Bulgari
The Bulgari family originates from the little village of Epirus in Greece. The region was famous for its silversmith traditions already in the middle of the 18th century. In 1884 the family emigrated to Rome, Italy, where Sotirio Bulgari opened his first workshop on that same year. With the help of his two sons, Constantino and Giorgio, he opened his first boutique in Via Condotti in 1905. Today, this boutique is Bulgaris biggest showroom.
During the first half of the 19th century, both brothers came to develop their own personal passion for jewels and jewelry, and slowly took over their fathers role in the business.
The period following the World War II marked an important turning point in Bulgaris design. During this period Bulgari started to move away from the strict and dominant French design towards its own unique expression that was inspired by the Greek and the Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance and the 19th century Roman goldsmith traditions.
1970's was the beginning of Bulgari's international expansion. The company opened boutiques in New York, Paris, Geneva and Monte Carlo, and today they have over 155 boutiques around the world.
In 1977 Bulgari produced its first wristwatch. It was called Bulgari-Bulgari, and was very distictive with its black dial surrounded by a golden band. This design is to be found in many Bulgari watches even today. In the early 1980's Bulgari set up a subsidiary, Bulgari Time, for the creation and and production of all Bulgari watches.
In 1989 Bulgari joined forces with the Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux. Today the company manufactures all the Bulgari watches.
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