A new fruit of the collaboration between Bugatti and Parmigiani Fleurier, the Bugatti Aerolithe is inspired by the historic car presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1935. It was a single example that disappeared from circulation, leaving only a photo, a few sketches and the memory of a very special aqua and mint coloured body. Particular was the material used for its bodywork, which caused a stir that year: a magnesium alloy (Elektron), incredibly light, yet strong enough to avoid denting, yet dangerously flammable and highly volatile. Assembly was consequently such a delicate job that traditional welding had to be dispensed with in favour of a new technique, which gave the car its futuristic aesthetic, consisting of designing the bodywork in two longitudinal parts, riveted together by means of a 'spine' structure running through the car from end to end. Although the first and only prototype inexplicably disappeared, this magnesium bodywork dominated by the spine was taken up in the next car, christened the Bugatti Atlantic.
This very spine has been reproduced on the watch, more precisely on the four lugs. Their profile remains unchanged, in line with the brand's codes, but their surface is riveted. It is a flyback chronograph with an "abyss blue" dial, combined with a Hermès strap in sapphire blue grené calfskin, edged in red, as are the dial details. The buckle has been completely redesigned to symbolise the car's grille. The chrono buttons are positioned at 8 and 10 o'clock, instead of the traditional 2 and 4 o'clock.
Price: 22,500 euro.
Technical specifications
PF 335 movement
Self-winding movement
50-hour power reserve
Gauge 133'' ¼ - Ø 30.30 mm
Thickness: 6.81 mm
Frequency 4 Hz - 28,800 alternations per hour
68 rubies
Two barrels in series
Number of components : 311
Côtes de Genève' decoration, anglage on bridges
Functions Hours, Minutes
Seconds at 9 o'clock
Date window
1⁄4-second chronograph (central seconds hand, 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, flyback
Case round shape: 41 mm
Thickness: 12.55 mm
Material: titanium and 18K white gold bezel Polished and satin finish
Water resistance: 30 m
Shaped pushers at 8 and 10 o'clock in white gold
Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
Polished white gold crown: Ø 7 mm
