Bulgari Unveils Diagono Magnesium Concept Watch at Baselworld 2015


Bulgari Diagono E-MagnesiumIt’s not a smartwatch, but it is an “intelligent watch.” So says Bulgari of its headliner timepiece at Baselworld 2015, the Bulgari Diagono Magnesium, a concept piece developed for the brand’s new Diagono Magnesium collection, which offers its owner both a traditional mechanical movement and electronic access to a digital “wrist vault” full of useful data. Curious? Read on.

The Bulgari Diagono Magnesium (Bulgari bolds the “e” in Magnesium to differentiate the concept piece from the standard Magnesium watches, which were among Bulgari’s new product introductions at the fair) is the result of a partnership between Bulgari and WISEKey, a Swiss firm that specializes in digital security and data storage. In stark contrast with the producers of smartwatches, and even to the handful of traditional Swiss watch companies that have responded to them with their own “connected” timepieces, Bulgari had no interest in creating what it calls “multi-functional gadgets lacking any real added value” or “objects more like a games console than a luxury watch.”

Bulgari’s version of an “intelligent luxury watch” is powered by a self-winding mechanical caliber (with a 28,800-vph frequency and a 42-hour power reserve), with the only electronic components being a cryptographic chip and invisible antenna embedded into the movement and equipped with WISEKey’s NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. This enables the watch to transmit a digital certificate to the “Bulgari Vault,” an app that the owner downloads and sets up on his iOs or Android smartphone (with its own NFC chip). The owner then simply places the watch near the phone to activate the electronic vault and begin storing and using data. Some of the uses for the technology would include using the watch to store and access pass codes, make secure payments, activate an alarm system remotely, open car doors, access transport tickets, and various other possibilities.

Bulgari Diagano E-Magnesium - front

Bulgari Diagono E-Magnesium - Ecosystem

According to Bulgari, NFC technology is the most secure method of data transmission to date, requiring that the two devices storing the data be in very close proximity to each other in order to connect, unlike Bluetooth and other wireless technologies. Furthermore — and if you had any doubt that the DNA of this concept timepiece is all Switzerland rather than Silicon Valley — the encrypted information in the “Bulgari Vault” is stored in a cloud that is physically situated in an underground military bunker in the Swiss Alps. If the phone is lost or stolen, the Bulgari Vault app will prompt the destruction of all data, making it inaccessible to a third party. (It’s unclear if the loss or theft of the watch would also trigger this.) The owner of the Bulgari Diagono could then subsequently restore the data with the encrypted backup activated by the watch.

The Bulgari Diagano Magnesium concept watch, like the mainstream models in the Bulgari Diagono Magnesium collection, has a 41-mm case whose middle is constructed of magnesium and a polymer called PEEK — both materials very new to watchmaking — with a ceramic bezel engraved with the double Bulgari logo and a black PVD caseback. The steel PVD crown has a black ceramic disk in its center. The PEEK material is also used for the pin buckle, which closes the watch’s vulcanized black rubber strap. We’ll be watching intently to see if this bold concept becomes a series-produced, commercial reality.

Bulgari Diagono E-Magnesium - duo

 

 

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  1. Stunning, great looking texture on the face!! Interesting concept for data storage. Hope it becomes available!!

    Reply
  2. Felix Kislik

    Thank you for this piece of exciting news!
    After seeing this from Bulgari and the latest innovation from Frederique Constant, I think that the fruit company’s wrist gadget can not be possibly called a watch or be sold as one.

    F.Kislik, Lyon, France

    Reply
  3. MrTissot

    Looks like a cross between an Audemars Piguet and a Hublot !!

    But I do like it a lot. I also agree with Bulgari’s view on smartwatches: quote “Bulgari had no interest in creating what it calls “multi-functional gadgets lacking any real added value” or “objects more like a games console than a luxury watch.”

    GPS Satellite tracking in the case a wristwatch is lost or reported stolen is the only technology I would like to see in a wristwatch. Similar to what Breitling has in the Emergency and Emergency II.

    Reply
  4. Keith T

    Great looking watch. Would go great in my XLR with the Bvlgari instrument cluster. Probably would cost more than my car though. Hope it comes to fruition.

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  5. Robinoz

    So many beautiful watches. There are simply too many to choose from.
    And just like finding a wife, when you’ve found the loveliest lady ever you see another you think you’d like better, but you settle for the one you have and spend the rest of your days wondering if the other may have been a better choice.

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