Like a second time-zone complication, but better, a world timer provides a more complete function that is useful, and even essential, for travelers in today’s globalized world. The Bulgari Octo Roma WorldTimer offers an amazingly simple, instantaneous and accurate reading of time around the globe. Our test confirms it.

While Bulgari recently set a new world record with its Octo Finissimo Ultra, the Octo Roma WorldTimer plays a significant role in another area that is no less interesting. Quite the opposite. Watches with time-zone or even worldtime functions have become more important than ever in our globalized lives, and not only for today’s international travelers. With the Octo Roma WorldTimer, you can keep an eye on the whole world in a simple and clear way — even from your desk in your office or at home.

Either way, this timepiece is geared toward sophisticates of all sorts and not just to the men who travel the world. The Bulgari Octo Roma WorldTimer, measuring 41 mm across and only about 12 mm high, looks great on a woman’s wrist, too. The Gérald Genta case design is one of the most famous and emblematic in the world of haute horlogerie, boasting 58 different facets for this Octo Roma WorldTimer. The round, downward sloping bezel is as striking as the multifaceted case body and the angular lugs. The Octo case structure has no sharp angles and is anything but ordinary or boring. Our test watch is the bead-blasted black DLC (diamondlike carbon)-coated steel version, but another model is also available with a stainless-steel case with brushed and polished finishes.

Four polished black screws attach the transparent exhibition caseback, providing an excellent view of automatic in-house Caliber BVL257. With its integrated world-time function, the movement is operated by a double-knurled screw-down crown made of DLC-coated stainless steel with a ceramic inlay. Together, the crown and screwed caseback ensure the Octo Roma WorldTimer is water resistant to 100 meters.

The small but well-designed crown is easy to grasp and turn and is used to perform all settings. First, position the city in the desired time zone at 12 o’clock by unscrewing the crown and pulling it to the middle position. This allows the city ring at the outer dial edge to be advanced in either direction. Two offset rows list 24 cities — from Rome to Samoa, from Bangkok to New York — representing the world’s 24 time zones. The list also highlights the world of Bulgari. For example, the popular travel destination St. Barth represents the Caribbean rather than the more well-known island of Bermuda, since St. Barth embodies both the luxury of the region and the high ideals of Bulgari. Other cities are included where Bulgari owns a hotel, such as Dubai and Beijing, or has plans to open one, such as Tokyo. Once the city ring has been positioned, the exact time can be set by pulling the crown to the outermost position. This also allows for the counterclockwise advancement of the 24-hour ring, which is located between the outer city ring and the inner dial, which shows the classic display of hours, minutes and seconds. When positioning the hands, care must be taken to ensure that the 24-hour display aligns with the previously selected time zone. Once this is done, these simple settings make it surprisingly easy to read the time in all 24 time zones of the world. The 24-hour display always corresponds to the time setting, not only for the selected city, but for any location around the globe.

When traveling to another time zone, you’ll adjust the time accordingly and then, using the middle crown position, reset the reference city to the 12 o’clock position. The 24-hour ring is linked with the 12-hour time indication, so once it has been set, it will also advance in the same way. The setting will always be correct, at all times, amazingly simple and perfect.

The new world-time function is powered by a modified movement, consisting of 261 components, which was developed and produced by the manufactory in Le Sentier. Compared to Bulgari’s world-record movements, in-house Caliber BVL257 is simple, but as its functionality shows, its technology should not be underestimated.

The automatic movement is based on the BVL191 that is modified and expanded to display 24 time zones at once. It offers a power reserve of 42 hours, which is comparatively short by today’s standards. Remarkable within the architecture is a sturdy balance bridge for added stability and a refined automatic bridge with an integrated reverser mechanism for automatic winding. This allows for the caliber’s thin structure and the overall slimness of the watch. And last but not least, we should mention the precise finishing with côtes de Genève extending over the rotor and bridges, which contributes to a look that’s more technical than refined, while underscoring the functionality of the movement as expressed on the dial.

Despite the world-time indication, the signature Bulgari time display is front and center, directly in the center of the black bead-blasted dial. The bold, distinctive elongated markers — most notably, the numerals 12 and 6 — are placed inside the inner section of the circular dial. The black dauphine hands for the hours and minutes are faceted, polished and filled with Super-LumiNova. They glow bright green like the markers and numerals. The black seconds hand remains dark, however, and is sometimes difficult to see, even during the day.

But it’s not really a problem, since your attention is drawn to the large-dimensioned world-time indication rather than the smaller unit of time. The perception of time in the individual regions of the world is a satisfying experience. Straightforward typography and strong black-and-white contrast support easy and instantaneous readability.

