Bulgari Arena Bi-Retro Gerald Genta 50th Anniversary

One of the most problematic aspects of modern watchmaking is that there is a tendency to forget about the past very quickly, and individuals do not get into the spotlight. In contrast to this generally accepted practice, and as a sign of respect and admiration for the man who laid the foundations for most of his most interesting watches, Bulgari has released a watch in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Gerald Genta in 1969: Gerald Genta 50th Anniversary.

The Gérald Genta 50th Anniversary watch has a blue dial. It displays a Biretro double retrograde clock with date and time. The Biretro watch was built on the basis of the Arena case, due to its alleged similarity to the structure of the same name. The 50th Anniversary model is made of platinum.

The watch retains many key elements – the crown, the overall configuration of the Arena case, as well as a significant part of the dial in terms of the basic design language, including the fonts used. The sharp-sighted among us will notice that the Gerald Genta logo has been slightly changed – the letters G have been elongated.

The movement is a manufactured automatic caliber Bulgari BVL 300. This is a fairly modern mechanism that operates at a fairly standard 28,800 half-vibrations per hour; the rotor rotates in both directions, and the power reserve is 42 hours. The BVL 300 caliber is based on the BVL 191. The overall impression produced by the finish is basically the same as that of the dial and case – clean and elegant, with several clear lines giving an immediate sense of visual clarity, which is what Bulgari usually strives for.

Bulgari Gérald Genta Arena Bi-Retro: 41 mm platinum case with blue lacquered dial. Blue alligator leather strap with platinum insert. Bulgari BVL 300 movement with a power reserve of 42 hours, with a jumping clock, retrograde minutes and a retrograde date. The price is 59,000 dollars.