Bulgari, official sponsor to the All Blacks, has honoured the longest-serving players and management in the legendary New Zealand team by presenting them with a special commemorative watch.
The four current players in the All Blacks squad (All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, Tony Woodcock, Daniel Carter and Keven Mealamu) who have played 100 or more Test matches have received the special Octo All Blacks 100 Club watch to mark this exceptional achievement. Bulgari also recognised a further 12 members of the current All Blacks management team who have officiated at over 100 Test matches.
Each of the watches awarded to the All Blacks is personalised on the sapphire crystal case-back, with each bearing the initials of the player as well as their All Blacks number.
The centre of the smoked sapphire crystal features an historical silver fern leaf motif, which is the All Blacks emblem, along with the year 1905, the year the famous All Blacks “Originals” team undertook their ground-breaking tour of North America and Europe.
The Octo All Blacks 100 Clubwatch is a concentrated blend of mechanical power matched by equally rugged good looks. Presented as a special edition, in a box evocatively shaped like a rugby ball, the timepiece retains all the characteristics that make the Octo watch truly unique. In this model, the case with its 110 facets, 41.5 mm opening and 10.60 mm thickness is adorned with a DLC coating, perfectly corresponding to the black jerseys of the All Blacks.
The Octo All Blacks 100Club derives its precision and excellence from the finest Swiss manufacturing traditions. Developed and assembled by hand in the Swiss Jura, the 28-jewel mechanical self-winding BVL 193 calibre measures time with a precision of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz) and guarantees a 50-hour power reserve, as well as driving a date indicator that appears in a 3 o’clock dial window.
This aperture as well as the polished and brushed black hour-marker might almost go unnoticed given the bold nature of the dial that affirms its personality by displaying a Maori mask, imprinted like a tattoo on the background, designed by Maori carver Tana Salzmann.
Technical details
Model: Octo All Blacks Special Edition
Movement
Calibre BVL 193; Manufacture mechanical self-winding movement; 3.70 mm thick, 25.60 mm in diameter; 28 jewels
Double-barrelled
Frequency of 28,800 VpH (4Hz)
50 hours of power reserve
Case
41.5 mm stainless steel case with Diamond Like Carbon treatment and semi-transparent smoky sapphire crystal back with “All Blacks®” logo
Screwed-in steel crown with black Diamond Like Carbon treatment and black ceramic insert
Water resistant to 100 m
Scratch-resistant sapphire with double-sided anti-reflection treatment
Dial
Anthracite dial with black Maori tattoo pattern. Hand-applied black hour-markers, brushed and polished
Black facetted hands enhanced with SuperLumi-Nova®
