Beyond the rave: the Bulgari Aluminium Steve Aoki is the latest watch inspired by dance music alongside Zenith & Chanel

Luke Benedictus

Different professions have their own specific demands when it comes to the attributes of a watch. A professional diver, for example, needs a hydrogen-release valve, while a doctor could benefit from a pulsometer. But what about a DJ? This question popped up last year when I was talking to Carl Cox, the British superstar DJ who’s been rocking dancefloors since the late ’80s. Having just collaborated on his own watch with Zenith, Carl had given this matter a lot of thought. The most important watch quality for a DJ, he explained, was luminosity.

The reason for this, of course, is that a DJ’s place of work is a dimly lit nightclub so what they need from a watch is easy legibility. Consequently, Carl said, back in the day, Panerai was the watch of choice for successful DJs with Pete Tong, Christian Smith and many others all favouring the Italian brand.

“A Panerai is a chunky-size watch with big numbers that light up in the dark so they’re easy to see,” he pointed out. “Obviously, when you’re in a darker room some watches that have a lot of intricacies on their illuminations, well, you can’t see the time. Then you’ve got to ask your mate what the time is, and that kind of defeats the object.”

Therefore when Carl was involved on making the Zenith DEFY El Primero 21 Carl Cox Edition, legibility was front of mind. It’s not just the hands and hour markings that are lumed up – the bezel also has luminous material worked into the composite and even the stitching on the strap is infused with Super-Luminova.

That same logic drives the design of the new Bulgari Aluminium Steve Aoki special edition – a watch made in tandem with the international DJ. The watch is essentially a remix of the Bulgari Aluminium time-only, a watch that you have to try on to appreciate, because it is one of the most insanely comfortable watches around.

Partly, this is down to Bulgari’s use of their new aluminium alloy, whose supreme lightness – this weighs a piffling 71g – gives the watch a barely there presence on your wrist. The linked rubber bracelet also drapes seamlessly, the multiple segments creating miniature air pockets to stop it becoming clingy on warm days. Essentially, it’s like wearing a watch made out of clouds.

The Aoki watch conforms to this original in almost every department, sharing the same black rubber bezel, ‘90s looks and 42-hour power reserve to enable clubbers to dance until dawn. Where this watch differs, however, is in the white dial.

The entirely of the watch face is slathered in SuperLuminova while leering out its centre is the Steve Aoki logo that resembles a worse-for-wear vampire at the end of a heavy night. In daylight, it’s barely visible, but in the dark, boom: the lume kicks in to shine as bright as a strobe light as the logo takes centre stage.

The Bulgari Aluminium Steve Aoki costs $4530 and is being released in a super-limited run – the brand told Time+Tide that only five pieces will be available in Australia. But there are early signs that dance music might be emerging as a growing source of inspiration for watchmakers.

Chanel’s new collection, for example, declares itself to be inspired by “electro culture”. What this translates to with the Chanel Premiere Electro ($9650) is a neon riot of coloured leather threaded through a steel chain coated in black ADLC.  It sounds about as subtle as being hit in the teeth with a glow-stick. But the black minimalism of the octagonal case somehow manages to balance out the madness.

These musical influences are consistent with the idea of the 30-year-cycle – the notion that pop culture trends are often rejuvenated three decades on. So will we see a wave of watches taking stylistic cues from turntables and Vicks inhalers? Time will no doubt tell. We just hope that watchmakers don’t get too carried away – no hands in the air please, we still need them to indicate the time on the dial.