First Steps Of The New Bulgari Octo Finissimo Exclusive Edition At Passione Engadina

Alpine mechanics in St Moritz: Watchonista, Maserati, and Bulgari cross the Engadine. Follow our journey!

By Joël A. Grandjean

Contributor

A Bulgari watch that bears the colors of the Passione Engadina race, a 2018 guest of honor called Maserati. Taking place at the end of summer in beautiful St-Moritz. The town’s historical palaces are granting themselves the best of the watch and automotive worlds.

What a program: rule number one, don't crush one of those famous sheep with red-brown skin typical of the Engadine as they pass my Maserati Granturismo; do not deviate too much from the trails mapped out by the organizers which I hope will allow us to cross Guarda and Artez, two Unesco heritage villages, nestled in the heart of this Inn birthplace, the river that flows into the Danube on the Bavarian side.

Goals? Above all, not winning

I am committed to it, and I must not win this 7th edition of this series of races with Italian-Swiss consonances! For if I were to win, it would mean that my crew and I would not have stopped enough to devote ourselves to our primary mission, namely to bring back unforgettable photos and cover for Watchonista this contemporary saga that combines the sweet flavors of gentlemen motor racing with the intoxicating scents of wild nature. Despite the fact that this area has been brimming with the international jet set for over a hundred years.

Passione Engadina 2018's Press Conference

So those are my objectives. Which will be added the childish joy of driving a racing car that is sure to make all my trendy car buddies jealous. On top of that, we’ll also have the satisfaction of crossing one of the living testimonies of a Switzerland that respects its linguistic minorities to the point of continuing to consider the Romansh as its fourth national language, even on its banknotes, when in fact it is spoken only by about 60,000 people mostly concentrated in these picturesque regions.

Another exciting topic, the idea that certain milestones will make me push the doors of Badrutt's Palace and walk in the tracks of world celebrities: Once upon a time there was a Johannes Baudrutt who, at the end of the 1800s, bought a guesthouse whose destiny is linked to the history of the great names of this world.

Warning, road exit by Octo Finissimo

As far as concentration is concerned, although the performances associated with speed are not decisive for winning the first places in this Passione Engadina and its events, I will nevertheless have to force myself to look away from time to time from this gorgeous Bulgari timepiece that is about to be hung on my wrist. Is this an extreme hands-on? This is the extra-fine Octo Finissimo, this watchmaking family whose characteristic shape and 5.15 mm thickness in automatic calibre version succeeded in iconizing and imposing itself in record time. Achieving so many records in such short time that it inevitably may make some Reversos, Tanks, and Royal Oaks jealous. Or for that matter, any other brand that competes with reduced thickness.

Maserati in the spotlights, events, and temptations rain down

The race is used to welcoming a brand as a guest of honor. This year, for the third time, it is Maserati. It turns out that the Bulgari partner brand made a pact with Maserati. Two brands that have their roots in Italy, a land synonymous with Dolce Vita and also a universal reference point for stylish and elegant design. The style of style, zested with historical references, Roman myths, multicultural symbols and a tradition of sustainable crafts. This original agreement is the work of two in-house designers who are determined to create objects that not only cross the sublime landscapes of this remote part of Switzerland but can also stop by the world's watch shops or the most demanding racing teams. And by the way, to benefit from St. Moritz's exposure in the international magazine pages...

At the end of this scorching summer, the mountains and their glaciers so close together will resonate with lyrical as well as motorized impulses. Real motor backfires, real adrenaline, real cars, people, and even the curious. There will be everything. Starting with this Maserati exhibition open to the public during the three days of the event, from August 24 to 26, 2018, located in the heart of St. Moritz, followed on Friday, registration day, transfers and parade, this essential "Vite Parallele", a kind of lecture on design conducted jointly by the two designers Lorenzo Ramacciotti and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. Then the next day will be the launch of the 7th edition of a race now essential, punctuated here or there with gala dinners in the palaces of the local, closed on Sunday by a contest of elegance.

Watchonista on the road again

Don't worry, you'll hear about it! You'll have a front row seat! At your Instagram and other networks, get into position! Your pilot will always believe in his teammate, our passionate photojournalist Pierre Vogel. He will rely on the unique aesthetics of our videographer Léon Orlandi, armed with his drones. In short, the excellent team with back up, at the office, and in the States, the bosses, the publishing and technical pillars, the online pros... In short, those without whom the event would not take place. Let’s go!