Gran Turismo-inspired Bulgari watch includes in-game car

Just as the car industry has its fair share of ‘rock star’ designers, so does the world of watches – and one of the most admired is the effortlessly stylish Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the man who has wielded the pen behind Bulgari’s horological creations for 22 years. He moved to the Italian watch and jewellery house at the age of 30 having previously worked at Fiat’s Centro Stile where he specialised in designing parts for automotive interiors – but he has been obsessed with drawing cars and envisioning ‘concept’ models since childhood.

Buonamassa Stigliani attributes his fascination with four wheels to the fact that his father was a director of rental firm Hertz and would often come home with books, magazines and brochures filled with images of cars. A couple of years ago this interest took Buonamassa Stigliani down an unexpected path when former Pininfarina designer Fabio Filippini introduced him to Kazunori Yamauchi – the creator of video game Gran Turismo. As many of the game’s fans will know, most of the cars it features are based on real ones – but in 2013 the Vision Gran Turismo project was launched to give manufacturers the chance to proffer concept cars, since when more than 20 marques including Bugatti, Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin have contributed designs.

Following Buonamassa Stigliani’s meeting with Yamauchi, Bulgari became the first watch house to be asked to create a Vision car – an invitation the designer swiftly accepted, not least because he’s a Gran Turismo player. The result was the Bulgari Aluminium Vision Gran Turismo, a futuristic two-seat roadster inspired by Bulgari’s Diagono Aluminium sports watch. The virtual version of the car was unveiled at the Gran Turismo world finals in December. All other Vision cars can only be obtained by Gran Turismo competitors after they have accrued a million credits, but there is another way to get hold of the Bulgari Aluminium Vision Gran Turismo – and that’s by buying one of the two watch models created to complement it.

The first comes in an edition of 1200 with anthracite dials and yellow markings, while the second will be available in just 500 examples, all with yellow dials that mimic the instruments of the Vision car which, in turn, were inspired by those of a Lancia Delta Integrale. “It was a dream come true to be invited to design a Vision car because I bought the first edition of Gran Turismo when it came out in 1997 and have bought every edition since,” says Buonamassa Stigliani. “In fact, until my eight-year-old son Giulio started to demand some variety a couple of years ago, it was the only game on my PlayStation.”
Isn’t that the trouble with kids these days? They just don’t take things seriously enough.

Bulgari Aluminium Gran Turismo Special Edition, £4490. bulgari.com

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Henry Ford changed car manufacturing when he introduced the production line method to build his Model T in 1908. For maximum efficiency he checked that everything was done on time by keeping an eye on the Webb C Ball pocket watch that today is a prized exhibit in Ford’s Dearborn museum. Ball Watch Company is now honouring the great man with the Engineer M Endurance, a chronometer-certified watch fitted with 17 glow-in-the-dark micro gas tubes. Dials can be had in black, dark blue, ice blue and green.

Ball Watch Company Engineer M Endurance, £3171. ballwatch.ch

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Triple Le Mans 24 Hours winner and four times overall Pikes Peak champ Romain Dumas took his career to new heights in December – literally. Over two weeks he coaxed a modified Porsche 911 Carrera 4S up the side of the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile, reaching 22,093ft – the highest point at which a car has ever been driven. Dumas kept track of progress with his Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, while the rest of the team were equipped with smartwatches by TAG Heuer that enabled them to monitor their physical condition.

Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, £18,700. chopard.com

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Precision is written by renowned luxury goods specialist Simon de Burton