‘Without Rome, we wouldn’t be Bvlgari,” explains chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin. “At the end of the 19th century, our master jewellers, without even thinking about it, were influenced by the monumental size of the temples and the contrasting colours of the roofs. So it is not a surprise that Bvlgari was born with a strong pedigree. It is just tracing and mirroring Rome.”
The brand was born in the city in 1884 by its Greek founder Sotirio Bvlgari (or Sotirios Voulgaris) and it retains an indelible place in the house's psych. “Rome is a source of inspiration and a thread to understand the style and narrative of Bvlgari,” Babin explains.
Having been at the helm of the Italian house since 2013, Babin has engineered its growth from a family-run business into a global luxury empire spanning high jewellery, high-end watches, leather goods, perfume and hotels – all aligned with design codes and exclusivity that have driven the house since its inception.
Case in point, in the early 2010s Bvlgari decided to create a contemporary slimline men’s watch that embodied Roman sophistication and style. The result was the manual winding Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in 2014, upending what was thought possible with a tourbillon movement.
It was only 1.95mm thick, inside a case that was 5mm deep. It broke the world record for being the thinnest watch and set Bvlgari on a path of upping its own standards year after year. A decade later, Bvlgari now holds nine world records.
“For Finissimo, we had to totally rethink the movement, because it was just impossible to take an existing one and reduce every subcomponent by up to 60 per cent,” says Babin. “We had to reinvent the watchmaking chain without losing its primary purpose, which is to give perfect accuracy.”
Today, Bvlgari holds the title again with the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, which is only 1.7mm thick.
While he is clearly proud of the awards and the attention these have garnered, Babin insists the house would stop tomorrow if it meant compromising on design. “We can’t imagine designing an ugly watch or a watch that is difficult to operate,” he explains. “We have to maintain the essence of luxury, which is timeless beauty.”
“Today Bvlgari is mastering different expertise at a pretty sophisticated level,” says Babin. The brand's skilled artisans have created gem-encrusted bags that cost about $440,450 and come with hardware that can be removed and worn as jewellery. “Bags are themselves becoming pieces of high jewellery, where the head of the snake can be detached and become a beautiful pendant. Underneath there is a secondary head that is diamond set so you can still use your bag.”
Then there is the $220,225 perfume born of a collaboration between the jewellery and perfume divisions. “It is a very, very sophisticated fragrance, that comes in a bottle of Murano glass and gold. The bottle is like a piece of jewellery for the home and is an extraordinary piece of contemporary, luxury art.
“We decided a few years ago to become the most desirable experience of the 21st century,” explains Babin. “To do that we had to start at the pinnacle, which is high jewellery and high hospitality.”
Bvlgari opened its first hotel in Milan in 2004 with the aim of bridging the elegance of Italian design and the warmth of Italian hospitality. Now there are nine locations around the world – in cities such as Shanghai, New York, Tokyo, Rome and Dubai – with a further three set to open in the next two years. “These are not necessarily the political capitals but the cities that attract people for the intensity of the business and cultural life,” says Babin.
With both Italian and Arab cultures placing such store in hospitality, it is no wonder that the Dubai hotel is considered the jewel in the crown. “On one side it looks like the Maldives and on the other you are overlooking downtown, that’s the beauty of the Dubai property,” Babin says of the location, which is set on its own island.
Back in Italy, Bvlgari is involved in the restoration of historic treasures, such as the Spanish Steps, the Largo Argentina archaeological site and, most recently, bronze sculptures and marble statues from the Vittoriano monument in Rome’s central Piazza Venezia. For Babin and Bvlgari, it is a way honour the company’s Roman heritage.
“Our roots are immediately recognisable whether it’s a watch, a bag or jewellery,” Babin explains. “Immediately you can feel that. So as a company, we feel it’s our duty to give back to the city, to the excellence and craftsmanship this country has gifted to us.
“We work with the state to make sure this magic environment sparkles in the future, despite so many centuries.
“There are still a lot of major landmarks that need restoration and we are very keen to contribute, to make the city even more beautiful. It’s our mission to participate in the future of the city. I like to think that the next 27 centuries will be together.”
One discreet element of this bond is the eight-pointed star that features across the Bvlgari stores and hotels. “It means all roads lead to Rome,” says Babin. “Which was one of the mottos of the Roman Empire. And it was true actually, that all roads eventually arrived in Rome. I love Rome, I love Bvlgari and it’s difficult to take one without the other.”
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
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Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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Rating: 4.5/5
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The five pillars of Islam
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
