot of Indian clients in Dubai, London, Paris and Rome. The Chinese are still interested in luxury but they are cautious now and take longer to make up their mind. They tend to travel short distances, perhaps to Japan or Korea, where hospitality is much cheaper than Europe or North America. Therefore, it is no longer a global luxury market but a luxury market with different speeds.
Q: Geneva Watch Days, the alternative watch fair you launched in 2020, will have 50 brands this August. How do you stay ahead of it all as a CEO? Do you ever sleep?
A: It is a huge privilege for me to have the chance to jump from a new Bulgari hotel project to Watches and Wonders to the opening of a new flagship in India to launching a new fragrance. I’m in five companies, all in one day! But, I take holidays, and most of my weekends I am with my family. One of the reasons is that I am surrounded by the right people that are talented, determined and committed and accountable. I sleep the usual six hours (laughs). I am told the older you get, the less you sleep. You know why? Because you know you are going to die. I’m not being morbid but optimistic. You know you have to get the most out of your time.