Articulating Past and Present Through BVLGARI’s Beyond Time Exhibition

Paragon Mall’s ground floor atrium on Orchard Road is not a space that typically asks much of its occupants. From 18 July to 10 August 2025, it did. BVLGARI’s Beyond Time transformed it into the Maison’s first-ever horological showcase of its kind outside Switzerland, a distinction that positioned Singapore not merely as a regional market but as the singular international stage for an exhibition that had, until now, existed only within Swiss borders.

The timing carried its own logic. BVLGARI had made its milestone debut at Watches and Wonders Geneva in 2025, a year that also marked the 50th anniversary of the BVLGARI BVLGARI collection and a series of Serpenti releases timed to the Lunar New Year. Bringing Beyond Time to Singapore in the weeks leading up to National Day on 9 August, the country’s 60th year of independence, gave the exhibition a second layer of occasion. The two milestones—one belonging to the Maison, one to the city-state—were brought into a single frame.

The exhibition was open to the public daily, free of charge, and drew a regional guest list to its opening evening on 18 July. Thai actress and model Faye Peraya and Mai Davika Hoorne, former Miss Universe and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Pia Wurtzbach, and Singaporean actor Ayden Sng were among those present, alongside Vietnamese model Tran Ngoc Lan Khue. Jeffrey Hang, Regional Managing Director of BVLGARI, described the occasion as “a tribute to SG60 and a celebration of shared values—design, innovation, and craftsmanship,” as reported by Revolution Watch.

Visionnaire designed the exhibition environment around the architectural language BVLGARI had established at its Geneva presentation, translating it into a public-facing format accessible to horophiles and general visitors alike. The space was organised into four thematic zones—Serpenti, Octo, Grande Complications, and high jewellery timepieces—and structured around a B-shaped centrepiece installation that drew from the minimalist philosophies of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his collaborator Lilly Reich. Their precision-driven approach, in which the clarity of a space allows the object within it to do the communicating, aligned closely with the exhibition’s intent to let the watches speak without interference.

At the centre of that conversation were seven record-breaking Octo Finissimo timepieces, each representing a separate world first at the time of its release. The sequence ran from the Octo Finissimo Automatic of 2017, the world’s thinnest self-winding watch at launch, through the Tourbillon Automatic and Minute Repeater (2018), Chronograph GMT (2019), Tourbillon Chronograph (2020), and Perpetual Calendar (2021), arriving at the 2025 debut of the Octo Finissimo Titanium Tourbillon, the Maison’s 10th world record in ultra-thin watchmaking. Displaying the calibres alongside the watches, a rare occurrence at public exhibitions, allowed visitors to trace the mechanical thinking behind each achievement.

Next to the retrospective sat the Octo Roma Worldtimer SG60 Edition, a 60-piece limited edition created exclusively for Singapore’s diamond jubilee. The watch carries specific symbolic weight: on its dial, Singapore replaces Beijing in the city ring, a deliberate acknowledgement of the city-state’s distinct identity. Its matte black DLC-coated steel case is contrasted by red and white detailing referencing Singapore’s national colours, with the city name itself printed in red. The connection to Sotirio Bulgari’s own immigrant origins gave the piece a resonance that extended well beyond the date on the dial.

The programme included a watchmaking masterclass led by Le Sentier-based watchmaker Clément Drobniak, attended by invited guests and regional celebrities, offering hands-on access to the technical craft behind the Maison’s complications. Private sessions with BVLGARI’s horological experts ran throughout the exhibition period. Over National Day weekend, Visionnaire brought in local talent for live postcard portrait illustrations and a personalised poetry station, extending the exhibition’s reach to visitors who came for the celebration rather than the horology.

Singapore has spent 60 years making a compelling case that constraints, of land, of resources, of time, can produce more refined outcomes than abundance does. BVLGARI has spent 140 years making the same argument in miniature, on the wrist. That the two found common ground in a shopping mall atrium on Orchard Road is either serendipity, or exceptional planning.

Visionnaire is a leading event management agency specialising in premium brand experiences for luxury marques including LVMH, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Porsche, Volkswagen and other global icons. Guided by a commitment to excellence, we create purpose-driven design and immersive storytelling that forge meaningful, lasting connections between brands and audiences. Our work is grounded in eco-conscious and socially responsible practices, supported by ISO 20121 Certification, a Gold EcoVadis rating, and our ongoing commitment to the United Nations Global Compact.