The relative sparsity and elegance of the Bulgari Diagono Scuba’s dial is an asset to the overall design but, for me, took some time to appreciate. For at least a decade, I found the Rolex Submariner’s dial to be boring until I finally figured out that it was supposed to be functional with just a hint of flash. The Bulgari Diagono Scuba’s dial appeals to me in the same way, but it isn’t the type of dial all watch lovers will appreciate immediately. It is often the case that refined designs which focus on what you can remove rather than what you can add take some time to look at before their timeless qualities become apparent to all viewers.

While the Bulgari Diagono Scuba watch dial is relatively simple in design, the case is where a lot of the complexity exists. Bulgari has an interesting style rule that I tend to appreciate, which seems to be that complex cases are often mixed with simple dials. Most watches these days are actually just the opposite or combine a complex case with a complex dial. Gerald Genta was perhaps the original innovator in this concept in designing watch cases with matching bracelets that held most of the “communicative value” of the overall design. The dial was left for reading the time, but Genta was always big on hands which are distinctive.

The Diagono isn’t a Gerald Genta design, but several other Bulgari watches such as the Octo are. In addition to “curating” many of Genta’s designs for the next generation, I like that Bulgari and their lead designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani have incorporated these important lessons into their contemporary watch designs. Of course, the Bulgari Diagono Scuba is still a Diagono, so many of the design elements are similar with other models in the collection. For me, the best part of the Bulgari Diagono is the overall visual profile of the case when looked at head-on and from various angles. The combination of tapers, curves, and hard industrial edges is skillfully done, creating the right mixture of design cohesion and visual controversy that comes from colliding various shapes together.

My favorite functional element of the Diagono case design is the hinge-style lugs. Literally based on door hinges, the lugs are crafted to act like smooth hinges that not only look cool but make for excellent wearing comfort as the bracelet can easily articulate to accommodate most any wrist size.

While the Bulgari Diagono Scuba is available on a very comfortable matching rubber strap, this watch is not complete, in my opinion, without the excellent bracelet. Thin, tapering, and comfortable on the wrist, the design of the bracelet takes some getting used to for conservative watch lovers, but really adds to the wearing experience of the Bulgari Diagono Scuba. Unfortunately, the bracelet lacks modern micro-adjustment systems that other high-end diver bracelets have. The bracelet has a traditional button-operated butterfly-style deployant, and has a half-link which is the best way to get a more precise fit when sizing the bracelet. A lot of high-end divers such as the Submariner have systems that allow for on-the-fly adjustments of a few millimeters to offer the best fit. Bulgari currently lacks this, but the bracelet does remain very compact and low-profile as result. I would say that despite the attractive and high-quality design of the bracelet, the relatively basic deployant system is the only major weakness I feel exists with the Bulgari Diagono Scuba.

Another interesting design detail on the bracelet is the finishing of the link parts. The inner links are brushed in a vertical direction while the outer links are brushed in a horizontal direction. This sounds like a super minor detail, but it really changes the look of the watch on the wrist. These types of small details abound on the Bulgari Diagono Scuba, and help make it a watch whose finer details only become apparent after a lot of time spent on your wrist.

Bulgari uses a flat AR-coated sapphire crystal over the dial, which works well and keeps glare to a minimum. I prefer this style of crystal for most dive watches. Around the dial is a uni-directional rotating diver’s bezel which, according to Bulgari, was inspired by the shape of columns found in Roman architecture. Despite the designer look of the bezel it works nicely, offering solid clicks, and has a lume pip at 12 o’clock.

On the side of the Bulgari Diagono Scuba case you’ll see a black ceramic cabochon in the crown, which is flanked by two crown guards. Again, Bulgari makes sure to include the functional, necessary elements of a dive watch and only then did they add their Bulgari DNA to the design. Of course, they had years of Scuba watches to play with, and in my opinion, the newest generation of Bulgari Diagono Scuba is the most refined to date.

Watch lovers will appreciate that Bulgari has moved to using in-house movements for the Bulgari Diagono Scuba – which is the case for the majority of their higher-end watches. I do, however, believe that a good number of the more entry-level Diagono and other Bulgari watch models contain base ETA and other Swiss movements. Inside the Bulgari Diagono Scuba is the Bulgari caliber BLV 191 automatic movement. Sadly, there isn’t an exhibition caseback to see the movement, but it is nicely decorated and performs at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800bph) with a power reserve of 42 hours. Bulgari uses ceramic ball bearings for the automatic rotor which make for good winding efficiency. In the nice solid steel case you can’t hear the automatic rotor moving around – which I appreciate. Oftentimes, movements like the Valjoux 7750 can have noisy rotors. As I understand it, the Bulgari BVL 191 is their in-house-made answer to the ETA 2892-2 automatic.

At the end of the day, I like the fact that the Bulgari Diagono Scuba operates like a good tool-style dive watch, and fits the mold of one… yet has it’s own distinct look. It’s not a fashion watch, nor is it one for style divas. It is for guys who are proud to be design snobs and need a little bit of visual fascination in their life – because when everything you have is minimalist and for functional purposes only, then you end up feeling bored (and I don’t like being bored). With that said, the Bulgari Diagono Scuba doesn’t have anything you don’t need and, in my opinion, gets it right by adding style elements in the white space around an otherwise functional watch design.

On their website, Bulgari also seems to sometimes call the Bulgari Diagono Scuba the “Diagono Pro,” so just throwing that out there to avoid any confusion. Once again, this particular version of the Bulgari Diagono Scuba in the all-steel case with the matching bracelet and black dial is the reference DP41BSSSD (reference DP41BSVSD on the rubber strap) and the retail price is 6,400 CHF. bulgari.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Bulgari
>Model: Diagono Scuba reference DP41BSSSD
>Price: 6,400 CHF
>Size: 41mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone wanting a designer twist on your otherwise all-purpose high-end diving watch for daily wear.
>Best characteristic of watch: Excellent fit and finishing with welcome details in a very wearable and relatively slim profile. Good dial legibility. Takes the mold of a simple high-end diver and makes it just a bit less boring for those who want a piece with that much more character.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Design is not for everyone, but it isn’t trying to be. Bracelet would benefit from a micro-adjust system.