Back in August 2021, aBlogtoWatch debuted a brand new collection of Bulgari Aluminium (“aluminum” for us in the United States) watches inspired by a very popular Bulgari Diagono collection that originally debuted around 1998. The new collection features multiple complications including a three-hand model, a chronograph, and this colorful blue and red GMT that BVLGARI referred to simply as the “BVLGARI Aluminium GMT” reference 103554.
What marks the new BVLGARI Aluminium watch collection is comfort and price. These are all-mechanical models but priced in a more entry-level fashion than more high-end models from the brand (of which there are many). The sporty elegance of these once-Diagono models is epitomized in how well they have aged and once people get them on the wrist, their casual friendliness becomes apparent. Aluminum is not always the best watch case material due to its relative fragility, but BVLGARI here uses slightly hardened aluminum and provides plenty of protection in the form of things such as the rubber-coated bezel, as well as the strap.
The 40mm-wide case is lightweight in aluminum and comfortable on the wrist, while the caseback is in titanium. Over the dial is an AR-coated sapphire crystal and the case is water-resistant to 100 meters. Inside the watch is a based Swiss Made ETA automatic GMT movement that Bulgari calls its caliber B192. The GMT complication on the dial uses a four-hand array and a fixed 24-hour bezel in anodized aluminum that is split into blue and red to indicate AM or PM times. This is a similar colorway as the popular Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” watches and thus is BVLGARI’s own distinctive entrant into the arena of a trendy color theme. That is typically a win for consumers, especially given the otherwise cool design of this watch and attractive price point.
The blue rubber strap features links similar to a bracelet (as opposed to a strap). This makes the wearing experience as comfortable as a rubber strap but more stylish, as a bracelet. It is a great combination and has been something that has worked well from BVLGARI for over 20 years now. The 40mm-wide case size is also a win for the larger international audience of watch wearers who prefer this more universal size. The watch doesn’t wear small due to the “door-hinge-style lug structures, but how the strap falls down immediately (given the hinge action) allows for the BVLGARI Aluminum case to wear well on even smaller wrist sizes.
What Bulgari did in this entry-level luxury GMT watch collection is use more humble materials combined with a luxury design and style. This way, the brand can explain why its more expensive watches cost more while creating a distinctly unpretentious guise for these otherwise high-end lifestyle timepieces. Price for the reference 103554 BVLGARI Aluminium GMT watch is $3,500 USD. Learn more at the Bulgari website here.
