Gianni Bulgari (born 1935) is an Italian businessman and designer. He is a member of the Bulgari's family of jewellers and led the Bulgari company from the 1960s to 1980s.
After his father's death in 1966, Gianni Bulgari led the family business as co-chief executive with his cousin Marina. As chairman and CEO of Bulgari in the early 70s, Gianni Bulgari initiated the internationalization of the company by opening shops in New York, Geneva, Monte Carlo and Paris.
In March 1975, Gianni Bulgari made international news when he was abducted and then released a month later in exchange of a ransom of $2 million.
In the late 70s, Gianni Bulgari led a complete overhaul of the company, establishing a new watch business and focusing on product design. Being both CEO and Art Director, Gianni Bulgari emphasized the creative mission of the company pursuing products "rare by design rather than price".
In 1987 following disagreements with his two brothers, Gianni Bulgari sold his stake in the company to them.
Fila
In 1988 Gianni Bulgari was appointed chairman of Fila, the Italian sportswear company.
During his tenure the company went public in the New York stoke exchange. He resigned in 1998.
GB-Enigma
GB Enigma
In 1989, Gianni Bulgari founded a watchmaking company, GB Enigma in Neuchatel Switzerland, launching a series of watches featuring digital hours and analogic minutes of an unusual designs.
GB Enigma BiTime – Eccentric south
In 1997, inspired by clocks featured on dashboards of First World War airplanes Gianni Bulgari launched BMW, the "Bazel Manual Winder", a mechanical watch to be rewinded by turning the bezel. It still remains unique.
Further on Gianni Bulgari started also to make jewellery opening one store in Rome in 2005 and another one in Geneva in 2006.
"Reinventing the idea of a Lady’s watch"
Lately convinced that watch industry had remained hostage of its own male mechanical tradition whose culture was unfit to address the female market, Gianni Bulgari started a thorough research into the world of lady's watches.
An exhausting exploration unlike any ever made before by a watch manufacturer or jeweler was undertaken, by making thousands of actual size models to explore all different avenues of watch case design. Bulgari's revelations included: that a watch could be a "jewel" without being precious; a jewel decorated by a watch, paradoxically yet pertinently a "useful jewel"; the other that the path to woman could lead to some watches that could also be liked by men: some, admittedly, keener on contemporary craft than horologic nostalgia.
Free from mechanical narcissism a whole unexplored land of imagination was uncovered cherishing a humanistic and playful approach to time. It also gave way to pursue all liberal arts including individual cultures like American pop art as well as far east decorative traditions of China and Japan, that could lead to surprising commercial outcome. An awesome variation of distinctive products "rare by design rather than price" and the fact that the GB Enigma's brand can be easily identified with author celebrated name would help speed up Brand's awareness.
Immense wealth of products and ideas, removed from traditional watch culture, will provide marketing people with many options that will guarantee Brand's heritage well beyond its mentor's personal existence.
Before undertaking the task of its commercialization, Gianni Bulgari has licensed Alatron SA, a Swiss company specializing in table clocks, designing a collection of innovative artifacts exploiting some design patterns used in the lady's collection.
Other activities and personal life
Gianni Bulgari Automotive
Gianni Bulgari has nurtured different interests all along his life.
After racing cars in the early 60s he became passionate about flying, both aircraft and gliders, taking a financial interest in a light plane manufacturer, Partenavia, that was sold in early 80s to Aeritalia. Passionate about all means of transportation, but especially automobiles, he also acted as a consultant for Fiat in the 80s.
In 1989 aware of the connection between watches and automobiles Gianni Bulgari designed and developed a car prototype with Lotus Engineering of UK, with the idea to be produced and distributed under the same Gianni Bulgari's brand of watches, in an alliance with one of the major car manufacturers.
Gianni Bulgari's prototype actually on display at the Gianni Agnelli Automobile Museum in Turin
This project was designed around an innovative interior concept that received both European and US patents. This brilliant, yet very ambitious project, did not have any outcome. The prototype is actually on display at the Gianni Agnelli Automobile Museum in Turin.
In the course of the 90s, Gianni Bulgari took a controlling interest in Moto Guzzi, the Italian historic motorcycle manufacturer, that was later sold to Piaggio.
Gianni Bulgari is keen on all 20th century arts as well as industrial design.
Interested in politics Gianni Bulgari wrote articles for some of the major Italian newspapers like Corriere della Sera and Repubblica.
Gianni Bulgari has a son, Giorgio Bulgari and two grandchildren.
