No Longer Made is a collection performed in collaboration with our companions at eBay, during which aBlogtoWatch editors characteristic their favourite watches which can be not in manufacturing.
I have quite a lot of enjoyable gathering trendy watches that many individuals have forgotten or by no means knew about to start with. This opens my story concerning the actually cool Bugari Diagono X-Professional timepiece. It was in 2010 that Bulgari launched the Diagono X-Professional mannequin (on aBlogtoWatch right here), and produced it (together with one limited-edition variant) for a really quick time frame. I don’t consider that was as a result of the X-Professional was not a great product, however quite due to strategic shifting on the firm together with new company possession. Recall that only a 12 months after the Diagono X-Professional was launched, Bulgari was acquired by LVMH in 2011 for greater than $5 billion. This noticed quite a lot of quick strategic modifications which pulled Bulgari out of a lot of the sports activities watch enviornment — with extra of a give attention to “high-design” formal or elegant watches, in addition to very excessive problems and jewellery watches. Whereas sport watches will all the time be an necessary a part of the Bulgari custom, the Diagono X-Professional was the final (for now) of the ultra-modern high-priced sports activities watches that we noticed quite a lot of from roughly 2000-2012.
Recall, as effectively, that the Bulgari-designed the Diagono X-Professional to compete with merchandise such because the Hublot Large Bang and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore. The Diagono X-Professional was priced roughly between the 2 and was purported to be a sexy different with a bit extra detailing and technical pizazz. The X-Professional did, nevertheless, have a couple of issues going in opposition to it. First, it was launched on the finish of a serious financial disaster, on the outset of when the Swiss watch business was redoubling its efforts on the Chinese language market. No less than on the time, large-sized sports activities watches just like the Diagono X-Professional weren’t what bought in that market. Issues developed after a couple of years, however within the 2010 period, a timepiece just like the Diagono X-Professional was each a bit too late to the market and a bit costlier than many within the West wished to spend.
At 45mm-wide, the Diagono X-Professional case is a technical masterpiece in my view. Taking inspiration from Hublot’s “fusion” idea as developed by Jean-Claude Biver, the case was deliberately designed to spotlight a collection of supplies that had been thought of necessary on the time, and embody metal, titanium, rubber, and sapphire crystal. The watch additionally has an inside part that was given a black DLC-coating, which was nonetheless a bit novel on the time.
The Diagono X-Professional case design was a merger between the normal Bulgari Diagono and in my view, the Hublot Large Bang. The case is comprised of a large 104 components, which is way over most even very high-end watch instances. Extra watch instances are produced from underneath 20 components (consists of screws, and so on.). The usual watch case has a bezel, center, and caseback making for a “three-part” case. A good query is how water-proof the X-Professional case is. The reply is “I don’t know.” The case itself is silent on the matter. I believe 30 to 50 meters of water resistance.
Most all Diagono watches from Bulgari have a particular case design component that has a door hinge-style connection between the strap and the case. This articulation level makes for a extra snug carrying expertise and is expressed very effectively right here. Regardless of the 45mm and roughly 19mm-thick case, the Diagono X-Professional wears very comfortably and securely on the rubber strap with the articulating lugs. Right here, for instance, you possibly can learn my aBlogtoWatch evaluation of the Bulgari Diagono Scuba watch to see how the hinged lug meeting tends to usually look on Digaono household watches. The bespoke rubber strap itself with its metal segments and fewer than conservative design is a matter of style, however I occur to love it loads.
The Diagono X-Professional has a rotating bezel that requires a small press to be rotated. The bi-directional rotating bezel is in printed metal and has markers for the GMT hand. The dial has one other scale for the GMT hand, so the bezel can be utilized to trace a 3rd time zone. My completely favourite a part of the Diagono X-Professional is Bulgari’s choice to make use of a bit of black-colored sapphire crystal for the precise dial materials. I’ve not seen Bulgari do that since, which signifies that it was in all probability a technical headache to attain. The consequence, nevertheless, is among the most legible, crisp, and neat-looking sport watch dials ever made, in my private opinion.
The black sapphire dial is fitted with utilized, stencil-style hour markers that work very effectively with the daring arms. The watch dial has the time, a 12-hour chronograph, a GMT hand, and window for the date. Bulgari manages to incorporate all this in a manner that doesn’t really feel overly cluttered, and that additionally lends itself to superb readability of all components of the dial. From a mode and utility standpoint, Bulgari actually obtained it proper right here. When you recall, I discussed that there was one limited-edition model of the Diagono X-Professional. This was launched only a bit after the usual X-Professional was launched and was created for a watch collector neighborhood on the then-popular PuristsPro membership discussion board web site. If I recall accurately, the one distinction within the watch was that the dial markers, as a substitute of being printed in white, had been printed in a sexy gentle blue shade.
Topping the dial of the Diagono X-Professional is an AR-coated, curved sapphire crystal that suffers from little or no glare. Contained in the X-Professional is an incredible motion often called the Bulgari caliber BVL 312. Bulgari prefers to make use of its personal completely in-house actions as of late, so I don’t assume the BVL 312 is used that a lot anymore, however in all probability due to the associated fee to provide it. Bulgari stated that the BVL 312 is predicated on the Swiss Made ETA Valjoux 7750 automated chronograph. That is, after all, true, however what isn’t obvious is simply how a lot the 7750 has been completely modified. It could be like saying that Robocop is predicated on a human. Sure, that’s true, however after all of the components which have been changed, Robocop appears to be like like one thing completely totally different.
To start with, when viewing the BVL 312 by means of the rear sapphire crystal, you don’t see something that appears a like a 7750 to most eyes. First is the completely bespoke automated rotor produced from tungsten (for weight) and using on ceramic ball bearings (for winding effectivity). The chronograph itself was completely reworked to incorporate a column wheel transmission system, and the structure of the chronograph is totally different from the inventory 7750. The motion has additionally been fitted with a GMT hand, which isn’t a part of the inventory 7750’s performance. I’ve seen numerous modded 7750 actions on the market, particularly these with added GMT arms. I’ve by no means seen one fairly as detailed and effectively executed because the BVL 312 — which actually takes a workhorse mechanical motion and turns it into one thing extra lovely and splendid (in addition to a better-performing motion).
The motion nonetheless operates at 4Hz with with 48 hours of energy reserve. The fragile detailing and sharpening on the motion are the ultimate touches that make for a good looking view by means of the rear of the watch. Bulgari made it clear on the time that lots of the components within the BVL 312 are given hand-polishing, which isn’t the case on commonplace 7750 actions, by any means. Lastly, to impress upon individuals the efficiency of the BVL 312 motion, every of them was given a COSC Chronometer certification.
Whereas not a design or dimension for everybody, the Bulgari Diagono X-Professional is a really “me” kind of watch, as I worth excessive consideration to element, numerous over-engineering, and likewise a level of obscurity. For me the Diagono X-Professional is an incredible piece of Buglari’s lately historical past and simply feels nice to put on — particularly as most hardcore watch-lovers don’t even know what it’s. I feel it has aged very effectively and doesn’t really feel too dated, being a decade outdated at this level. There are often only a handful of those out there at any given time (you possibly can see what’s presently out there on eBay right here), and I consider the unique retail value for the Bulgari Diagono X-Professional watch was $18,500 USD. Study extra on the BVLGARI web site right here.
