Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Bulgari · Aluminium
Bulgari Aluminium 36 mm Slate Grade
Reference 26659OR.61
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Bulgari
- Collection
- Aluminium
- Model
- Bulgari Aluminium 36 mm Slate Grade
- Reference number
- 26659OR.61
- Year / era
- 1989 · 1980s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 3B — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1989 – 2003
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Bulgari Aluminium 36 mm Slate Grade sits within Bulgari's Aluminium line, introduced in 1989. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — grade 5 titanium case, slate grey dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Bulgari
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1884
- Founder
- Sotirio Bulgari
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari, Diva's Dream, Aluminium
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Bulgari Octo Finissimo 36 mm Salmon Platinum (1955) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Silvered Sapphire (1984) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Meteorite Stainless (1952) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 39 mm Silvered 18k (1953)
Brand history
Bulgari has spent more than 142 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Octo Finissimo, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Sotirio Bulgari established Bulgari in 1884, working from Italy at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Bulgari calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1884
Sotirio Bulgari founds Bulgari in Italy.
1899
Bulgari earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Bulgari to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Bulgari enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Bulgari continues to produce Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari and other icons in limited numbers.