Bulgari has taken a step towards the world of hardcore gaming with a Gran Turismo special edition chronograph of its Aluminium sport chic watch.
In addition, the jeweller has put its name to an all-new Bulgari Aluminium Vision GT concept car, a spectacular hypercar designed for racing in the Gran Turismo game.
The Bulgari Aluminium x Gran Turismo uses bright yellow on the dial in a nod to the dashboard colour of a legendary Italian gran turismo car from the 1970s.
There are two models, a limited edition of 500 with a yellow dial and black counters; and a production run of 1,200 for a piece with an anthracite dial with yellow indices.
Both have a race-pace tachymeter scale to measure acceleration, and both use Bulgari’s automatic Calibre B381 under the hood.
Both versions are retailing for £4,490.
Bulgari is taking its association with Gran Tourismo beyond the usual re-tread of motor racing and gaming tropes.
It has designed a car to feature in the latest version of the game.
The Bulgari Aluminium Vision GT picks up a few design cues from the Italian sport chic watch including the curves of its case and the construction of its bracelet with visible screws, which are mirrored in the lines of the cockpit and wheel design.
Its bodywork is made from brushed aluminium with carbon for the lower body and black rubber to protect exposed areas.
The dashboard uses the same yellow as the dial of the Aluminium x Gran Turismo Special Edition.
Both watches and the car were designed in a collaboration of the design teams headed by Bulgari’s Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani and Fabio Filippini, founder and executive director of the automotive design agency ACCAEFFE Ltd.
“I envisioned a different way of playing with Bulgari’s DNA, creating a concept car that speaks the same language as the Bulgari Aluminium watch. Its design is based on geometric, pure, and angular forms, inspired by the lines of legendary Italian gran turismo cars from the 1970s, featuring sporty three-spoke steering wheels and walnut dashboards. These shapes come together to create the unmistakable Bulgari aesthetic, resulting in a concept car with perfectly realistic proportions, also in the real world, at full scale,” Mr Stigliani says.
The hypercar is can only be unlocked and driven in the latest Gran Turismo game using a code that is provided to every purchaser of the 41mm Bulgari Aluminium x Gran Turismo Special Edition.
