Empire Of Dreams

Referencing Roman history and architecture for inspiration, the Bulgari Octo Roma is a design that echoes through time

- Jonathan Ho

“AT BULGARI, WE ADAPT GEOMETRY AND SHAPES. BUT YOU WILL STILL RECOGNISE THE OCTO DESIGN.” – FABRIZIO BUONAMASSA STIGLIANI, BULGARI CHIEF WATCH DESIGNER

FOUNDED IN ROME IN 1884, Bulgari remains firmly planted in its Italian roots. Almost every of its icons has been inspired by Urbs Aeterna. Indeed, Roman poet Albius Tibullus (55-19 BC) was the one who dubbed Rome the Eternal City because, since its founding circa 753 BC, it has been a major human settlement for almost three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe.

At its zenith, the might of the Roman Empire meant that the capital city occupied a special place in the grand scheme of human civilisation. In fact, so powerful was the Empire that its citizens need only utter the Latin phrase “cÄ«vis rÅmÄnus” (which means “I am a citizen of the Roman Empire”), to deter any aggressor or demand to be given his rights. So great was the universal standing of Rome that, should any harm befall even one of its citizens, the might of the Empire would come to bear on a would-be aggressor. Citizens of Rome could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation.

Rome, Capitol of the World. Buglari, Home of the Artisan