Lately it seems like every luxury auto brand has a corresponding and equally luxurious timepiece, possibly so every billionaire can have a matched set. The latest pairing finds Italian sports car maker Maserati joining forces with Italian jeweler Bulgari to celebrate their iconic anniversaries with a limited edition watch.
2014 was the year that Maserati marked 100 years of manufacturing sleek, racy and very memorable autos while Bulgari celebrated 130 years of crafting exquisitely fine jewels, watches and other luxury items. The result of their collaboration is the Octo Maserati Chronograph by Bulgari. The name even sounds decadently expensive.
The Octo Maserati Chronograph is basically a souped-up version of the Octo Quadri-Retro Chronograph that was the first joint production from the two superstar brands back in 2012. The new model has been dubbed “Velocissimo,” Italian for “the fastest” and this is one watch that looks made for speed.
Collectors of luxury timepieces will have to work fast if they would like to score one of these ultra-exclusive beauties since Bulgari will be making only 1,914 pieces of the Octo Maserati Chronograph. The number is a reminder of the year that the Maserati brand was founded. What’s the price tag for this little piece of history? A cool $12,365, which is probably less than the down payment on a new Maserati today.
So what do those lucky (and wealthy) 1,914 watch lovers get for their money? Under the hood the 41.5mm Octo Maserati is powered by the Calibre BVL 328, Bulgari’s premier movement that packs a 50-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 100 meters.
On the outside, there’s a steel case with lacquered and polished champlevé dial of Maserati’s iconic blue and white that has two chronograph buttons for stop/start and reset functions placed at 2 and 4 o’clock. The dial also features minute and hours counters at 3 and 6 o’clock, the date between 4 and 5 o’clock and seconds at 9 o’clock.
The signature Maserati Trident makes an appearance on the end of the second hand while the semi-transparent blue caseback is etched with the log of the automaker as well as the number of the exclusive edition. Also paying tribute to Maserati is the luminous blue shade of the dial and the blue alligator print genuine leather strap.
All in all, this decadently deluxe timepiece is a worthy tribute to the craftsmanship and style of both Maserati and Bulgari. Alas, most aficionados of fine luxury watches didn’t find an Octo Maserati Chronograph in their Christmas stockings this year, no matter how good they were—unless what they were best at was stock trading or robbing banks.
