Making design sexy with Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani

Russell Sheldrake

There is no other man in the watch industry that channels the essence of sprezzatura more than Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. The Product Creation Executive Director at Bulgari has elevated the luxury house’s watchmaking into the consciousness of nearly every watch collector around the world. With his background and training in industrial design, combined with his passion for sketching, he brings a unique skill set to the job of watch designer which has shown in his captivating works.

Our own Andrew McUtchen has a long history with Fabrizio, having met each other for the first time nearly a decade ago with many memorable interviews along the way, including walking the Spanish Steps at sunset together. They recently got back together for another round of Q&A, in the latest episode of our Watches And podcast. In it, the two of them discuss the man from Bulgari’s journey with watches, how a select few watches made a formative impact on his life, and how he realised his watch designs don’t just have to be practical, but they have to be sexy too.

Having been with Bulgari since 2001, the Neapolitan has had plenty of time to get to know what makes this legendary house tick, and not only that, but he knows exactly what the customer base is looking for, too. So when he had to redesign the tubogas, he was able to come to the realisation that to do so would be foolish – but to adapt it for the incredibly evocative Serpenti design would only elevate both lines.

There are even more of these stories that Fabrizio shares with us in the full episode of Watches And that is out now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you missed our previous episodes you can find them on all of those platforms and our website now.