BULGARI, PLATINUM WRISTWATCH, REF. BB 33 PLAUTO

This beautiful and elegant rare platinum ‘Double B’ centre seconds watch is a classic creation from the great jewellery house of Bulgari. The platinum theme is even continued into the chronometer standard movement by the use of solid platinum for the winding rotor which is visible through the transparent back.

The double-logo Bulgari watch was created in 1975 by the Bulgari brothers Nicola, Gianni and Paolo, originally as a gift for the company’s 100 best clients. Around 1977, the ‘Bulgari Bulgari’ was added to the company’s regular production due to high demand.

Today, the model is as popular as ever. The ‘Bulgari Bulgari’ or ‘double B’ takes its name from the fact that the word ‘Bvlgari’ appears twice on the bezel. The engraving of the name ‘Bvlgari’ arund the top and bottom of the bezel was an idea inspired by Roman coins.

Platinum
In the 18th century, platinum's rarity made King Louis XV of France declare it the only metal fit for a king!. Pure platinum is a lustrous silver-white metal of which only a few hundred tonnes are produced annually, and given its important uses, it is highly valuable.

The first European reference to platinum appears in 1557 in the writings of the Italian humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger as a description of an unknown noble metal found between Darién and Mexico, "which no fire nor any Spanish artifice has yet been able to liquefy".
Watchmakers appreciate the unique properties of platinum, as it neither tarnishes nor wears out.