The watch comes with a textured black rubber strap, which is a bit stiff when new but becomes supple with wear. It is equipped with a classic black DLC-coated stainless-steel pin buckle. With matte and polished areas, the clasp reflects the bold and angular shapes of the case and completes the Octo Roma WorldTimer’s worldly look.

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This very lightweight and matte anthracite-colored alloy imparts a striking elegance to the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic and Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar. The hour markers, numerals, hands, characters, and crown are fashioned in gold, forming a striking luxurious contrast against the backdrop of high-tech style.

The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, honored with the prestigious Aiguille d’Or prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2021, marked the Maison’s 7th record for slimness. Its calibre, the self-winding BVL 305 measures only 2.75mm thick.

Despite its svelte design, this work horse offers a substantial power reserve of 60 hours and the intricate complication of a perpetual calendar, ensuring precise displays of the date, day of the week, and month, while even taking leap years into account through a retrograde indication until 1 March 2100, when the leap year will be omitted following the Gregorian calendar.

Pricing for the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar is marked at $89,000.

The new Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic has a diameter of 40mm and a height of 6.9mm. The time-only watch is powered by the automatic in-house caliber BVL 138, which is only 2.23mm high. Meticulously finished, it features a micro-rotor and provides a power reserve of 60 hours.

The Octo Finissimo Carbon Gold Automatic retails for $26,800.

To learn more, visit Bulgari, here.

Audi’s “progress through technology” motto also applies to the importance of the tourbillon for watch design, because this eye-catching complication greatly enhances a timepiece’s visual appeal. A new trend contributes its fair share, too: many recent models are styled with such a strong emphasis on high tech that their tourbillons fit harmoniously into their overall designs. Here are 10 of these tourbillon watches.

1. Richard Mille 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille RM 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille collaborated with Airbus Corporate Jets, which builds luxurious aircraft, to design a technical miracle with an extremely modern-styled tourbillon at 6 o’clock. The split-seconds chronograph for measuring lap times, the torque indicator at the 2 to show how much tension remains in the barrel, and the display at the 4 to show which position has been selected for the crown are likewise readily visible. Titanium-aluminum alloy, manufacture Caliber RM 50-02, automatic, 30 pieces, $1,050,000.

2. Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

In this transparent and very extreme wristwatch from Hublot, a vertically positioned tourbillon perfectly augments 11 vertical barrels, which team up to provide 50 – yes, 50! – days of power reserve. A battery-powered screwdriver is delivered along with the watch to wind the mainsprings. Sapphire, 29.5 mm by 45.8 mm, manufacture Caliber LaFerrari, hand-wound, 20 pieces, $575,000.

3. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

A tourbillon provides additional visual appeal in the open styling of this newest technological tour de force from Audemars Piguet. This timepiece also offers a delightful audible treat in the form of the clearest and loudest minute repeater in the entire watchmaking industry. Titanium, 44 mm, manufacture Caliber 2937, hand-wound, 520,000 Swiss francs.

4. Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon

Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbilon

The tourbillon is the sole classically designed component here. The highly unconventional time display consists of a jumping hour with two separate disks and a minutes hand pulled across a linear scale by slender cables. The rollers that move these threads resemble the winches that tighten the lines that secure the mast on a sailing yacht. White gold, 44 mm, Caliber UN 630 by Christophe Claret, hand-wound, 18 pieces, $280,000.

5. Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth and Moon

Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth & Moon

Eclipse the tourbillon to indicate the moon’s phase? This may sound crazy, but it’s precisely what Cartier does. When the push-piece at 4 o’clock is pressed, a circular disk of stone cut from a meteorite slides in front of the tourbillon so the portion of the “whirlwind” that remains visible corresponds to the moon’s momentary phase. Rose gold, 47 mm, manufacture Caliber 9440 MC, hand-wound, 15 pieces, $239,000.

6. Montblanc 4810 Exotourbillon Slim

Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim

“Ordinary” tourbillons are also still available. A handsomely closed dial and a tourbillon in a dedicated aperture are Montblanc’s interpretation of classical horological beauty at a comparatively affordable price. Rose gold, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber MB 29.21, automatic, $33,500.

7. Christophe Claret X-Trem-1

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1

The characteristically wavy grain of damascene steel makes the Christophe Claret X-Trem-1 look even more extreme. This watch set new technical standards in 2012: its tourbillon is positioned on a diagonal, which makes it difficult to connect the tourbillon to the movement. The “whirlwind” combines with floating balls, magnetically pulled through tubes, to show the hours and minutes. Damascene steel and rose gold, 40.8 mm by 56.8 mm, manufacture Caliber FLY11, hand-wound, eight pieces, $308,000.

8. Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

The tourbillon was patented by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. For the 5887, the prestigious brand has not only added a perpetual calendar, but also measures time according to the current position of the sun (the central hand with sun motif), by which the length of a day can vary by -16 to +14 minutes compared to average or civil time. The difference is called the equation of time. The cam responsible for this is shaped like a figure eight, and visible on the dial through a window that also displays the tourbillon carriage. It runs on a sapphire disk so as not to block the view of the tourbillon. Platinum, 43.9 mm, manufacture Caliber 581DPE, automatic, $230,400.

9. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari unveiled the slimmest tourbillon movement ever in 2014. The caliber is just 1.95 mm tall and ticks inside a 5-mm-slim wristwatch, which acquires a sporty touch in 2016 thanks to blackened titanium. The straight lines in this watch’s design highlight the complication, which attracts everyone’s admiring gaze. DLC-coated titanium, 40 mm, manufacture Caliber Finissimo Tourbillon, hand-wound, $99,000.

10. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer-02T

A tourbillon watch with a chronograph, automatic winding and chronometer certificate is sensational, even if TAG Heuer tries to quell the hype by calling attention to its industrialized fabrication. An open and symmetrical construction further enhances this watch’s visual appeal. Titanium, partly coated with titanium carbide, 45 mm, manufacture Caliber Heuer 02T, automatic, $15,950.

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But some watches fall through the cracks that actually deserve a bit of attention, even when, at the time of writing, they might have been on the market for some time. Like you, we are watch enthusiasts, and I do spend a portion of my week running through old catalogs and researching watches from past and current collections. The results of part of this ongoing quest can be read in the print edition of WatchTime, where under the name ‘Blast of the Past,’ I mainly highlight the cool and interesting young-timers that I come across.

For this new online series, ‘In The Spotlight,’ the idea is slightly different as here we highlight watches that are still in production and part of the current catalog of their brand. These timepieces might have been introduced a while ago, are a variety of a model that we haven’t covered before, or in general, a watch that we think deserves a bit more time in the spotlight. From the virtually unaffordable and unobtainable to bang-for-your-buck powerhouses, some of which even hide in plain sight. You get the good and the bad, but not the ugly, as we are spoiled for choices and have the luxury to avoid those.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon

This year’s limited edition of the Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon from Parmigiani Fleurier appears clad in 950 platinum. The elegant Milano blue dial is framed by the line’s signature knurled bezel, also made of platinum. The dial has delta-shaped skeletonized hands and applied markers, celebrating contemporary minimalism. The eye-catching feature is the flying tourbillon, which completes one revolution per minute between 6 and 7 o’clock.

Inside the 42-mm case, which measures just 8.6 mm in height, beats the automatic manufacture caliber PF517. It is wound by a 950 platinum micro-rotor decorated with a fine barleycorn guilloché pattern. Other exquisite finishes, such as circular Geneva Waves, perlage and angled bridges, can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back. Thanks to a screw-down crown, this haute-horlogerie watch, which is limited to 25 pieces, is water resistant to 100 meters. Pricing is available upon request.

To learn more, visit Parmigiani Fleurier, here.

Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon BI-Axis BI-Retrograde

The somewhat long name already hints at the technical complexity of the Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon BI-Axis BI-Retrograde. This exceptional timepiece combines a double-axis tourbillon with two retrograde displays for the hour and minute. This symphony of mechanics is orchestrated by the manufacture caliber HUB6200 with manual winding, which offers a power autonomy of a full four days and consists of a total of 374 components. Some of the intricately decorated parts are revealed through the open-worked dial.

Yet, the flying double-axis tourbillon, positioned at 6 o’clock, is the undisputed star of the dial. On one axis, it completes one full rotation per minute, on the other every 30 seconds. To make this precise performance visible from all sides, the bezel is extended downwards.

The Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon BI-Axis BI-Retrograde is housed in a 44-mm titanium case and is limited to 50 pieces. Pricing is marked at $158,000.

To learn more, visit Hublot, here.

Bulgari Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon

This new interpretation of the Bulgari Octo Roma Papillon Tourbillon is rightly named “Striking”, as it stages the exceptionally creative form of time display. The hour is jumping and the minutes, arranged on a semicircle, are alternately indexed by two diamond-shaped hands in “Papillon” style, with new sophistication. It also offers fascinating insights into its mechanical inner workings through the partly skeletonized dial.

The characteristic Octo case in black-coated titanium is closed with a sapphire crystal that enhances the dial. As such, the dial illuminates via indications that are coated in vibrant green Superluminova. The same applies to some components of the genuine hand-wound movement, the BVL348 caliber, which provides a 60-hour power reserve.

It goes without saying that this beauty is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback of the 44 mm case. The highlight of the sporty and modern Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon is the flying tourbillon, which sits in the center of the dial.

Pricing is marked at approximately $140,000 when converted to USD.

To learn more, visit Bulgari, here.