Bulgari Carbongold Via Condotti Review

I spent last weekend back in Vegas to join a few fellow PuristS for the Andrea Bocelli concert.  The concert didn't start until the late evening, and since I was already staying at the Aria SkySuites I thought I'd stop by and visit my friends at the Bulgari Boutique at Crystals Mall.  I can't believe that it's been almost exactly a year since City Center opened.  My fiance and I attended the grand opening last year and it's amazing to see all the new shops and restaurants that have moved in.  The mall was decorated with holiday ornaments and they even had a live chorus singing Christmas songs.  Perfect for all the tourists to get into the holiday spirit. 

So what's new this time at the boutique?  Well, I found out that the Bulgari Carbongold has made it's way back to AD's and boutiques. 
We heard about the first deliveries in a prior post click here and the press release here: click here

There was a small issue with the water resistance of the caseback, but luckily Bulgari was aware of the situation and recalled the initial delivery.  The Bulgari watchmakers quickly resolved the issue and have started distributing the Carbongold again.  There were several pieces available, so I took the time to examine one up closely.






I'm still checking to see what exactly is Carbongold and the engineering process behind it, but it is quite different that the forged carbon process that I've seen on a visit a few years ago at Audemars Piguet.  The Buglari Carbongold case has a much more subtle texture and coloration is consistently a dark greyish black color.  The 'finish' of the case resembles a regular matte finish and has the lugs integrated into the case.  On the side of the case is a silver plate engraved with the '1884' to symbolize the year that the first Bulgari shop was opened in Rome.

In some ways, the Carbongold case looks somewhat plasticky from a distance because of it's understated finish.  But I can see it as a good daily watch that can fit in with any waredrobe from dressed up in a suit or with casual with jeans.

The dial is easy to read with stick type hour markers and the signature '12' and '6' o'clock indicators.  I took a close look at the BVLGARI-BVLGARI engraved into the bezel of the Carbongold case and can see sharp lines.  The crown was easy to wind and not intrusive at all on my wrist.

The buckle is also made of the same material as the case.  It has a lightly engraved BVLGARI logo on it with a steel tang.  The overall watch feels  very light on the wrist and after a few minutes I almost forgot that I was wearing it and came close to walking out of the store with it!

The Carbongold is fitted with a sapphire caseback with the carbon material and secured with 6 flathead screws.

The Carbongold comes with a black leather strap.  It's a simple design with an almost flat matte black color that matches the case, but I think that Buglari should offer either a carbon fiber or rubberized strap to go along with the stock one.  I wonder how it would look with the same black leather strap but with the Bulgari logo embossed on it? 

I'm tempted by this one.  Retail pricing on this is very affordable and the 40mm case size is just right for someone looking for a simple watch. 

Regards,
ED-209
This message has been edited by ED209 on 2010-12-17 20:46:31