Australian actor Chris Hemsworth may be best known for playing the Norse god Thor in the Marvel movie universe, but his favorite timepiece—the Bulgari Diagonal Ceramic Chronograph —is a tribute to the Roman and Greek classics.
The Ceramic Chronograph appears to be Hemsworth’s go-to watch, whether on the red carpet (he’s pictured here wearing the watch at recent European premiere of his hit film The Avengers: Age of Ultron) or hanging out on the beach in his native Australia. As you can see, this handsome watch is brawny but sophisticated. It’s sporty-chic look is mostly due to the design—42 mm timepiece balances high-end materials like 18K pink gold with hard-wearing materials such as its high-tech satin finish ceramic bezel and pushers and its mono-block black rubber strap.
Bulgari Diagonal Ceramic Chronograph
The history of the Diagono adds extra depth to the design. Sotirio Bulgari, a Greek immigrant, opened his first jewelry boutique in Rome in 1884. From the beginning, he integrated Greek and Roman themes into his designs. Bulgari first started manufacturing timepieces in the 1940s. In 1997 it introduced the classic Diagono (the current model pays homage with an inscription on the bezel). The name Diagono is derived from the ancient Greek word for competition and the clean styling of the dial was inspired by classic dial design inspired by Myron’s Discobolus (Disc Thrower) statue.
Although the Ceramic Chronograph is a much more complicated watch than the original Diagono, we love how it’s managed to capture the clean classic lines of the original. The simple black dial and pink gold-plated sub dial rings and hand-applied indexes with bright Super-LumiNova make the face feel as open as the Coliseum.
This chronograph also has some Swiss heritage with its automatic B130 caliber, which beats at 28,800 vph and has a 42-hour power reserve. It is also water resistant to 100m and certified by the COSC (Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres), a Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute, so you know it’s not just another pretty face.
Ultimately, the Diagono Ceramic Chronograph is meant to be an everyday watch, manufactured to run accurately in the water, in the air or on the earth. He may play the god of thunder in the big screen, but Hemsworth recognizes that as a real man, he needs a real watch.
