ED209
[Purist]
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Bulgari Gerald Genta Magsonic photos and video
After viewing the Bulgari Il Giocatore
Veneziano, I scanned the room and automatically zeroed in on
another timepiece in the complication collection: The Bulgari
Gerald Genta Magsonic. Why the Magsonic? I
think it was for two reasons. The first being that the main
hallway at Bulgari's exhibition had an area displaying Apple iPad's
loaded with their Magsonic app. It was fun playing with the
iPad's and being able to rotate the views and of course listen to the
Westminster chime. Second was probably that I wanted to learn
more about the use of the Magsonic material.
This
proprietary and patented alloy was developed by Bulgari Gerald Genta
using a new software program designed to analyze different materials
(such as titanium and steel) and evaluate it's sound transmission
quality. What was interesting to me was that this Magsonic
alloy is used only in the middle of the case. This is because
the sound is usually diffused in a sideways
direction.
The
original version introduced in 2009 was made with a titanium case,
whereas this year it is produced in 18K pink gold. The case
measures 51mm (arguably it is 46mm if you exclude the levers that
operate the grande sonnerie and the circular case pillars). It
is 16.27mm thick and is paired with a black alligator strap and
deployant buckle. I noticed a few small differences between
the 2009 and 2011 versions such as the BVLGARI logo, the raised
engraving of the GG Caliber 31001 on the outer edge of the dial, and the
change in the font on the hour indicators.
The
magsonic is fitted with a transparent caseback. There are two
power reserve indicators, one for the 48 hour power reserve and another
for the sonnerie. The hands are hollow arrow shaped
and are very similar to the hour indicators on the front of the
dial.
Here's a closeup of the crown. Actually the case and crown have almost identical design elements with one of my favorite watches in the Bulgari complication collection, the GG Tourbillon Sapphire. You can see the differences, where the Tourbillon Sapphire has the case pillars filled with lume, the Magsonic is left hollow probably to maintain the sound transmission of the alloy.
The hour and minutes dial is offset at the 3 o'clock position to create an open area for the tourbillon and hammers:
And a closeup of the tourbillon. I like the alternating gold and silver colored finish with the perlage and engraved wave patterns throughout the movement. My pics don't really show off the the sparkle of the raised polished areas against the matte finish.
Closeups of the Magsonic alloy around the middle of the case. It has a slightly shiny deep blackened finish and overall it isn't as heavy on the wrist as I imagined it would feel. The crown is large having the eight sided cylinders that protrude around the crown makes it very easy to wind the movement.
And just like the Il Giacatore I reported on earlier I really wanted to make this video to show the details of the Magsonic. This first video shows you the watch from various angles.
And a video with two segments where I was able to active the grande sonnerie and listen to the Westminster chimes. It was clearly audible to everyone in the room. I'm not an expert in repeaters but it sounded great to me. The only thing I noticed was that the cadence seemed a little fast:
Regards,
ED-209
This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-05-06 09:48:20
Bulgari Gerald Genta Magsonic photos and video
I fixed the links to the videos for the Bulgari Magsonic
the engraved wave pattern
Not sure if this wave pattern is unique to Bulgari
Fantastic coverage
Hope you can check one out in person
Wow! Now that's impressive!
My first experience.......
It was a memorable trip to the UAE for the Genta event
Thanks Ed.
The first Grande Sonnerie with 4 hammer chimes
The first wristwatch to be more precise, I forgot to mention it
Another Gerald Genta Grand Sonnerie...
Saw it a couple months ago...
Amazing speed and sound...
one question
